Winery: Caduceus Cellars
Vintage: 2017
Wine Name/Vineyard: Judith
Wine Category: Orange Malvasia
Grape blend: 100% Malvasia Bianca
Bottle size: 750 ml
Region: Jerome
State or country: Arizona
Price: $66.00
ABV: 12.5%
Cases produced: N/A
The Barrel Cellar Score: 93 points
Review date: May 28, 2020

About the Winemaker: Caduceus Cellars’ tasting room sits in beautiful Jerome Arizona, but the winery has vineyards in a variety of locations around Arizona and New Mexico. While all of Caduceus’ wines are damn good, the Judith block is perhaps where the winery’s best grapes are sourced from. Sitting at 4900 feet in Yavapai county, the vinyard consists of (according to the winery’s vineyard notes), “decomposed granite and caliche with a layer of chalk just below the topsoil.”

I’d like to add that there are many great wineries in this budding wine region. Arizona is great place to spend a weekend wine tasting and sampling the goods of local farmers markets and farm to table establishments. Just be sure to make a stop at Caduceus Cellar’s tasting room along the way.

Color: Somewhere between blonde and gold.

Nose: Orange blossom, honey suckle, and the first warm breeze of spring.

Taste: Orange zest, mineral notes, and a hint of raspberry.

Assessment: It has become a bit of a tradition for me to start my Easter Sunday with a bottle of white wine. I had chosen this bottle months in advance for this Easter. There wasn’t alot of strategy to it other than an “Orange Malvasia” sounding perfect for the type of food I typically prepare on Easter (and sample as I go), and the fact that Caduceus Wines are rarely sweet. I chose well.  The wine’s mineral crispness and strong floral notes complimented the bright warm spring day fantastically.  A light to medium body and low alcohol content make this a great late morning or early afternoon bottle of wine, and tropical fruit notes along with a lightly ripened raspberry like tartness create nice character and provide a fantastic source of refreshment.

Caduceus Cellars 2017 “Judith” Orange Malvasia is an exceptional wine. 93 points.

Pairing recommendation: Will pair with just about anything, but you can’t go wrong with charcuterie, young cheese, dried fruits, or a quality ham.

Don’t forget to check out our reviews of other Caduceus wines 2009 Paciencia and 2011 Primer Paso.