Back in 2018, we decided to attempt making a sparkling wine with no additions to see if it presented the meunier in the best light, but also to see if it could be done. I'd read of many winemakers in France using fermenting juice as their tirage culture and thought we could experiment with doing that across multiple vintages to increase the richness and depth.
We wild fermented Pinot Meunier in plastic which I liked the neutrality of; and the following year we did the same again. In the third year, we added the fermenting juice to the previous two vintages and bottled the wine when it had enough sugar in the juice to leave the around five bar of pressure in the finished bottles. We then left on lees for two years and disgorged without adding dosage. This wine has had no additions at all.
After the fermentation in bottle had occurred, it tasted very like Pet Nat and I was concerned that it had failed - it was good but not worth the long investment. After the time on lees and disgorging however, I love the wine and wish it was an experiment we'd continued as it's now going to take seven years to replicate.
It's similar to some of our other wines in that it's an experiment to create the most from our fruit - I really think this is a style we will continue.
I have always felt that our meunier has something special about it, and whilst on a blend that adds some depth and character, I thought this time it should shine on its own.
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