2019 Coturri Hard Apple Cider Pet'Nat

Variety: 100% Gravenstein 

Region: Sonoma>Glen Ellen

Vineyard/cellar stats: 100% organic apples, unfined and unfiltered, no added sulphites, no temperature control.

Winemaker: Tony Coturri

Tony Coturri is not only a legend himself in Sonoma, but his family winery on Sonoma mountain is a historic property, perched high above the tiny hamlet of Glen Ellen, in the region known as the Valley of the Moon.  It was founded in 1979 by Harry "Red" Coturri and his sons Tony and Phil.  Red learned how to make wine during Prohibition and the great depression from his father Enrico, who immigrated to America from Italy in 1901.  Today Tony carries on the legacy of his family, with a strict focus on organic farming and minimal intervention winemaking -- nothing is added or taken away on the virgin land or in the cellar. 

This hard cider is made in Pet'Nat or Petillant Natural stylem, the ancestral, more rustic sparkling style, made with 100% Gravenstein apples.  Tony Coturri has been producing still cider since 2008, but in 2018 decided to try something different by blending a barrel of 2015 still cider with a barrel of still fermenting 2016.  The cider was then bottled in clear champagne bottles under crown cap when the the blend hit just the right amount of residual sugar.  The result was a slightly effervescent style with a gentle fizziness that balances out the sugar, making it super dry on the palate. 

Cider has found its place at the American table, and is now being appreciated for complexity and nuance, just like wine.  We like to think of cider as a 'book end' beverage -- great at the beginning of a meal, with its low ABV, so a great way to ease into a big feast, and at the end of the meal, with a hint of sweet balancing out the tart.  This one will have you wondering if you're drinking Pet'Nat, cider or sour beer - super fun!