Apologies for this review being later than usual. Once I found out this wine existed, I figured it would go well with the warmer weather we’ve been having. But that meant postponing the review for a few days until I got my hands on a bottle. Which I did. Then, of course, one has to taste, ponder, think, cogitate, try to remember to write things down and then write it up in a semi-coherent fashion for the blog itself. All of which takes time.
For those who need reminding, Pet Nat is short for Pétillant Naturel. It’s a sparkling wine, but made by the old way of simply allowing a wine to ferment in the bottle the first time around. It’s also called the Méthode Ancestrale, since this is how sparkling wine was first made. You started the wine fermenting, and then it went into the bottles. Historically, this would have happened when the wine cooled down as the seasons changed. But then, when it got warmer again, if the wine hadn’t finished fermenting earlier, the yeasts would start doing their thing again, leading to fizz.
In the glass
It’s a light, cloudy peach. It’s definitely peach. Maybe. Or faded salmon? I like peach as a descriptor here, but I also find myself double-guessing myself. I’m completely sure it’s cloudy, though. A fault by traditional wine tasting standards, but expected in a pet nat, and I’m fine with it.
The nose
My first reaction is that it presumably has a nose, but I can’t really tell. After it warms up a bit, I do think I pick up faint notes of strawberries and redcurrant.
The palate
Dry, crisp, more body than expected. The first impression is good. But there’s a sourness to it that’s not completely pleasant. Grapefruit springs to mind, and those long-term readers of this blog (all two of you, I suspect) will know that’s not really something I like. The flavours aren’t really there, or at least, not very distinguishable. Once it warms up more, I can perhaps pick out some strawberries, or redcurrants, similar to the nose. And like the nose, for me at least, they aren’t obvious flavours. You sort of have to go hunting for them.
Rating
Yummy. Pretty on visuals. To be blunt, not quite as tasty as I had hoped from looking at it. It strikes me more as a wanna-be fizz than a proper, proud of what it is pet nat, which is a shame. It’s not bad, just a bit disappointing. A wine to drink when you aren’t really paying attention.
Sustainability
Unknown, and probably not.
The technical info
11.5% ABV, Pinot Noir, Meunier, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris, £15 from M&S.