Jorge Ordonez Esencia No 4 2016 375ml

The 2016 Esencia #4 is super concentrated and produced in minute quantities. It’s their sweetest wine, more concentrated, denser and older. It fermented very slowly from the natural concentration of the must (yields of no more than 15%) and aged in 500-liter oak barrels for a long time, close to seven years here. 2016 was dry and late in Málaga because of a delay in the vegetative cycle given the rains of May that also induced mildew that resulted in lower yields. It comes from vines planted in 1902 at 700 meters above sea level. The sun-dried grapes are pressed with a low yield of no more than 15% and the juice let to ferment in 500-liter barrels with indigenous yeasts until it stops. It fermented to 10% alcohol, keeping a pH of 3.1 and 8.5 grams of acidity with 300 grams of sugar. It’s more “wine” this year, less sweet and fresher. It was kept in barrel for six years. It has a bright orange/pale mahogany color and a polyhedric nose of roasted orange peel, mint, dried flowers, marmalade, bitter orange and a honeyed twist, layered and complex, unfurling further complexity in the glass over a period of a couple of hours. The palate is liquid velvet, dense and oily, tender and balanced, precise and focused. This is really stunning; it should age effortlessly in bottle, but it’s irresistible now. Delicious! 1,300 half bottles were filled in January 2023.