This is our 9th release of 12 sparkling wines under the Saint Gregory brand.
Our Saint Gregory Brut is not only a wonderful celebratory wine and
aperitif, but also a great food wine because of its dryness. The extended time
in bottle has created a wine with complex red fruits such as wild
strawberries, yeasty-toasty notes, and a long, crisp finish complimented by
lots of tiny bubbles.
Background
This is our ninth release of twelve sparkling wines under the Saint Gregory
brand. My wife Trudi and I are great lovers of sparkling wine, especially
French Champagne. As I began to formulate the recipe for our sparkling
wines I looked to not only the tradition of Champagne but also to the
tradition of sparkling wine from all over the world. To make our sparkling
wine rich and unique we decided to barrel ferment the “base wine” similar to
some of the greatest French Champagnes like Krug and Bollinger and to use
Pinot Blanc like the great sparkling wines in northern Italy like Ca del Bosco
and Bella Vista.
Vineyards
The grapes for our Saint Gregory Brut come exclusively from our Nube
Bianco vineyard in the beautiful high elevation Potter Valley at the head
waters of the Russian River in Mendocino County. We believe this is a truly
unique and quality region for sparkling wines with its clay rich soils, high
elevation, large differential in its day and night temperatures, and the late
season ripening of its grapes. This wine is made up of 36 % Pinot Meunier,
36% Pinot Grigio, and 28% Pinot Noir.
Winemaking
All grapes were whole cluster pressed and 100% barrel fermented and sur-lie
aged in neutral French Burgundy barrels for 8 months without malo-lactic
fermentation. The wines were then blended, fined, filtered and cold stabilized.
The wine was bottled with the addition of yeast and sugar with a crown cap
and the bottles were laid to rest in metal bins for 7 years on their sides (tirage
or also called Sur-latte). Here is where the second fermentation occurs which
give sparkling wine its fascinating bubbles and its yeasty-toasty character.
Winemaker Comments
Our Saint Gregory Brut is not only a wonderful celebratory wine and
aperitif, but also a great food wine because of its dryness. The extended time
in bottle has created a wine with complex red fruits such as wild
strawberries, yeasty-toasty notes, and a long, crisp finish complimented by
lots of tiny bubbles.
Winemaking Data
Harvest
Date: August 25th - September 7th
Fermentation & Aging
Fermentation: Average 8 day
fermentation in neutral French oak
barrels
Aging: 8 months in French
Burgundy barrels then in tirage for 7
years
Wine
Blend: 36% Pinot Meunier
28% Pinot Noir
36% Pinot Grigio
Alcohol: 12.7%
Total Acidity: 9.6 g/L
pH: 2.92
Residual Sugar: 0.8 g/L
