Beverage of the Week (BOW)

Tongue Dancer Wines Foxtrot Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2022

Product Story

This is the third vintage of Tongue Dancer Wines’ (TDW) Foxtrot and the second on the trot from the Russian River Valley. They describe it as a fun-to-drink dance of a wine and we agree. The grapes are sourced from a single vineyard in the Chalk Hill sub-AVA. Grapes have been grown on this property since 1869. This wine features two Pinot Noir Clones, Dijon 115 and Pommard 4. The grapes were hand-picked on the cool morning of August 19th and gently de-stemmed — not crushed. Thrice daily punchdowns and could fermenting temperatures insured depth and a fruit-forward wine. The wine spent 11 months on the lies in French oak — 20% new oak. It was bottled unfined and lightly filtered in August of 2022. The resulting wine is truly exceptional and simply fun to drink.

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, medium ruby color. The aromatics are intense, offering scents of black cherry and forest floor with supporting notes of dried herbs, elderberry, black tea, and a hint of cranberry. The palate confirms the nose delivering a red and black fruits-driven core with flavors of raspberry, black fruits, red and black plum, and mineral. The finish is long and lingering with soft tannins. Medium to full-bodied and perfectly balanced with a supple texture.

How to Serve

This wine really needs nothing but a glass but the rich texture and bright acidity would pair perfectly with a grilled beef ribeye or rich, braised beef and mushrooms.

Price: $ 45

BevX Review: http://bevx.com/wine-detail/?id=4378