Rebula, Kabaj - 2018

Orange wine is often funky, unfiltered, maybe even a little bit spritzy, "out there" in ways above and beyond the unique flavors and textures offered by skin contact. But there are wines like this that are as intensely orange as they come but vinified elegant, clean, and varietal true. With 30 days of skin contact and 2 years in French oak, this Slovenian Rebula (the thick skinned grape known as Ribolla Gialla right across the border in Northern Italy) is a deeply colored wine with as much tannin as most reds. The winemaker is Jean Michel Morel, who brings vineyard experience in Bordeaux and Friuili to Goriška Brda. Chai-esque spices, quince, and dried persimmon on the palate, balancing freshness, spice, and maturity. Drink it with smoked fish, with kimchi heavy Korean food, or even just a bowl of spicy marinated olives.