Our vines set an ample crop in the spring of 2019 and we were delighted when a series of storms in mid-May delivered over five inches of rain. Our vineyards responded by growing a lush canopy that could easily ripen the crop without major thinning. The summer was relatively cool, so as harvest approached, the acidity in the grapes was high—perfect for sparkling wine. Pinot Noir was harvested in August, with clone 115 harvested first on August 22, followed by clone 667 on August 23. Since Chardonnay ripens later, it wasn't ready until September; clone 95 from the Hammer Olsen vineyard was harvested on September 6. Each lot of grapes was night harvested, then whole-cluster pressed using a sparkling wine program on our high-tech press. The juices were cool-fermented then aged for nine months in seasoned French oak puncheons and ovals. A cuvée was assembled and bottled in June 2020 with yeast and sugar to create the necessary bubbles, then cellar aged until disgorging, adding dosage and corking in August 2023.
