Obsidian Pezsgö Sparkling Pinot Noir, Poseidon Vineyard, Carneros, Napa Valley, California

“In the beginning, there were three of us: Michael Terrien, Peter Molnar and Arpad Molnar. From the outset we have owned and farmed our own vineyards, coopered our own barrels and vinified our own wines. In 2002 we made our first 98 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon. We are individuals who have always been compelled to discover something new. Our winemaker, Alex Beloz, has crafted our wines for more than a decade. More artist than his engineering degree suggests, Alex has intimate and longstanding knowledge of our vineyards and of our coopering. He raises to a high art the skill of matching oak to wine. Hungarian for sparkling wine, Pezsgo (pej-guh) nods to our family heritage and the effervescent energy of the bubbles in the bottle. Our vineyard has grown Pinot Noir for California’s top sparkling brands for nearly 50 years. When we decided to make sparkling Pinot Noir for ourselves, we created Pezsgo in the style we wanted to drink: fresh, informal, capturing that raw flavor and amazing aroma of fermenting Pinot Noir that fills our cellar each harvest. We destemmed Martini clone Pinot Noir and cold-soaked the berries in a tank for 24 hours. We pressed the juice and chilled it to settle another 3 days, then let it warm slightly until native fermentation began. Just before the fermentation was finished, we bottled it up with no sulfur, fining nor filtering, allowing the fermentation to finish in bottle and create all those lovely bubbles. This is the Ancestral Method of making sparkling wine, what the French call Pétillant Naturel, or Farmer’s Champagne. Light, fresh, clean, and fermenty, this wine bursts with aromas and flavors. In a world of grungy Pét-Nats, Pezsgo is like Pinot Noir’s elixir of youth, if Peter Pan were to ever make a wine.” – winery

$39.99