Review: Mommenpop Seville Orange Citrus Aperitif

I’m a sucker for a Spritz, but can anyone outdo Aperol? California-based Mommenpop recently hit the scene with an enticing pitch: Its aperitifs are made from Northern California wines fortified with Napa-made grape neutral spirit, to which real, whole, organic California citrus is added alongside “select botanicals.” Mommenpop’s aperitifs are as natural as you can get, and at just 17% abv, fairly low in alcohol (though not nearly as low as Aperol’s 11% abv).

Mommenpop makes six flavors — including one that is kumquat flavored! — but we received only this Seville orange expression to review. Made from a base of Chardonnay wine and California oranges, it is touched up with orris root, vanilla bean, and cinchona.

The finished product is, well, very much unlike Aperol. The nose is immediately odd and tough to parse. While it’s got a strong tangerine aroma, it’s also quite herbal, almost medicinal at times. Bitter orange peel notes ring the edges, along with a punch of that cinchona. The palate, however, is even harder to wrap your head around. The wine base feels oxidized and a little sour, rather like a bottle of vermouth that’s been left open overnight. The resulting bittersweet body packs in notes of overripe orange and pushy cinchona in equal proportions, but it also leans into a boldly floral note as it develops. Consider a blend of grapefruit peel and dried rose petals and you’re on the right track. On the finish: Unshakably, enduringly bitter, with lingering aromas of orange peels and perfume counter samples on the side.

Mommenpop suggests mixing this 50:50 with sparkling wine, but even that was too much for this writer to shake the overwhelming floral elements and fairly harsh bitterness. If you do try Spritzing with Mommenpop, I’d dial it way back, at least to start.

34 proof.

C+ / $38 / mommenpop.com

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