El Dorado, Sierra Foothills

The new vintage of the stonking Stone Crusher full skin contact Roussanne more than 10 years since they first started playing around with skin contact and this variety! Just over 3000 bottles produced from a high elevation vineyard in El Dorado. 13 days on skins in a traditional open top fermenter, before pressing and transfer to old oak for 10 months maturation. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

If you want one of the finest examples of orange wine out there, congrats, because you’re in the right place. The Nekter duo are slightly obsessed with this number, and trust me, it’s hard not to want to drink it all ourselves, particularly paired with something to eat. - that’s where these skin contact wines and their slightly tannic grip shine most brightly. Something like swordfish sashimi and yuzu or a smoked chicken dish.

“Such a beautiful nose: perfumed and exotic with floral tangerine and orange peel, as well as some apricot skin. Very delicate and exotic on the palate with nice grip and really pretty, perfumed apricot fruit. Such a thrilling wine. 95/100 “ Jamie Goode, The Wine Anorak

Donkey & Goat were part of the original new wave natural wine scene at the turn of the millennium.  From their home base in downtown Berkeley they passionately advocate for minimal intervention winemaking, devoted to producing wine that meets their own environmental objectives. Since having their first child, they have abandoned all plastic at home, and this is as close to a plastic free winery as one can get. All ferments, however small, take place in wooden vats, and wines stay sur lie in old barrels until bottling. They pick early, basing their selection on acid and flavour, and all wines ferment spontaneously. Looking for lower alcohol, they work with several vineyards in cooler areas, although they very much so see alcohol as a by-product to using natural yeasts and working naturally. Wines are rarely filtered, and if so, they are labelled accordingly. Hand harvested grapes, SO2 (at bottling).  If only everything were so simple!