This 2020 vintage pét-nat contains a small amount of the winery’s “Hommage à Georges Besson,” which is a multi-vintage assemblage in the appassimento tradition. This wine is vinified and moved to bottle to finish in the ancestral method, and is un-disgorged and left without dosage.
It’s cloudy, the color of peach melba, with no perceptible bead. Sulfurous at first, it needs a little air. After that it yields apricot nectar, red apple skin, thyme, basil, and fresh air. The perlage, nearly absent in the glass, blooms on the tongue in tiny prickly beads. The wine is leesy-savory, and the structure is more prominent than the fruit.
It’s very drinkable, especially with young milky cheeses (try chèvre from the Central Loire). Also try lean preparations of fish and shellfish, panini stuffed with ham and pesto, or simple roasted chicken with crisped potatoes.
2020 Birichino Grenache Pétillant Naturel Besson Vineyard Santa Clara Valley
13% ABV | $28
