Beverage of the Week (BOW)
Tongue Dancer Wines Magnolia Montrachet Chardonnay Dry Creek Valley 2022
Product Story
The Magnolia Montrachet moniker and label is a new one for Tongue Dancer Wines (TDW) while this wine is in its second vintage. Yes, slightly confusing but not really. In the 2021 vintage TDW offered a Chardonnay under their cheeky Sly One label with fruit from this same source. This source vineyard, the Tolmasoff Vineyard, 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. Like the 2021 Sly One, it’s all concrete fermented in a round, concrete “hippo” and then aged on its lees for 10 months time. There is no oak used in the making of this wine. It’s a real beauty and proves that wines do not need oak for structure and also proves once again that TDW knows a thing or two about creating world-class wines.
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, light to medium green/gold color. The aromatics are intense, offering scents of green apple, honeysuckle, and lychee with supporting notes of green melon, slate, bees wax, and hints of brioche. The palate confirms the nose delivering a ripe orchard fruits-driven core with flavors of white peach, tropical fruit, apricot stone, and citrus zest. The finish is long and lingering with mineral and citrus notes. Medium to full-bodied and perfectly balanced with a vibrant yet supple texture.
How to Serve
Of course this wine needs nothing but a glass but it is food friendly with its great depth and natural acidity that it begs for grilled shrimp or sautéed scallops. This is a wine for your cellar so get bottles for now and some more bottles for later.
Price: $ 59
BevX Review: http://bevx.com/wine-detail/?id=4376
