Review: Wines of The Vice Napa Valley, 2024 Releases
The Vice is a producer of wines made with fruit grown all over Napa Valley, and lately the operation has made a significant investment in a particular category — orange wines, often made from surprising grapes like albarino and viognier. We tasted two of The Vice’s five orange wines from the 2023 vintage, along with a more traditional bottling of cabernet sauvignon. Here’s how they fared.
2023 The Vice Orange of Gewurztraminer “The Brooklynites” California – A curious combination of aromatic gewurz and a sweet rose, this wine blends notes of honeysuckle, apricots, and overripe peaches with a freshly perfumed character. A slight saltiness balances out what emerges as a significantly sweet quality — better served solo on a hot day than paired with a juicy red snapper fillet off the grill — though either will work in a pinch. 11% abv. B / $35
2023 The Vice Orange of Viognier “Pickleball” Oak Knoll – I can’t say that anything called Pickleball is going to get me the least bit excited, as the name alone feels like pandering in the worst possible way. (Unlike other Vice wines, the front label of this one just says PICKLE BALL and nothing else. So…) The wine itself is rather harmless, a dialed-back shadow of viognier that strips it of much of its floral, aromatic core, leaving behind a gentle, Tang-like mix of oranges and apricots, featuring a classic orange wine-like balsamic edge that emerges as the finish builds. Gentle notes of honeysuckle provide a quietly perfumed yet surprisingly long-lived finish. It’s an unusual but at least interesting wine, though I’d never try to enjoy it anywhere near a pickleball paddle. B+ / $38
2022 The Vice Cabernet Sauvignon “The House” Napa Valley – As straightforward a Napa cab as you can imagine, this spice-driven wine takes a core of cherries and some raisins and layers in plenty of add-ons: tea leaf, cola, touches of anise, and a dusting of ground cloves. Tannins are gentle and well-integrated, with sweeter elements emerging toward the finish. Light vanilla bean and milk chocolate dominate late in the game, though a rhubarb note adds a gentle bitterness that keeps any threat of overt sweetness at bay. Good stuff. Not a “vice” at all. A- / $36
2023 The Vice Orange of Gewurztraminer "The Brooklynites" California
$35
