Majorly crisp

The temperature crept toward 100 degrees on a recent summer day. A beer seemed too heavy and a cocktail too complicated. Instead I reached for the wine list and asked for something I rarely order: a chardonnay. When it comes to whites, I like them dry as the desert, and this one, the Sonoma Coast Chardonnay ($22 per bottle) from the Sonoma-based Sean Minor winery, didn’t disappoint. It’s buttery, yes, but with its notes of apple and pear, as well as a bit of pineapple, cardamom and cinnamon, it also exhibits a strikingly crisp mineral summer-ready finish that’s refreshing whatever the weather. Seanminorwines.com.