Orange Muscat is typically relegated to the dessert aisle.
The varietal rests next to late harvests, ice wines and such. While the style claims many fans, even more skip over what they consider to be a line of cloying, sometimes syrupy sips.
Wildhurst Vineyards set out to jostle such assumptions.
The Kelseyville winery’s 2014 Dry Orange Muscat offers a rich potpourri on the nose. Orange blossoms, honeysuckle and a floral perfume float over the bittersweet not of candied zest. All the while, an inviting note of peaches — stewing down and concentrating, but without sugar — waves for attention.
All of this translates nicely in your first sip. Natural peach, dry citrus candy and more of that orange blossom feather across the palate. This ebbs into a more rustic impression — cured nectarine, perhaps, and meadow flowers.
The flavors are measured and wrap quickly, leaving a neat finish tugging between pomace on one end and floral notes on the other. All along, peach and citrus sing out, echoing as the wine fades.
It’s a crisp, approachable wine — just the thing for those who scorn the typical dessert varietal.
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
Tyler Weiper aerates a glass of the 2014 Orange Muscat at the Wildhurst tasting room in Kelseyville.
