Forlorn Hope Queen of the Sierra Calaveras Co. Estate Amber Wine 2023

Matthew Rorick's skin-fermented orange wine from his organically farmed Rorick Heritage Vineyard, perched at 2,000 feet in Calaveras County over schist and dolomite-rich limestone. The Amber blends Verdelho, Albarino, Muscat, and Chardonnay, hand-picked and fermented in open-top vessels with a mix of whole-cluster and destemmed fruit. Some experimental lots get their own path: Vermentino sealed into an egg for four months, a ton of Muscat fermented carbonically. No new oak, no additions beyond minimal SO2, just texture and place. A reference point for what Sierra Foothills natural wine can taste like.