I have a love/hate relationship with wax dipped wine bottles.

I’ve never been shown how to properly extract the cork from its sexy wax prison, nor have I ever bothered to ask or google it. I simply grab my lighter and gently melt the wax, jam in my wine key, and extract halfway. I then meticulously pick at the offending wax that sits a little too precariously close to the mouth of the bottle, and pour away.

Don’t tell me I’m wrong, and don’t tell me I’m right.

Wax is the only issue I have with the 2018 Dharma Orange wine from Bodega Calle.

On the nose, it comes across a bit more farmhouse-y than it reveals itself to be upon first sip. This is a more serious wine, not loaded with sediment like many of it’s more insta-famous peers. Not quite as photogenic as others, but that all seems quite subjective depending on who you’re talking shit with.

The composition (40% Semillon, 30% Torrontes, 30% Chardonnay) makes itself immediately evident in the mouthfeel. The wine is voluptuous, and velvety, and seemingly too luxurious for the price point (a friendly $22).

Then the acid kicks you in the teeth, followed by a whirlwind of citrus, budded roses, and pink sea salt. It is deceivingly bright for a wine that can sit in your mouth like a down jacket, and it’s acidity is necessary to it’s structure. Had this been sitting in oak, vs a concrete egg, much of that brilliance would be lost… and we’d be left with another flabby chardonnay blend.

In short, Dharma Orange is the wine you bring to a family function to pour for your aunt and uncle who are self-proclaimed “wine people” to show them that natural wines are just as deeply expressive as many well-respected conventional wines. And they kick way more ass.

The wax can be forgiven.