Jorge Ordóñez & Co. N_x001A_4 Esencia 2016 (375ml) *
Product price
$99.99
Description
Sweet wine from Málaga, in Spain's far south, rarely comes as concentrated as this. Jorge Ordóñez & Co. works with old Moscatel de Alejandría here, the fruit sun-dried before pressing so that only a trickle of intensely sugary juice is released. That must ferments slowly on its own indigenous yeasts, stopping naturally at around 10% alcohol and leaving a huge reserve of sweetness behind. This bottling, from the 2016 vintage, spent close to seven years quietly aging in oak, and it comes from vines that have stood at high elevation since the very early twentieth century. The result is dense and unapologetically sweet, yet with enough acidity to keep it from turning heavy.
The color leans toward bright orange and pale mahogany, and the aromatics reward patience: roasted orange peel, bitter marmalade, dried flowers, a lift of mint, all wound through with honey and warm baking spice. Given an hour or two in the glass, it keeps unfolding. On the palate it moves like liquid velvet, oily and thick but precise, more gingerbread and Christmas spice than syrup. It drinks beautifully now and has the structure to hold in the cellar for years.
Expert Reviews
Made in a single barrel, where the 2016 Esencia #4 remained until it was bottled in 2023, the 100% late-harvest Moscatel de Alejandria is full-bodied and dark in color, with 50% residual sugar and 10% ABV. It tastes like the most delicious gingerbread of your childhood, seasoned in Christmas spice and honey. (Jeb Dunnuck, July 2025)
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. (Wine Advocate, October 2025)