Location: California
Alcohol: 11.5%

A fresh example of petillant naturel wine. Bottled with primary yeast sediment, it does show lovely yeast flavors characteristic of bottle aging. Early picking allows this wine to carry only 11.5% alcohol along with an abundance of energy and lightness. This wine is non-disgorged and contains naturally occurring yeast sediment, which will continue to protect and flavor the wine as it ages.

This wine is a continuation of Carboniste’s experiment in pre-traditional sparkling winemaking. Not modern or “traditional” Pét Nat (pétillant naturel) wines are often called “ancestral.” Perhaps a happy accident, wine that is bottled before the completion of fermentation will continue to ferment in bottle, trapping the gas that makes the wine sparkle. This was the root of the traditional method used in Champagne. Science and industry has since led to advances that standardized the process, allowing for more consistent traditional and modern products. This wine undergoes minimal influence from the winemaker. The grapes remain in contact with juice for 2 days, then are pressed, and the juice is allowed to ferment until a sufficient level of sugar remains. It is then bottled and allowed to rest for 7 months before release. The result is a rustic sparkling wine made from Pinot grigio grapes and wild yeast.