On a warm summer afternoon, Dan Marca, co-founder of DANCIN Vineyards, and I met on the patio of DANCIN Vineyards for what I thought was to be a tasting of barbera and nebbiolo. Lucky me, he slipped in a few more for a full experience of DANCIN’s polished palate.

Seated next to the koi pond with the soothing effervescence of the waterfall, overlooking the valley and Upper Table Rock, we sipped and discussed the wines, their names, how the landscaping has filled out, how the vines have matured and a bit of DANCIN’s history.

2022 En L’air Rosé of Pinot Noir — A pretty, pale wine, crisp, playful yet delicate, with a light floral, strawberry and watermelon essence that teases on a soft finish. Bone dry. Perfect for a summer’s day. En l’air is a ballet term meaning “in the air.” This wine was a new idea and suggested by Cindy Marca, so they took a jump into rosé.

2020 Capriccio Chardonnay — This white offers a hint of French oak, with lemon drop, soft mineral and Tuscan melon. This chardonnay is beautifully balanced, with a refined under note of light croissant. Capriccio is a “quick, improvisational movement.” Originally they had not planned on planting chardonnay, but when the pinot noir did so well they decided to try it. These vineyards were the first plantings of chardonnay on the estate. They are tucked around the tasting room. “You can sit at the end of the patio and be in the chardonnay,” Marca says. “This vineyard and the vineyard along the drive have not been watered since the first week in September 2020, and then it was only 4½ gallons.”

2021 Allongé Chardonnay — This wine has delicious textural surprise. It was aged in a concrete egg, and from the first whiff you know it’s different. Succulent, with a juicy mouthful of lemongrass, hint of almond and sweet melon, it’s the creamy texture that wows. Like a crème fraîche, this white melts in your mouth. This is unusual knowing it’s been aged in concrete. “It’s the motion of the fermentation that allows that to happen,” Marca explained. This wine is gorgeous and he has found “the texture continues to develop more and more in the bottle.” It’s vibrant but incredibly well balanced. Allongé is like an arabesque, defined as an elongated line in ballet, or an elongated circle.

2020 Entrelacé Nebbiolo — Opens with soft floral perfume that leads into luscious cherry, dusty earth and a little tobacco mid-palate. Crafted in Burgundian style, this wine is elegant and immediately approachable. As it opens, savory violet and deeper tobacco come through. The tannins never bite back. I couldn’t put it down. “Typically with Nebbiolo,” Marca says, “you’re interweaving the beautiful fruit with the tannins, so thus the fanciful name, Entrelacé. This wine is well integrated, everything gets along nicely.”

2021 Tribute Barbera — Although just bottled in March, this wine has depth, suppleness and mouthwatering freshness throughout. Plum, cherry, a hint of pomegranate and a trifle of chocolate play on the finish. This wine will continue to deepen and evolve. Bottled for only two months, this barbera won Double Gold, Best of Class, and 98 points at the 2023 Sunset International Wine Competition in May. A fine “tribute” to the Piedmont, Italy, varietal, this wine is not yet released. Trust me, as it lingers a bit longer in the cellar, it’ll be worth the wait.

In the meantime, there are more world-class wines to try at DANCIN Vineyards.