Type:Orange
Producer: Florez
Country: USA
Region: Cienega Valley, San Benito County, California
Grape: Viognier
Year: 2023
Farming: Organic/Sustainable

Years past Kind of Orange was made from Sauvignon Blanc from Mendocino. Unfortunately, that vineyard fell into disrepair, and Kind of Orange had to be reinvented. While I was listening to a podcast featuring John Kongsgaard in which he was talking about how Viognier was an aromatic variety with notable tannins the light bulb turned on for me. How ideal for an orange wine! Opportunely, Viognier had just become available to me from a promising site near by and I knew it was the perfect fit.

So This Orange wine is made from Viognier sourced inland in the Cienega Valley. Fermented with native yeasts with 25% whole cluster grapes and three weeks of maceration on the skins. The wine then ages in neutral French oak for 6 months on the lees before unfiltered bottling. No added sulfur.

Aromas of tropical fruit and mandarin are met with a soft and round body with layered stone fruit and tropical flavors supported by bright acidity and silky tannins that lead into a dry finish.