The Pinot Noir for our new “Pezsgö” was night-picked from Poseidon Vineyard on August 28th, 2020. To make this wine we destem the fruit and the whole berries to soak with the juice for 24 hours. After pressing, the fruit is loaded into a tank where it is chilled for 36 hours in order to let the solids settle. We rely on yeasts that inhabit the vineyard to convert the fruit sugars to ethanol – no commercial yeasts were added. We carefully regulate our Pét-Nat to keep a slow and steady ferment until the brix level is just right, and then drop the temperature to 40 degrees. This accomplishes two things: it arrests the fermentation and settles any additional solids out of the juice. We then add a tiny amount of sulfur and hand bottle with a crown-cap. As the bottles warm up, the fermentation resumes and the residual sugar ferments to produce more ethanol and carbon dioxide which is responsible for the carbonation.

Casey Graybehl, Winemaker