2022 Quady - Essensia Orange Muscat HALF BOTTLE (375ml)

Quady Winery is a family-owned producer in Madera, in California’s Central Valley. Andrew and Laurel Quady left careers in pyrotechnics and merchandising to start it, and their first harvest in 1975 produced a Zinfandel port. Today the winery is the foremost American specialist in dessert wines. It also makes Elysium Black Muscat, Electra Moscato, Starboard, and Vya vermouth. Michael Blaylock joined as winemaker in 1984.

Essensia began in 1980, when Andrew Quady found an unused planting of Orange Muscat in Reedley, south of Fresno. The grape is known in Italy as Moscato Fior d’Arancio. The wine is 100 percent Orange Muscat. The grapes are crushed, chilled, and left to macerate on their skins to capture their perfumed character. Fermentation is arrested with grape spirit, which leaves the wine sweet and lightly fortified to about 15 percent alcohol. A short period in French oak follows. Its bright acidity keeps the sweetness lively and fresh.

The 2022 is rich gold in the glass, with spicy aromas of orange blossom, apricot, and pear. The palate is full-bodied and sweet, with peach and orange flavors and a clean, refreshing finish. Serve chilled with chocolate, goat cheese, cheesecake, or fruit tarts, or enjoy it as dessert on its own.