Red Tail Ridge Pinot Noir Petillant Natural

Nancy Irelan is the winemaker and partner at Red Tail Ridge. She has been in the wine industry for over 35 years. Nancy’s career path includes a decade at E&J Gallo as VP of Viticulture & Enology R&D, a PhD in grape genetics in the UC-Davis Viticulture and Enology Depart, along with various consulting gigs. After years of large volume production and mass appeal, Red Tail Ridge is a personal journey of introspection for Nancy, as she focuses on how to best represent the unique personality and terroir of her vineyard. The term “pétillant naturel” (pét-nat) refers to the winemaking process used to produce this fizzy wine. We found notes of mint, blood orange, strawberries and cream, and ripe red raspberries. Nancy thinks that the fingerlakes are a great place to make sparkling wine, and this Pet Nat is a perfect way to enjoy a bottle of sparkling while the more age-worthy sparklings are still dormant. We agree.