Kushy Pet-Nat 2020

Winery Purity Wines

Region California, United States

Grapes Marsanne 100%

ProfileThis is a very interesting and purely delicious wine. The nose is intense with notes of yellow apple, quince, and pineapple. The high level of acidity is balanced by a bit of sugar left by the stuck fermentation. There is a bit of a sharp taste, but it works very well with the rich, larger bubbles of the wine. A beautiful canary yellow color stands out as well.

Grape GrowingGrapes are grown at the Oakstone Vineyard in Nevada County in the Sierra Foothills. The 2020 harvest was a particularly challenging one due to heat and smoke. The grapes were picked a little early, at 19 Brix, in late August. Farming here is organic, not regenerative. The soil here is an iron rich red top soil over hard granite.

WinemakingFermentation is started with native yeasts. No enzymes, or any other additives are used in the process. The fermentation stalled at around 3 g/L, but the wine ended up balanced. The wine was never filtered, and bottled after the one fermentation instead of two as is the case in Champagne.

More About the WineWith this wine, not everything went as planned. The ferment stuck, meaning not all the sugar converted to alcohol, and what was left became available to the lactic acid bacteria. The bacteria are typically responsible for converting tart malic acid into supple lactic acid. When sugar is consumed by lab, the result is a rise in volatile acidity. There are bubbles here, there is a touch of residual sugar, but the wine isn't noticeably sweet, there is lovely cut and fruit, and a slight haziness. Some might call this wine technically flawed, Noel calls it wonderfully beautiful, perplexing, and endlessly desirable.