The Vice 'Pickleball' Orange Wine Napa Valley 2024

“Pickleball” is The Vice’s playful, seriously tasty orange wine—built on Viognier’s naturally aromatic profile and made with real skin contact for added texture and complexity. The 2024 vintage is crisp and fully dry, opening with clementine, white peach, and jasmine, then turning savory and coastal on the palate with yuzu, nectarine, and a distinctly saline “seashell” note. Bright, refreshing, and wildly food-friendly—this is the bottle that converts people who think orange wine is always funky or heavy.

Quick Facts

• Region: Napa Valley, California

• Sub-AVA: Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley

• Producer: The Vice

• Wine Name/Batch: Batch #183 “PickleBall”

• Vintage: 2024

• Grape: 100% Viognier

• Style: Orange wine (skin-fermented white)

• Fermentation: Whole-cluster skin-fermented ~17 days to complete dryness

• Aging: 9 months in neutral French oak

• Farming/Vineyard Notes: Oak Knoll’s cooler, bay-influenced climate; clay soils with a higher water table

• Sulfites: Low sulfites (under 25 ppm free SO₂ at bottling)

Tasting Profile

• Body: Medium (textural, not heavy)

• Acidity: Bright, refreshing

• Aromatics: Clementine, white peach, jasmine

• Palate flavors: Yuzu, nectarine, saline seashell / wet-stone minerality

• Secondary notes: Green mango, papery/tea-like nuance (skin-contact character)

• Texture: Crisp, lightly grippy, layered

• Finish: Vibrant, citrus-mineral, mouthwatering

Why We Love It

This is orange wine that’s all upside: aromatic, clean, and energetic—more “sunshine + sea spray” than funk. The Oak Knoll fruit keeps it fresh, the skin fermentation adds intrigue and food-pairing power, and the neutral oak rounds the edges without muting the lift. It’s also a perfect “conversation bottle” for gifting and dinner parties.

Winemaking

Made as an “Orange of Viognier,” this wine is fermented on skins (whole cluster) for about 17 days until fully dry, then aged for 9 months in neutral French oak. The goal is a balanced orange wine: aromatic and bright, with just enough phenolic grip and savory nuance to feel complex, not overpowering.

Serving & Pairing

Serve lightly chilled (45–50°F). If it’s been very cold, give it 5–10 minutes in the glass to open.

Great pairings:

• Sushi, crudo, and ceviche

• Spicy Thai, Vietnamese, or Korean dishes

• Grilled shrimp, scallops, or octopus

• Roast chicken with citrus/herbs

• Soft to semi-firm cheeses (goat cheese, aged cheddar, alpine styles)

Estate Overview

The Vice is a Napa-based label known for small-batch wines with bold personality and a “batch” system that highlights each bottling’s character. Their orange wine program has become a signature—built around aromatic varieties and made in a clean, modern style that emphasizes freshness, texture, and food-friendliness rather than overt funk.