2021 “La Loba” El Dorado County Carbonic White Wine - Tank Garage Winery

A wonderfully exotic and intriguing procession of golden kiwi, orange oil, yellow apple, kumquat, and cantaloupe pirouettes with intriguingly characterful complexity as hints of candle wax and honeycomb enrich the display via oily and waxy textural components. Subtle impressions of wild herbs and dried grass gently contribute flecks of natural charm that is still discernible beneath perfumed floral tones of citrus blossom, honeysuckle, and peonies. A faint waft of cinnamon reveals interesting yet unexpected carbonic spice while notes of crushed rocks and broken granite provide understated earthiness. Delightfully unique and layered on the palate while remaining nicely bright and sneakily refreshing; exhibiting an unusual yet well executed presentation that possesses excellent depth and concentration while remaining beautifully balanced and not the least bit heavy. Medium-plus bodied with light tannin cut by moderate acidity. This 2021 "La Loba" El Dorado County Carbonic White Wine by Tank Garage Winery is an unconventional and exciting white from California.

Most notably associated with the French wine region of Beaujolais where it is used to make fresh and fruity red wine, Carbonic Maceration is a unique winemaking technique that due to its inclusion of whole-clusters is rarely used with white wine grapes. This bottling, crafted by Tank Garage Winery using a blend of 45% Chenin Blanc/44% Petit Manseng/10% Bianchetta Trevigiana/1% Orange Muscat sourced from within El Dorado County, proves that wine wine made using Carbonic Maceration can be both interesting and delicious. This generously spills a plethora of tropical, melon, and orchard fruits complicated by lifted florals, subtle herbal notes, mild spice, and pleasant earthiness. The limited skin contact facilitated by its winemaking method has endowed this with a particularly unique texture, which creates wonderful depth without detracting from the wine's brightness and balance. Yum.