After a short harvest in 2011, it was a relief to have a decent Gewürz crop in 2012. Not only was there a greater quantity of Gewürztraminer grapes but spring weather conditions produced grapes with equally sized berries, rather than a mixture of big and little berries in the same cluster (hens and chicks). A normal-sized, two-seeded berry has a higher ratio of juice to grape-skin than a small, one-seeded berry. When clusters with a high ratio of juice to skins are pressed, there are less skin phenolics in the juice than with hens and chicks clusters. Clusters with all normal sized berries are better for sparkling wine because the effervescence in sparkling wine magnifies any skin harshness. These were the first grapes Navarro harvested for wine in 2012, as grapes for sparkling wine are harvested with less sugar and more acidity, which contributes lightness, low alcohol and a crisp finish. Fruit from our Peach field was harvested cold, then whole cluster pressed using Comité Interprofessionnel du vin de Champagne standards and the juice was fermented and aged sur lie. In the following spring, the still wine was tirage bottled with a little sugar and yeast; fermentation took ten weeks to complete, producing a lively 90 psi in the bottle.

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