The Data

Country   USA

Appellation   Dry Creek Valley

Varietal   Chardonnay

Retail Price   $59

ABV   13.75%

Score   4.5 Stars/96 points

In the Glass

Brilliant, medium green/gold color.

The aromatics are intense, offering scents of honeysuckle, green apple, and bees wax with supporting notes of slate, chamomile, and Meyer lemon.

The palate echoes the nose delivering a ripe orchard fruits-driven core with flavors of white peach, sudachi, apricot stone, lemongrass, grapefruit zest, and quince. The finish is long and lingering.

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

Cool Factor

Chardonnay from one of our desert island wine producers made with a Montrachet clone and no oak — very, very cool.

Value Grade

Handmade Chardonnay from Dry Creek crafted in limited quantities is never to be found in the bargain aisle but we find this wine to be irresistible. Get it while it lasts.

Analysis

We are enjoying the third release of Tongue Dancer Wines (TDW) “Magnolia Montrachet” Chardonnay. The first wine from this great vineyard source was their “The Sly One” Chardonnay from 2021. The source vineyard, the Tolmasoff Vineyard in the Dry Creek Valley, is planted with the Montrachet clone — a name very familiar to white Burgundy lovers. The vineyard was planted in 2017 and thus far TDW is the only winemaker trusted with this gorgeous fruit. This wine is made without the use of oak. The wine is fermented and aged in their concrete ‘hippo’, a cheeky name given to the popular concrete egg that lies horizontally rather than the typical vertical orientation. The 10 months the wine spends on its lees give it depth, structure, and polish that can mimic oak aging without the oak flavors. We absolutely love this wine and don’t miss the oak for a second.

How to Enjoy

Of course this wine needs nothing but a glass but it is built for food with a generous dose of natural acidity and incredible length. It pairs beautifully and any fish or fowl — best grilled or served with a balanced cream or butter sauce. This is a wine for your cellar so get bottles for now and some more bottles for later.