Cruse Wine Company St. Laurent Petillant Naturel

This Austrian variety has been grown by Dale Ricci, a longtime family friend of Michael Cruse, for about 15 years. Ricci vineyards is on the Sonoma half of Carneros and only a few miles from the San Pablo Bay.

The grapes, after a few days of carbonic maceration, were gently pressed, fermented in a concrete egg, then finished fermentation in bottle. The bottles were then riddled, disgorged, topped up, and sealed by hand. This is pure fermented grape juice without any addition of sulfites, acids, sugar, or yeast.

Nearly colorless, a true blanc de noir with cream and bananas on the nose. Fun, drinkable with crushed berries and banana runts.