2025 Forlorn Hope 'Queen of the Sierra' Field Blend, California, USA

An orange wine built from four white grapes that have no business growing together — Albariño, Verdelho, Muscat and Chardonnay, fermented together on their skins. They come from Rorick Heritage Vineyard, the 75-acre estate near Murphys in the Sierra Foothills that Matthew Rorick bought in 2013 and converted to organic farming, where the vines sit at 2,000 feet on a layer of schist over limestone. The fruit ferments in open-top vessels, some of it whole cluster, with gentle cap work to limit oxidation, then rests in neutral barrels and stainless steel before bottling unfined and unfiltered. The result is textural rather than heavy: skin-contact grip and dried-citrus perfume without the funk that scares people off the category. Serve it cool but not cold, and use a big glass.