Tasting Notes for Smallfry Tangerine Dream from the Winery

With the release of our 9th vintage of this wine I really feel like I am achieving what I want to see from this style. An opportunity to celebrate the diversity of Ken’s vineyard in a way that he and his contemporaries could scarcely imagine while staying true to the roots of winemaking. Tasting the range of orange wines at Rootstock was a seminal moment for me similar to my first experience of wild yeast fermentation back in 2002.  Our place is probably the last to have plantings of Pedro, Semillon and Riesling in the whole Barossa, the majority of these vines saw out the first world war and were too old for call up so this wine gives them a reason for being and a reinvention. Our friend Grant Dickson at Fermentasian describes this wine as layering 101 and compares it (favourably) to Terroir al Limit, I can only commend his superior wine knowledge.

Colour: Deep golden orange, a fair bit cloudy.
Aroma: Citrus peel and spice blend with baser notes of oatmeal and brown rice.
Palate: Full and dry, grainy tannin make this the red drinkers white, multi layered, rewards time in the glass.
Summary: Orange wine lite? Bridges the gap between something like an oaky chardonnay and the more confronting skin contact whites out there.

Region: 100% Barossa Valley, South Australia
Variety: Semillon 46%, Pedro Ximenes 41%, Riesling 10.5%, Roussane 2%, Muscat 0.5%
Alcohol / Vol: 12%
Closure type: Screwcap

(SKU: SFr_TAN_CV)