Obsidian Wine Co. ‘Pezsgő’ Pinot Noir Pet Nat 2022
Obsidian Wine Co. “Pezsgő” Pinot Noir Pet Nat at The Nest at Nurture in Denver
Carneros, Napa Valley
Few things spark more joy than sparkling wine under a crown cap. I’ve shared a few of my favorite bottles of bubbly but this is the first time we’re exploring the Pet Nat category.
“Pet Nat” is short for the French term pétillant naturel. This is the oldest style of sparkling wine known and one that’s come back into fashion with natural wine enthusiasts the world over. This style of winemaking is also called méthode ancestrale, or ancestral method. To create the fizz, the wine is bottled while it’s still fermenting to trap the carbon dioxide that would otherwise escape during the ferment. The resulting bubbles are milder and less pronounced than what we typically find in champagne and other traditional method sparklers.
Obsidian Wine Company’s ‘Pezsgő’ (pronounced “Pezz-goo”) is named for the Hungarian style of sparkling wine. The term comes from the Hungarian “pezseg”, which means to sparkle or fizz. The word is onomatopoeic as the pronunciation sounds like a bottle of bubbly cracking open. The winemaking team at Obsidian comes from Hungarian heritage and the moniker is a nod to their roots.
“We believe that wine must come from and promote healthy ecosystems. Wine is an amazingly transparent drink and reveals soil, climate, and people. We aim to grow and harvest trees and grapes responsibly and vinify wine in the most sustainable methods possible.”
The company has been growing grapes for top Napa Valley winemakers for almost 50 years and took a departure from the expected in crafting this casual yet delicious wine in the ancestral style.
Obsidian is a full-spectrum production house. From owning and farming their own vineyards to coopering their own barrels to the artform that is their approach to winemaking, the team puts a unique spin on everything they do.
Since bottling their first tiny run of just 98 cases of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon back in 2002, the team has prided themselves on their ability to achieve balance in their craft. They are experts when it comes to pairing nature’s excellence from the vineyard with the ideal levels of oak influence. Wood can overwhelm a wine. The team’s deft touch and judicious application of their barrels are apparent in the resulting wines.
The fruit for ‘Pezsgő’ Pinot Noir Pet Nat 2022 came from the Poseidon Vineyard set at the confluence of Carneros Creek and the Napa River. The vines were planted in 1973 with classic Burgundy varieties of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir which flourish in the crisp, foggy early mornings and sunny afternoons the maritime climate brings.
Some winemakers choose to craft Pinot Noir by partially destemming the grapes or even leaving the whole clusters intact. The stems of the grapes have tannins in them which can help to give an otherwise light-bodied wine more structure and depth.
Since the goal with this sparkling pinky was a bright, energetic profile. The fruit was fully destemmed and then cold soaked. A cold soak allows the grape skins to mellow in contact with the juice without allowing the fermentation process to begin. This treatment allows for the extraction of flavor and aroma characteristics in the finished wine.
Following the cold soak, the juice was pressed from the skins and left to settle again for three days at a low, controlled temperature for further flavor enhancement. The temperature was raised gradually to allow the start of the fermentation process without the inclusion of cultured yeasts.
While the ferment was still active, the team bottled the wine unified and unfiltered without adding sulfites to capture the bubbling effect of the final conversion of sugars to alcohol.
Wines like this always make me think of the beer lovers in my life. The profile generated by this natural winemaking technique is low-key and a bit rustic with clear traces of the ferment on the palate.
If you’ve experienced a funky, dare I say stinky, natural wine in the past you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the clean style of this bottle. The aromas burst out of the glass with notes of Christmas cranberry, Bing cherry, and Goji berry. Delicious.
Wine Features
100% Pinot Noir
Sustainable
No added sulfur
Unfined and unfiltered
12% alcohol
$35 - $40
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Obsidian Wine Co. “Pezsgő” Pinot Noir Pet Nat at The Nest at Nurture in Denver
Nurture Wellcare Marketplace is an urban oasis where Denver’s health-conscious can experience an array of self-care services in an energized, beautifully designed environment. The collaborative space boasts wellness options including massage, energy work, IV therapy, and more.
For this pairing, I started with the food. I’d gladly travel double the distance for a chance to enjoy my favorite salad in Denver, Nest Café’s frenzy of salmon served over a bed of fresh arugula with cabbage, ginger, carrot, cilantro, and sesame dressing topped with perfect-every-time avocado and black sesame seeds.
Check out my editorial for DiningOut Magazine featuring this and several other outstanding sustainable wines in Denver restaurants in honor of Earth Month in April 2023.
Enjoying this wine at home?
You could take this wine to any occasion from a bridal shower to Christmas dinner. It’s so much fun to pop the top and celebrate with it as a cocktail wine. If you’re pairing the wine with food, you can’t go wrong with fare from the sea.
A spread of spicy tuna and salmon sushi rolls would be outstanding with this wine. In another direction, a curry dish with chicken either prepared hot or cold in a chicken salad format would be delicious. I like to make a chicken salad with curry, mayonnaise, celery, cashews, and green grapes stuffed into a pillow-soft pita. Yum.
Explore more wine recommendations
When I come across a sparkling wine that has it all, I have to share it. Handley Estate Vineyard Brut Rosé 2016 is a fine blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay made in the champagne method. The grapes are certified organic and the winery was founded by a trailblazer of a lady, Milla Handley back in the 1980s. A stunning sparkling rosé, this bottle comes to Denver through the distribution portfolio of Master Sommelier, Doug Krenik.