Reviews & press
Score: 92 Points
Some cedary oak, leaves and fresh leather on the nose, ahead of blueberries, mulberries, and blue plums. The palate has a smooth array of bold, fresh and juicy fruit flesh. Polished and succulent. A blend of 58% cabernet sauvignon and 42% merlot. Drink or hold.
September 9th 2019 – James Suckling
Coursey Graves Sonoma County Bennett Valley Bennett Mountain Estate 2017
Score: 91 Points
Aromas of blackcurrants and mint with hints of flowers. Black olives, too. Similar character on the medium body with medium-chewy tannins and a medium finish. A little austere. Should soften with some bottle age. Drink or hold.
November 8th 2019 – James Suckling
Score: 91 Points
Plenty of ripe red plums and berries here in a medium-weight style that has a smooth delivery of supple, dark berry-flavored tannins. Drink now.
September 8th 2019 – James Suckling
Score: 92 Points
This has attractively fresh and vibrant aromas of lemons and pears with some lightly creamy and nutty elements on offer. The palate has a succulent feel with bright and crisp flavors of peaches and a smooth textural build. Drink now.
September 6th 2019 – James Suckling
Score: 91 Points
This has a very supple and fleshy feel with attractive, rich dark berries, delivered on fine, vibrant and layered tannins with spicy oak adding interest to the aftertaste. Drink or hold.
September 8th 2019 – James Suckling
Coursey Graves Syrah Sonoma County Bennett Valley West Slope 2017
Score: 93 Points
Very savory and smoky, this Sonoma syrah is anything but a fruit bomb. The slightly sappy tannins and smoked-bacon flavor nicely balances the underplayed ripeness. The finish is fresh with plenty of spicy complexity. Drink or hold.
February 14th 2019 – James Suckling
Coursey Graves Syrah Sonoma County Bennett Valley West Slope 2016
Score: 94 Points
A star is born! This powerful and concentrated merlot-based blend is also very polished with really fine tannins that give it a silky texture, though it's still really young. Yet, the very ripe but delicate blue-fruit character makes it difficult to resist now. Drink or hold.
February 12th 2019 – James Suckling
Coursey Graves Sonoma County Bennett Valley Bennett Mountain Estate 2016
Score: 95 Points
A very elegant and polished Napa cabernet that's almost silky, in spite of its youth. I love the ripe yet delicate red berry and blackberry aromas. Although the acidity is barely perceptible, it provides the energy that gives this wine laser-beam focus through the very long finish. Drink or hold.
February 13th 2019 – James Suckling
Score: 90 Points
Yellow apples, pineapple and a touch of marzipan. Medium-bodied with fine acidity and a fruity finish. Drink now.
February 6th 2019 – James Suckling
Score: 94 Points Top 50 US Pinot Noirs
"Bright and carnal, the flavors persist in memory, in the throaty jazz trumpet solo at the end." That's what the wine has to say in a blind tasting, a pinot noir with cherry drive, lifted, fragrant spice and a lot of energy. Tongue Dancer is a project from James MacPhail. For this vintage of his Sonoma Coast wine, MacPhail blended from two vineyards in Annapolis, owned by the Putnam family, with fruit from the Karren family's Terra de Promissio Vineyard in the Petaluma Gap. It's a seductive far-coast pinot noir, especially impressive at the price. — Wine & Spirits
Score: 95 pts
"Their Sonoma Coast Pinot is a blend of multiple vineyards, in the 2018 vintage it's a 50/50 blend from the Pratt Vineyard and the Putnam Vineyard. You can absolutely see how the sum of the various parts have conspired to create a complex wine that is juicy while tart, silky while vibrant with acidity, complex, and certainly charming. The fruit was all hand-picked. It was fermented in small, open-top fermenters and aged in French oak (36% new) for a period of 16 months. This wine is highly recommended and in very short supply so get yours fast."
Sean Ludford, BevX
Score: 92 pts:
"This bold wine is made from a blend of Pratt Vineyard Sexton Road grapes and fruit from the Putnam Vineyard on the far coast of Annapolis. Juicy, broad and lush on the palate, it is steeped in etched flavors of strawberry, white pepper, clove and orange peel, with a jammy richness on the finish."
~ Virginie Boone, Wine Enthusiast
Score: 93+
" ... offers aromas and flavors of dark cherry fruit. It is soft and mouth filling on the palate with good acidity and overall freshness. It is beautifully balanced with good acidity and structure and has a long satisfying finish. A blend of two outstanding vineyards ..."
~ International Wine Review
Score: 91 Points
Plenty of ripe and brambly red-cherry and purple-berry aromas here with spicy oak that adds easy appeal. The palate has supple, smoothly fleshy texture and good depth of ripe, sweet fruit flavors. Drink now.
September 8th 2019 – James Suckling
Score: 92 Points
Impressively plush and ripe red-cherry aromas with a layer of herbs and forest wood. Impressive concentration of flavor on the palate. This carries a very plush, supple and smooth build of tannins in classic pinot style. Long, rich fruit finish. Drink or hold.
October 20th 2018 – James Suckling
Score: 93 Points
Attractive aromas of ripe pears and peaches lead to a palate that's blessed with plenty of flavor. There's a lot to like here, in terms of texture and freshness. All kinds of juicy fruit flesh. From organically grown grapes. Drink now. Very promising, first release of just 96 cases.
September 12th, 2019 – James Suckling
Tongue Dancer Chardonnay Sonoma County Russian River Valley Pratt Vineyard 2017
Score: 92 Points
A complex wine with ripe peaches and citrus fruit. This has richness and a fluid feel on the palate with a lithe and juicy edge that really impresses. Drink now.
September 6th, 2019 – James Suckling
Tongue Dancer Chardonnay Sonoma County Russian River Valley Bacigalupi Vineyard 2017
Score: 91 Points
A fresh, bright style of chardonnay with ripe pears lightly framed in baking spices and biscuity nuances. The palate has a succulently fleshy and concentrated core of ripe fruit, in the pear and melon zone. Drink now.
October 20th, 2018 – James Suckling
Tongue Dancer Chardonnay Sonoma County Russian River Valley Bacigalupi Vineyard 2016
Score: 93 Points
A small-production pinot that has such attractive, violet and rose flowers with blueberries on the nose. Terrific purity. The palate has plenty of ripe fruit flesh and such succulent, juicy appeal. Fleshy, composed blue fruit holds long and focused. Drink or hold.
September 8th, 2019 – James Suckling
Tongue Dancer Pinot Noir Sonoma County Putnam Vineyard Pinot de Ville 2017