In a rash act of complete commercial recklessness I decided to hold the 2017 Pét-Nats back for a mid-summer (in Australia) release this year, as I’ve always thought they don’t really hit their straps until twelve months after harvest. As a consequence the wines were released in February 2018, and demand has been nothing short of phenomenal, with the consequence that they will almost certainly be sold out by the end of April. (update 26.04.18 – this is true – ed)
Australian stockists include the following – Melbourne: Blackhearts & Sparrows, The Wine Republic, Brunswick East Wine Store, McCoppins Beer & Spirits, Samuel Pepys Wine Merchants, The Alps, Belles Hot Chicken, The Otter’s Promise, The Moon, Sun Moth Canteen, Ramblr, Neighbourhood Wine, Project 49, Pinotta, Mr West Bar & Bottle Shop, Messer Fitzroy, Union Street Wines (Geelong) – Sydney: The Oak Barrel, Annandale Wine Cellars, Native Drops, Belles Hot Chicken, Autometa restaurant, Pizza Madre, Bloodwood Restaurant & Bar, The Throsby (Wollongong) – Adelaide: Booze Brothers, Port Admiral Hotel, La Buvette, Mothervine, Orana, The Current Shed (McLaren Vale), Fall From Grace (McLaren Vale) – Hobart: Dier Makr – Queensland: Happy Boy, Pineapple Hotel, Mr Chester Wine Bar, The Valley Wine Bar – Perth: The Wine Thief, Mane Liquor – Online: DRNKS, Different Drop, Moreish Wines.
Astro Bunny Pét-Nat 2017
$35.00 retail
The grapes for the 2017 Astro Bunny were hand picked on the morning of Saturday 4th March 2017 by myself and a team of twenty Korean students working as seasonal pickers.
We picked 2.5 tonnes of Nero d’Avola (most of which went into Heavy Pétting), 2 tonnes of Vermentino and 1 tonne of Zibibbo (aka Muscat of Alexandria aka Gordo)
The fruit came from Ricca Terra Farms, Riverland, South Australia.
The twelve picking bins of fruit were taken straight off the vineyard and put in a cold room overnight that is located on the vineyard, then driven down to the Barossa Valley the next morning.
The wine was made in Marco Cirillo’s winery in the Barossa Valley.
Astro Bunny is 50% Vermentino, 25% Nero d’Avola, 25% Zibibbo
Zero added sulphur, no other additions, no adjustments, just made from grapes.
Fermented in a stainless steel tank with temperature control over a four week period.
The wine was put down a specialised sparkling bottling line at the Lodestone winery at Mt Torrens in the Adelaide Hills on 06.04.17.
The wine went to bottle with around 12 g/lt residual sugar.
The wine has fermented only partially dry in the bottle over the winter resulting in a pressure of around 1 to 1.5 bar, with approximately 5 g/lt of residual sugar remaining.
This may or may not ferment fully dry over the summer, we don’t know for sure.
The wines vital statistics are
11% ABV
sugar approx 5.0 g/lt
free S02 5.00 mg/lt
pH 3.65
titratable acidity 6.1 g/lt
175 dozen made
.
Heavy Pétting Pét-Nat 2017
$35.00 retail
The Dark Side has become Heavy Pétting, it’s the same wine, albeit with a few tweaks to the style to make it more of a brother to the Astro Bunny.
2 tonnes of Nero d’Avola for this year’s Heavy Pétting were hand picked on the morning of Saturday 4th March 2017 by myself and a team of twenty Korean students working as seasonal pickers.
The majority went into Heavy Pétting, with a few hundred kilos going into the Astro Bunny for colour.
The fruit came from Ricca Terra Farms, Riverland, South Australia.
The fruit was put in a cold store overnight that is located on the vineyard, then driven down to the Barossa Valley the next morning.
The wine was made in Marco Cirillo’s winery in the Barossa Valley.
Heavy Pétting is 99% Nero d’Avola 1% Zibibbo.
The wine was was fermented in a 3000 litre open fermenter with 50% whole bunches.
Zero added sulphur, no other additions, no adjustments, just made from grapes.
The wine was put down a specialised sparkling bottling line at Lodestone winery at Mt Torrens in the Adelaide Hills on 06.04.17.
The aim with the 2017 Heavy Pétting was to keep the savoury. Lambrusco-like astringency that we’d achieved in the previous two year’s Dark Side, whilst pulling back a little on the bitterness and putting “a little bit more love in the glass”. In other words, making it fruitier, whilst still holding back from any hint of jammy confection, and making it more similar to the Astro Bunny in weight, texture, drinkability and fun-factor. This was achieved in three main ways
– the fruit was picked a little riper
– we used only 50% whole bunch not 100%
– we added some Zibbibo at the crusher to co-ferment with the Nero
The wine went to bottle with around 12 g/lt residual sugar.
The wine has fermented only partially dry in the bottle over the winter resulting in a pressure of around 1 to 1.5 bar, with approximately 6 g/lt of residual sugar remaining.
This may or may not ferment fully dry over the summer, the truth is we don’t know for sure.
The wines vital statistics are
12.0% ABV
sugar approx 6.0 g/lt
free S02 2.00 mg/lt
pH 3.7
titratable acidity 6.3 g/lt
150 dozen made
.
THE WALL OF SHAME
