Onward 2022 Sparkling Red Pétillant Naturel

This wine stays true to the nature of an authentic Pétillant Naturel sparkling wine: I encouraged native yeast fermentation, which finished in the bottle, with no sugar or other juice added.

The wine was moved from tank to bottle by gravity. Everything to do with bottling traditional Pét-Nat has to be done by hand because she is still fermenting (meaning full of CO2 gas) and needs to be handled with care. The wine is bottled with a small amount of lees, allowing the fermentation to complete in bottle, the wine remains un-disgorged (with sediment) in bottle. This adds purity and complexity that would be lost if removed. The bottles were aged while the fermentation finished, then labeled upon release.

Making this wine is an emotional journey which is truly about passion.  For me this journey represents an amazing intersections of two love affairs; my love of making Pet Nat and my love of making Hawkeye Ranch Carignane and Carbonic/Nouveau style Zinfandel.  There are endless layers to Pét Nat, both in the making it and in the enjoying of it. This wine offers a unique combination of youthfulness and complexity.

While she always makes me work for it and loose plenty of sleep…this wine doesn’t get made that often, but every time I make her I am overjoyed with the resulting sparkling red wine that is oh so very cozy, yet refreshing ~