2021 Dry Creek Valley Grenache Blanc Pet-Nat

Pet Nat Or Pétillant Naturel, is produced in the method ancestral. Long story short, the wine is bottled prior to fully completing its first fermentation, allowing carbon dioxide to be produced by the metabolization of the sugars found in the grapes by yeast cells and carbonating the wine. The méthode ancestrale was originally used in Limoux in the south of France in the early 16th century by winemaking monks. This production method is contrary to the method champenoise, the way in which Champagne is produced, where the base wine is fully fermented, then undergoes a secondary fermentation in bottle with the addition of yeast and sugar. And unlike Champagne, Pét-Nats contain solids and tartrates in the bottle.
Tasting Notes: With a light carbonation that instantly brings cantaloupe and oyster shells to the nose, this 100% Grenache Blanc is perfect for sipping on a warm, spring day. The secondary hints of green apple, candied ginger, and dried apricot play perfectly off of the austere acid that gives this wine a great backbone. We’re really pleased with this wine and can’t wait for you to try it.
Vineyard: The fruit for this wine comes from out friends, the Mounts Family and their meticulously farmed 130 acres in the heart of the Dry Creek Valley, northern Sonoma County. The Grenache Blanc, that was planted in 2010, comes from a block that is planted on an old creek bed, where the soil has been stripped away and replaced by stone and sand. The perfect spot for this Southern Rhone varietal.
Winemaking: The fruit was picked the night of September 22nd and arrived at the winery early where it was whole cluster pressed into a stainless steel tank, allowing it to be cold settled for two days. After the grape solids had fallen out and settled out of solution, we moved a small portion to a tank and the juice was allowed to ferment down to 12 grams per liter of sugar. We then chilled the tank to 40° to arrest fermentation and moved it into bottles with crown caps to finish fermentation under pressure. Three months later I disgorged every bottle by hand to remove some of the solids and retopped each bottle with the same pét-nat. This wine is unfined and unfiltered as well as not being cold stable. So, there is both yeast sediment and wine tartrates in the bottle. It is a natural product and so is the sediment. No need to worry, it’s part of the goodness!
$32