Winemaker NotesThis 2022 vintage Blanc de Noirs Méthode Champenoise Brut is our third release of a sparkling wine at Whitehall Lane Winery. The Pinot Noir harvested from the Sonoma Stage Vineyard is from clone 115. Upon hand harvesting in the early morning hours, our grapes were sorted and whole-cluster pressed with a gentle Champagne cycle. After cold settling, the juice was racked clean and split between 75% stainless steel for a cool fermentation while 25% was sent to barrel (15% new French oak) for a native fermentation. After primary fermentation finished, the wine was filtered and prepared for “tirage”, which means it is blended with a mixture of sugar and yeast, then sent to bottle for secondary fermentation. During this phase, the wine lies on its side and undergoes a second fermentation that lasts between 3-5 weeks. Once secondary fermentation is finished, the bottles are carefully transferred to riddling “remuage” racks, where they are slowly and carefully turned and tilted 25 times to move the dead yeast cells to the neck of the bottle for clarification and disgorgement “degorgement”. Upon disgorgement, the neck of the bottle is frozen in a subzero solution, which traps the yeast. The bottle is then opened and the pressure shoots the frozen yeast out, allowing for some loss of product. At this point, a dose, or “dosage” of sugar and base wine is added to each bottle to top off the wine. The final step is to cork, wire hood, capsule and label the bottle. And voila, we have a Méthode Champenoise Blanc de Noirs Brut sparkling wine to enjoy for any and all celebratory occasions.
The VintageThe 2022 vintage was considered a recovery year for the drought year in 2021, which have typically proven to be excellent quality for wines. The Petaluma Gap AVA is known for its naturally formed 15-mile-wide “gap” in the coastal range mountains that pulls cool coastal air in when the inland valley air heats up. The wind comes in from the ocean off Tomales Bay and Bodega Bay, bottlenecks as it goes through the gap, building up speed, and empties into the San Francisco Bay. The season started off with bud break in early March, leading to a Spring that allowed for a turbulent flowering period that gave high winds, hail, rain, and a cold snap. The vines, as a result, provided a low yielding set for the grape clusters. Summer was quite warm and long, leading into an early Autumn harvest season. The consistent summer weather encouraged our sparkling Pinot Noir grapes to ripen on August 24th.
