Tongue Dancer Wines Pratt Vyd Irwin Lane Chardonnay Russian River Valley 2024

Item: Tongue Dancer Wines Pratt Vyd Irwin Lane Chardonnay Russian River Valley 2024
Rating: 98
Author: Sean Ludford

The Data

Country USA

Appellation Russian River Valley

Varietal Chardonnay

Retail Price $49

ABV 13.9%

Score 5 Stars/98 points

In the Glass

Appearance

Brilliant, medium gold/green color.

Aromatics

The aromatics are intense, offering scents of lemon curd, meringue, and pear with supporting notes of blanched almonds, bees wax, brioche, oak, and mineral.

Flavor

The palate echoes the nose delivering a ripe orchard fruits-driven core with flavors of white peach, apple, lychee, green tea, and slate. The finish is long and lingering with soft tannins.

Intensity & Texture

Medium to full-bodied and perfectly balanced with a supple texture and a lees character redolent of Tête de Cuvée Champagne.

Cool Factor

Not many winemakers can make Chardonnay cool — it's ubiquitous — but Tongue Dancer delivers wines with personality. The Flying Barrel is a hit year after year.

Value Grade

B+

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

Analysis

The 2024 vintage represents the seventh release of Tongue Dancer Wines’ Pratt Vineyard/Irwin Lane Chardonnay, or simply the “Flying Barrel” as it is affectionately known. Like so many wines from Tongue Dancer, this wine is as reliable as the sunrise. It’s 95 points and above every year while always being a wine of the vintage, swaying gently with the conditions but never wavering from the target. This Chardonnay is made entirely with certified organic grapes. Whole clusters are pressed grapes straight to the tank, then transferred to the barrel. It is fully fermented in barrel with Burgundian yeast and rested on its lees for 11 months in French oak barrels (25% new). Unlike many California Chardonnays, this wine uses oak as a subtle accent, allowing the complex fruit to shine, as well as a lees character redolent of Tête de Cuvée Champagne.

How to Enjoy

Serve chilled but not too cold, or you will suppress the subtle nuances abundant in this wine. Pair it with smoked fish, grilled fowl, or kaeng lueang.