Beverage of the Week (BOW)
Tongue Dancer Wines Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2021
Product Story
This is the tenth vintage of Tongue Dancer Wines’ Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir and as usual, it did not disappoint. How time flies… This expression of Pinot is made by grapes sourced from vineyards in the Sonoma Coast appellation. We have reviewed every vintage since 2015 and while each wine is unique and always an expression of the vintage, each respective wine has scored 94 points or better. How’s that for consistency? In 2021 most of the fruit was sourced from the Putnam Vineyard with a bit of press wine from the Lakeview Vineyard that was featured in this year’s Foxtrot bottling. For the Pinot geeks out there (we say with great affection) the clones used were Pommard, Calera, 777, 115, Flowers, and 114. The fruit was all hand-picked in the early morning hours — de-stemmed and not crushed. It was fermented in small, open-top fermenters and then aged in French oak (33% new) for a period of 11 months. It was bottled unfined and lightly filtered in August of 2022.
Brand Story
Tongue Dancer Wines is the creation of James and Kerry MacPhail. If you are a California Pinot Noir lover you likely know James' previous work with MacPhail Family Wines. James knows how to make amazing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and James knows a lot of people who grow spectacular Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. We have been reviewing the wines from Tongue Dancer for the better part of a decade and we have never seen a Tongue Dancer Wine fail to earn Four-Stars or better. Tongue Dancer is constantly innovating, releasing new wines every year while never missing a beat. Last year they surprised us with the release of a great, dry cider! This is a winery to watch. The wines are always in short supply so be swift. Visit their website and join their mailing list to get direct access to their wines.
Tasting Note
Brilliant, deep ruby color. The aromatics are intense, offering scents of red cherry and sweet cranberry with supporting notes of black tea, rose petals, and five spice. The palate confirms the nose delivering a red and black fruits-driven core with flavors of blackberry, plum, violet essence, and hints of anise. The finish is long and lingering with ripe tannins. Full-bodied and ideally balanced with a silky and robust texture.
How to Serve
This wine really needs nothing but a glass but the robust texture and bright acidity would pair perfectly with a grilled beef tenderloin or grilled leg of lamb.
Price: $ 55
BevX Review: http://bevx.com/wine-detail/?id=4276
