Esoterico (Orange)

Unico Zelo

Aromatic orange wines are such a delight, especially when they are rendered so cleanly, eschewing any of the more daring off-qualities often rendered permissible in skin-contact whites. A happy gang of Zibibbo, Gewürztraminer, Moscato Giallo, and Greco grown in the Clare Valley and the Riverland are individually fermented and blended then aged in foudres to achieve this uniquely floral and refreshing wine.

The nose here is gripping: sandalwood, lemon zest, fresh fruity juniper, coriander seed, mint, and a note of whatever they use to flavour juicy fruit gum. And markedly not cidery or yeasty as one often expects with an orange wine. On the palate, those aromas come together into a wine that is delightfully gin-like, really refreshing, and just very well-made—not oxidized, not riddled with VA or glutamates—a balanced beauty. The finish is floral with a lingering zesty citrus profile and the warm fruit note of honey dew.