2021 “Pezsgő” Sparkling Pinot Noir

A portion of the proceeds of this wine go toward our "Pezsgő for People" campaign to support Ukrainian refugees.

The name is as curious and fun as the wine it describes. Hungarian for sparkling wine, Pezsgő (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 Pezsgő 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, Pezsgő is like Pinot Noir’s elixir of youth, if Peter Pan were to ever make a wine.

Casey Graybehl, R&D Winemaker