The Data

Country   USA

Appellation   Sonoma County

Varietal   Chardonnay

Retail Price   $55

ABV   14.1%

Score   5 Stars/98 points

In the Glass

Brilliant, medium gold/green color.

The aromatics are intense, offering scents of apricot stone and spring flowers with supporting notes of lemon curd, grapefruit zest, candied ginger, passion fruit, meringue, and hints of vanilla.

The palate echoes the nose delivering a ripe orchard fruits-driven core with flavors of tropical fruit, white peach, kumquat, and wild honey. The finish is long and lingering with accents of citrus.

Medium to full-bodied and perfectly balanced with a supple texture.

Cool Factor

When you make Chardonnay cool you have really done something. The Tongue Dancer Chardonnays just keep getting better year after year.

Value Grade

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

Analysis

The Tongue Dancer Wines 2021 Sonoma County Chardonnay appears to be a one-off but I’ve been wrong before. It’s a triple threat Chardonnay sourcing its fruit from the Bacigalupi and Pratt vineyards in Russian River Valley, and a new source in Dry Creek Valley (Montrachet clone). It’s a bold blend of two previously utilized sources with a great new source. The resulting wine is stunning as it brings together many of the best elements found in Chardonnay wine: tropical fruits, citrus and peach, floral notes, honey, and secondary vanilla and meringue accents. It’s made entirely from hand-picked grapes that were whole cluster pressed. The Russian River grapes were barrel fermented while the Dry Creek fruit fermented in a concrete egg. The barrel-fermented wine was then rested, sur lie, for a period of 15 months in French oak (25% new). This amazing and perfectly balanced Chardonnay is near perfect now but amazingly it may improve with time as the various elements further coalesce.

How to Enjoy

Serve chilled but not too cold or you will suppress the subtle nuances abundant in this wine. Pair it with roasted fowl, cream sauces, or smoked salmon. The beautiful natural acidity in this wine makes it a great food pairing wine.