Benjamin Bridge ‘Pet-Nat’ 2020
Background
This is the first official wine that our delivery service is offering from the year that WAS 2020. But thankfully, the vintage is the least interesting thing about this fun sparkler.
If you joined us for our sparkling wine webinar back in December, you’ll remember we touched on Nova Scotia’s Benjamin Bridge more than a few times. They are easily on the short list for the best Champagne-style sparkling in the county. Beyond their top shelf double-ferment traditional method sparkling, they have a full line of different wines, all made in different styles, and all quite unique.
This is their Pet-Net (AKA Petillant Naturel or Ancestral Method). Here, the primary ferment is never stopped, rather it’s captured and bottled as-is. This is the oldest method of making sparkling wine, and it has the quickest turn-around. With this method, the bubbles are a little different (closer to Perrier than Champagne). Often Pet-Nat will have a little residual sugar, because remember, the primary ferment was never completed. But this one is b-b-b-bone dry.
B.B’s head winemaker Jean-Benoit Deslauriers has been tending vineyards of strange hybrid grape varieties on the Bay of Fundy since 1999. The bay shelters the grapes from winds, and being a large body of water, it helps to moderate temperature changes in shoulder seasons, the same as it does here around The Great Lakes. Nova Scotia is still a cold climate though! There’s a little bit of Pinot Noir and Chard production, but for the most part all of these grape varieties are very obscure hybrids, bred to withstand cold temperatures. Geisenheim? We had never heard of it. Turns out it’s a crossing of Riesling and Chancelor ...(another grape we’d never heard of).
Tasting Notes
The wine is bursting with citrus flavours. Citrus oils specifically. The acid is bright and a little bit of skin contact gives the wine a ‘pithy’ mouthfeel. It’s got the feeling of breaking into a big juicy orange with your fingers. Perfect for hot-weather sipping. Serve this one straight out of the fridge. The colder the better!
Food Pairing
Bahn Mi and a green mango salad - Pet-Nats aren’t necessarily made to be paired with meals. On the ‘Fun-to-Serious’ scale, they’re closer to a rosé slushy than they are to a white Burgundy. Our best advice would be to drink Pet-Nat while wearing flip flops and beach towels. Now this Pet-Nat in particular is a little more serious than most. Those citrus flavours really do shine, and under that there is an herbal aroma that reminds us of Southeast Asia (lemongrass, lime leaf). We think this wine would be a hit with that style of cuisine. It’s a real picnicky kinda wine!
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