The Pinot Noir for our new “Pezsgő” was night-picked from Poseidon Vineyard on August 28th, 2020. To make this wine, we destem the clusters and soak the whole berries with their juice for 24 hours. After pressing, the juice is placed in a tank and chilled for 36 hours 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 young wine. 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, R&D Winemaker