Hollow Wines Hang Eleven Orange 2020

Hang Eleven Orange is a skin-contact Chardonnay sourced from Eden Rift Vineyards in the Cienega Valley AVA of San Benito County. Eden Rift is one of California's oldest continuously planted vineyard sites, with vines tracing back to 1849 on the San Andreas Fault line at 1,600 to 1,800 feet elevation. The soils here are a mix of limestone and decomposed granite — the same calcareous strata that drew Calera to the valley — and they drive the ripping acidity this grape carries even with reduced malic acid.

After harvest, the Chardonnay was destemmed, fermented on skins for 7 days with native yeast, and pressed with only partial malolactic fermentation. The wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered with a single addition of sulfites at 30ppm. The result is light gold in the glass — closer to apple cider than amber — with a satiny texture that's uncommon for California orange wine at this weight.

The label features Steve Zissou from Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic, a nod to winemaker Quinn Hobbs's connection to surf culture and the ocean. Hollow Wines makes all of its wines in Gilroy, sourcing only from organic and dry-farmed vineyards. The operation is 100% vegan. Serve slightly chilled, around 50-55F.