August 13, 2020 - Harvesting for the 2020 Pinot Noir Pet Nat! The 2020 Pet Nat is made of 100% Elkhorn Peak Estate Grown Pinot Noir:
3 rows (½ ton) of Pommard Clone from Block Six
9 rows (½ ton) of Dijon 114 + 115 from Block One
Extracting color and flavors the old school way! Foot treading. The grapes had 8 hours on skin and stems to extract color and flavor before being pressed, and pumped into a stainless-steel tank to begin a 13-day fermentation.
The 2020 Pet Nat mid-fermentation.
August 26, 2020 - bottling day at the winery. While the wine is still actively fermenting we bottle it. It'll continue to ferment in bottle over the next several weeks.
I get by with a little help from my friends!
After each bottle is filled, it's capped and laid down. After 7 months in bottle, it is time to "wake up" the Pet Nat! Disgorging Day, March 19, 2021. It's a messy job.
After disgorged, each bottle is topped with "Elise's secret sauce" in a process known as dosaging. Elise worked on the 2020 dosage recipe for several months; it's inspired by old world Champagne dosage recipes. After each bottle is dosaged, it's recapped and prepped for labeling.
Last stop on the 2020 Pet Nat journey - labeling. April 15, 2021.
May 1, 2020....time to enjoy!
Tasting Notes: Lightly sparkling, fermented dry (not sweet); the color is "electric raspberry" red. Flavors of strawberry, raspberry, blood orange and cherry jolly rancher. Medium-bodied with nice structure, similar to a Blanc de Noirs. Short, creamy finish. A fun, refreshing wine you'll want all summer.
Total Production: 60 cases
Wine Club pricing: $30.60
Retail: $36
