Tongue Dancer Wines The Sly One Chardonnay Dry Creek Valley 2024

Item: Tongue Dancer Wines The Sly One Chardonnay Dry Creek Valley 2024
Rating: 97
Author: Sean Ludford

The Data

Country USA

Appellation Dry Creek Valley

Varietal Chardonnay

Retail Price $59

ABV 13.9%

Score 5 Stars/97 points

In the Glass

Appearance

Brilliant, medium green/gold color.

Aromatics

The aromatics are intense, offering scents of green apple skins, apricot stone, and honeysuckle with supporting notes of brioche, beeswax, lemongrass, and wet river stones.

Flavor

The palate is in full agreement with the nose, delivering a ripe orchard fruit-driven core with flavors of lemon curd, Asian pear, citrus zest, quince, and hints of fresh ginger. The finish is long and lingering.

Intensity & Texture

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

Cool Factor

Not many winemakers can make Chardonnay cool — it's ubiquitous — but Tongue Dancer delivers a collection of Chardonnays with personality.

Value Grade

Handmade Chardonnay from Sonoma, crafted in limited quantities (just two barrels), is never to be found in the bargain aisle, but we find this wine irresistible.

Analysis

Tongue Dancer Wines (TDW) has released its third vintage of its “The Sly One” (TSO) Chardonnay, along with a soiler alert — it’s amazing. While it’s the third vintage, you could easily say it’s the first. The Sly One moniker is not a vineyard or technique identifier. It’s actually an alert to pay attention because something sly is happening. The previous vintage of TSO was made entirely from the Tolmasoff Vineyard. The 2024 TSO is a clever blend of two barrels, one from Tolmasoff and the other from Bacigalupi — a vineyard designation very familiar to BevX readers. The wines from both vineyards were barrel-fermented and rested on their lees in neutral French oak barrels for 11 months. This very limited Chardonnay was bottled unfined and lightly filtered in August 2025. It’s spectacular.

How to Enjoy

Of course, this wine needs nothing but a glass, but it is also food-friendly, thanks to its great depth and natural acidity, which pairs well with grilled shrimp or sautéed scallops.