2023 Pet Nat - our best one yet
We have been enjoying our 2023 Pet Nat on the deck in the warm autumn sun - have you tried it yet?
The fruit (Sauvignon Blanc) used to create our 2O23 Pétillant Naturel comes from the incredible Baxendale Vineyard which sits like an island in the sky, hovering at 62Om ASL above the township of Whitfield. It’s truly a remarkable site that words simply don’t do justice. 36O degree panoramic views in all directions of the nearby mountains and valleys.
It goes without saying that the high elevation Whitlands sub region of the King Valley is a perfect match for growing fruit for sparkling wines. The super cool site allows a super long growing season and the retention of natural acidity. Incredibly this was the last fruit we received into our winery in 2O23. The morning before the heavens opened, the fruit was taken at just the right time and incredibly clean, a great effort in a testing year for our growers.
The wine exhibits a gentle fine bead bubble, our third attempt at making Pet Nat and by far the best to date. Super fine balanced acidity contrast nicely with the texture created by the bottle ageing on lees. Lower carbonation also means the risk of this Pet Nat misbehaving is very low, happy days!
How did we make it?
2O23 was a vintage that required much tireless work in the vineyards as a result of a very wet humid start to the growing season. However those who managed to get there vines through to Christmas disease free were rewarded with fruit displaying an amazing vibrancy and natural acidity thanks to the super weather conditions.
Machine picked in the cool of the night using a new generation machine harvester and immediately pressed to stainless steel upon arrival to our winery. We had the luxury of been able to only take the free run juice for this wine as our 2O23 Skin Contact white comes from the same vineyard and was picked on the same day. The extended time on skins naturally softens the harsh phenolics of pressings. The upside of only using the clear free juice in the Pet Nat is that you get a fine delicate mouthfeel, a must for sparkling wines in our opinion.
The juice was then chilled to 3c to settle then racked off its lees, our experience has been the more solids you can take out of a Pet Nat the less likely it is to gush once bottled. A healthy natural wild yeast fermentation commenced once the juice was warmed to 18c, once the ferment was active it was then chilled to 13c where it was held. Slow steady fermentation allows the wine to develop complex aromatics and flavours, the end result is a very fine boned pretty Pet Nat. The only addition to this wine was some nutrients to ensure a healthy clean ferment.
Delicious - try it for yourself and report back.
Ben.