The Data

Country   USA

Appellation   Russian River Valley

Varietal   Chardonnay

Retail Price   $50

ABV   14.1%

Score   5 Stars/98 points

In the Glass

Brilliant, medium golden color.

The aromatics are very intense offering scents of lemon curd, lychee, and honeysuckle with supporting notes of honeysuckle, baked apple, passion fruit, and vanilla.

The palate confirms the nose delivering a ripe orchard fruits-driven core with flavors of apricot, white peach, meringue, and hints of ginger biscuits. The finish is long and lingering with rich custard notes foiled by citrus zest.

Medium to full-bodied and perfectly balanced with an opulent texture.

Cool Factor

Tongue Dancer's fifth release of their Russian River Chardonnay is an absolute gem offering unbeatable depth and balance making it very, very cool.

Value Grade

Handmade Chardonnay from Russian River crafted in limited quantities (just five barrels) is never to be found in the bargain aisle but we find this wine to be irresistible.

Analysis

We can’t believe that this is the fifth edition of their lovely Bacigalupi Vineyard Chardonnay — time flies. We have been fans of each release but we are not above having favorites. This lovely 2019 version is one of our favorites and it’s amazingly reminiscent of the great 2016 vintage (another favorite of ours). Both the ’16 and ’19 Bacigalupi Vineyard Chardonnays show great finesse and nuance along with generous and complex flavors. This vineyard features the Old Wente clone — a Chardonnay clone brought to California, from Burgundy in 1912 by C.H. Wente. Like previous vintages, the 2019 Bacigalupi Chardonnay is completely barrel-fermented with native yeasts. The wine was then rested, sur lie, for a period of 16 months in French oak (20% new). This is a lovely Chardonnay, as we have been accustomed to expect, with great depth and a celebration of Russian River Valley fruit. This wine is made entirely at their Grapewagon Crush facility in Healdsburg.

How to Enjoy

Serve chilled but not too cold or you will suppress the the subtle nuances abundant in this wine. Pair it with roasted fowl or fatty grilled fish. Of course it really needs nothing but a glass...