Deux Punx De La Soif Orange 'L'inattendu' 2022

The vibe: Here's a really fun orange. This is an absolutely bonkers blend of Chardonnay, Malvasia, Assyrtico, Picpoul, Bourboulenc and Semillon, and like a good cocktail recipe, each varietal serves a purpose in crafting the perfect blend of notes. We like to invert the bottle slightly to incorporate the lees and sediment at the bottom, though it’s totally personal preference! The lees, or spent yeast, bring an umami component to ride alongside the acid, subtle white florals, and citrus zest.

The winemaker: Deux Punx was founded by Dan Schaaf and Aaron Olson, two wine addicted ex-punks, in April of 2008. They utilize the facilities of Punk Dog Wineries, a shared space in the River East Neighborhood in Napa, which lends itself to the minimalist and experimental style of winemaking they capture in their wines. All of their wines are produced in the same manner – native fermentation, minimal so2, neutral oak, and ambient temperatures. Their philosophy is to let the raw materials from the vineyards express their true nature, embracing the differences between sites and vintages. Deux Punx believes wine is meant to be shared and enjoyed, not cellared and ignored. We can get down with that!

The geeky details: Chardonnay, Malvasia, Assyrtico, Picpoul, Bourboulenc, Semillon. Organic + gravel / loam soils at Wheeler Vineyards, volcanic soils/regenerative farming at the two vineyards; Malvasia, Assyrtiko. Bourboulenc, Semillon and Picpoul came in together and were crushed and co-fermented together on the skins with daily punch downs for roughly three weeks. The Chardonnay was crushed and also macerated on skins for 3 weeks. Both lots were aged in barrel for 7 months then blended 3 weeks prior to bottling.

Serve: With a chill.

Food pairing: With its orange creamsicle notes and soft tannins, this orange is surprisingly quite delicate. Pair it with light dishes like apps before your mains, or finish with it as a dessert pairing.

Album pairing: Cymande - Cymande