Savage Grace, Côt "Pèt Nat" 2021, Dineen Vineyard, Rattlesnake Hills, Yakima Valley, WA

This rare Ancestral Method sparkling Malbec from Washington is effervescent with a cloudiness to it and notes of prickly pear, ocean brine, subtle white berries and flowers, and a citrusy finish.

COUNTRY: USA

STATE: WA

APPELLATION (AVA): Rattlesnake Hills

REGION: Columbia Valley

SUBREGION: Yakima Valley

VINEYARDS: Dineen Vineyard

VINTAGE: 2021

GRAPES: Côt (Malbec)

SOIL: Rocky, shallow

PRACTICE: Biodynamic, sustainable farming, vegan friendly

VINIFICATION: Méthode Ancestral, where juice is whole-cluster pressed with brief skin-contact and bottled just before primary fermentation is finished. Fermentation finishes in bottle, producing natural CO2. After 10 months the wine is disgorged to remove yeast sediment. 100% naturally made, no yeast or SO2 added, unfined, and unfiltered.

STYLE: Sparkling

COLOR: Cloudy greenish gold

BODY: Medium

TASTE: Dry

PRIMARY AROMAS: Citrus, mineral, bread

FLAVOR: Tingly effervescence, ocean brine, subtle white berries, umami

FORMAT: 750 ml

ALCOHOL: 10.5%

SERVICE AND SUGGESTION: Chill, open carefully, and serve with food such as grilled oysters with compound butter or boiled crab

ABOUT THE PRODUCER: 

“Savage Grace Wines was established in 2011 by owner-wine-maker Michael Savage. His vision is to make Old World style lower-alcohol, balanced, and expressive wines. He is continuing to deepen his core understanding of all stages in the vinification process, to put his philosophy of low-intervention winemaking into practice, where the grape, vineyard and vintage form a unique balance.

“SAVAGE” – echoes the struggle of the grape to withstand the stress of ripening, along with making wine that is true to the grape, site, and vintage.

“GRACE” – also his wife’s name, is symbolizing what he hopes to achieve as the end result a wine that is delicate, balanced, approachable yet expressive.” (savagegracewines.com)

ABOUT THE VINEYARD:

“Few Washington State wineries own Estate vineyards. Dineen Vineyards is one of them. Our vineyards are situated in the Yakima Valley AVA, just north of the town of Zillah, Washington. We are in a unique hill-top area that is especially well suited for growing premium wine grapes owing to the silt-loam soils and sunny, south-facing aspect. The site also offers far-reaching views of the valley, and Mount Adams and Mount Rainier in the distance.

Dineen Vineyards began planting in the spring of 2001 and continues to add annually to the planted acreage. Currently there are 75 acres under vine. We are focused on growing grapes traditionally found in the Bordeaux and Rhône Valley regions of France. Unlike France, our vines are own-rooted which allows for a very pure expression of the soils.

The majority of the work at Dineen Vineyards, from planting to harvest, is done by hand and the grapes are treated gently on the way to the bottle. Our soils are low-vigour and we use deficit irrigation as well as careful canopy management practices to produce low-yields and exceptional flavor profiles. We practice sustainable viticulture with minimal use of non-organic pesticides and fertilizers.” (dineenvineyards.com)