California sparkling wine should be judged by how favorably, or closely, it compares to Champagne, right? Wrong! According to Dan and Jacqueline Person, Champagne is its own special region and should not be compared to, or compete with, sparkling wine made right here in the United States. California can produce its own beautiful and breathtaking expressions of sparkling wine, and that is exactly what they have set out to accomplish with Carboniste. Today’s über fresh Pet-Nat (definition to follow) of Pinot Grigio is exhibit A in their resounding success. It’s no coincidence that I’ve been seeing bottles of Carboniste at every wine bar, pizzeria, and local market up and down the coast–as the kids say, these bubbles “slay.” Happy July 4th, time to stock up on a wine that will bring you fireworks every time you pop the cap!
Carboniste is emblematic of a new breed of young winemaking estates looking to offer authenticity and value. The label was created by Dan and Jacqueline Person, who first met at California’s UC Davis and later traveled around the world refining their winemaking skills. Following a stint at California’s Schramsberg Vineyards, Dan set out to reimagine Californian sparkling wine, drawing on Jacqueline’s relationships with vine-growers across the state. The Persons make a full line up of wine, all of them sparkling, and all of them with unique labels that speak to the Golden State’s coastal flora and fauna: “Octopus,” “Sea Urchin,” and today’s “Mackeral,” each speak to their unique combination of grapes, soil, and sun. In their own words, “Sunshine, warm days, and cool nights are California. These conditions lend juiciness and freshness to our fruit, which are front and center in our wines.”
The vintage dated 2022 Pinot Grigio “Pet-Nat” is sourced entirely from the Liberty Oaks Vineyard in Lodi, which is owned and farmed by the Bokisch team. This is a classically styled pétillant naturel, meaning the wine is tank fermented but then bottled before the fermentation is complete. The fermentation then restarts naturally in the bottle, resulting in that same trapped CO2 that adds soft effervescence. After resting for about seven months to make sure the fermentation is complete, the wine is released without disgorgement. It has a slightly cloudy appearance when poured due to the presence of yeast sediment from the fermentation. The Persons add zero sugar to the wine, and their early harvest along with those cool nights leads to bright acidity and refreshingly low alcohol.
Serve the Carboniste Pet-Nat at a crisp 45-48 degrees in an all purpose stem immediately after popping open the crown cap (which is the best enclosure to ensure freshness, and you never get a “corked” bottle either!). Notes of cut apple, white flowers, white peach, and a good dose of creamy, yeasty, bread-dough courtesy of the sur lie (“on the lees”) aging are all apparent in droves. The palate is brisk and refreshing, more fruit than mineral driven, although there are some wet stone notes on the finish. Medium-bodied and food-friendly, especially for fatty, oily fish like the bottle’s namesake mackerel. But the real beauty of this versatile bottle of bubbles is that it tastes great anywhere, with anything, as long as you can keep it fresh and cool!
