Monday, May 2, 2016

May "Pet-Nat Wines" - hosted by Ms. Lauren

May "Pet-Nat Wines" - hosted by Ms. Lauren

When: Monday May 23rd, 2016 - 7:00pm ET

Theme:  Pet-Nat is a nickname for Petillant Naturel (pet-tay-ahn Nat-tur-rell), or "Methode Ancestrale", a method of producing sparkling wine by bottling the wine during the the primary, alcoholic fermentation to capture the carbon dioxide that is naturally released. This differs from wines like Champagne that undergo a second, bubble-producing fermentation.

Documented by the monks of the Abbey Saint-Hillaire in 1531, Petillant naturel is considered to be the first sparkling wine pre-dating methode champenoise by nearly a century.

Articles about Pet-Nat
What is Pet-Nat Wine ?  An Ancient Winemaking Style on the Rise
Pet-Nat, Champagne's Hip Younger Sister
Pet-Nat, Champagne's Cool Kid Sister is the Bubbly You Want to Party With
Pet-Nat, the Alcoholic Soda of My Dreams

Bring:  Bring a bottle of Pet-Nat wine within the specified price range (Up to $20/bottle for Singles, between $20 - $40/bottle for Couples)


Tasting Notes:

Welcome Wine) 2014 Pet'Sec Les Capriades ~ $28 @ Hintons Savvy Cellars
11% alcohol, made from a majority of Chenin Blanc with a small percentage of Cabernet Franc
green, light grassy nose, almost like urine but in a good way, effervescent pinot grigio-like, filtered, light, not too sweet.

1) 2015 Vitae Springs Vineyard "Minimus" Petillant Natural, Williamette Valley $25.99 @ Le Caveau
12.3% alcohol, 100% Muller Thargau
cidery, cider & wine, dry as a bone, bitters, cloudy, bubbles quickly dissipate, "miller lite left too warm at the poolside", it's gone dull, needs to be ice cold, with mint sprig

2) 2013 Dirty & Rowdy Pet-Nat Pinot Blanc, El Dorado County in Santa Rosa, CA $42.99 @ Le Caveau
11.2% alcohol, 100% Pinot Blanc
sweeter nose, more golden, asian pear kombucha, good pool wine, easy drinking, not a lot of finish, great for summer, serve cold, clear gold color, peachy keen, could be dangerous.

3)  NV Quentin Bourse Le Sot de l'Ange (The Idiot Angel) Azay-le-Rideau La Couture $22.99 @ Le Caveau
biodynamic, 11% alcohol, 100% Grolleau (vines planted in 1954)
I'm a pink owl, lambic, pickle juice, tomato, vinegar, "it's very fruit forward, specifically tomato", fun times, orange/rose color, peachy hue, tart, pickle juice, sweet tart, refreshing, it has character, you're 3rd bottle, watered down kool-aid with pop rocks

4) NV Patrick Bottex "La Cueille" (The Pick) Bugey-Cerdon $15 from WineLibrary.com
8% alcohol, 90% Gamay, 10% Poulsard
"a million degrees different", foamy, it has good head, a ton more sugar, deep, a fruit basket, too sweet, melon, lots of peaches, watermelon, jolly rancher, "does this come in lite?", get diabetes afterwards, better as a slushy or champagne popsicle, this is a "gas station wine", melted sorbet

5) 2014  Francis Coppola"Sofia" Blanc de Blanc, Monterey County ~ $16 @ Briarcliff Kroger
12% alcohol, Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscat blend.
foamy gold, clearer, light, harsh, sweet-ish, one-dimensional, bitters on it, mild, starter wine only, if I was out of beer, the "shake-weight" wine.

6) 2014 Pet'Sec Les Capriades ~ $32 @ Brookhaven Wines
11% alcohol, made from a majority of Chenin Blanc with a small percentage of Cabernet Franc
butterscotch, oaky, caramel, I Like It!, tart, vinegar nose, I'm on an emotional roller coaster, mostly downhill, it's morphed, sour, flawed

7) 2014 Eric Texier Rouletabulle Petillant Naturel $24.99 @ Le Caveau
9% alcohol, 100% old vine Chasselas
foamy, effervescent, dry wine, pairs with the avocado/coconut ice cream so well!

8) 2015 Castello Banfi Rose Regale ~ $19 @ Publix
7% alcohol, 100% Brachetto
ruby red, super sweet, strangely also sour, holy moly, pickled strawberries, "a bit of bananar in it", would pair w/chocolate well.