2023 Dance
- Drink -The 2023 Dance Chardonnay is savory and sweet. A blend of white flowers and peach is complicated by nuances of crushed stone and citrus zest. It's deeply textural and nearly weighty, with lemon-inflected orchard fruits and crisp mineral tones. The 2023 finishes long yet fresh and clean, leaving a subtle saline tinge that keeps the mouth watering for more.
The 2023 Dance Chardonnay is a stunning new bottling by winemaker Gilles Nicault. Mainly coming from the White Bluffs AVA, this spent 17 months in French oak (mostly concrete and neutral oak) before bottling. This saw extensive bâttonage, as the wine opens with vanilla cream and cardamom dusted brioche alongside shades of mango and white peach. The palate is dense and unctuous with a terrific combination of mouthfeel and weight. Gorgeous now, and seamless throughout the drinking experience, watch this evolve over the next ten years.
Dance offers a salad of aromas, ranging from lemon, olive oil, and marigolds, to burrata and the salinity of an ocean breeze. The Chardonnay's pear, butter, and white-pepper flavors are joined by a faint touch of lemon-flavored sweet tea. There's just enough acidity here to keep things feeling lively, with a bit of midpalate weight.
Critic's Choice - This wine is a blend of fruit from the White Bluffs (58%) and Yakima Valley. Aged on lees for 17 months with partial malolactic fermentation (25%), the aromas bring notes of apple, pear, and white peach. Full-bodied, plump feeling flavors follow, showing precision, intensity, depth, and grace. The balance is exquisite. The flavors linger on the long finish, featuring light barrel accents. It impresses - one of the best offerings of the Dance to date.
The 2023 Long Shadows Vintners Dance Chardonnay opens with expressive tones of apricot, fennel seed, and lemon zest that rise gently from the glass. On the palate, this Chardonnay offers a smooth sense of weight, with baked golden apple intertwining with hints of vanilla bean and soft citrus cream, creating a rounded, harmonious impression. Its medium-bodied structure supports a silky texture that settles into an understated, graceful finish, giving the wine a poised and polished personality.