Piri Naturel 'Ponderosa' Nahe 2021

Christine Pieroth’s family has been making wine since 1781 in the Nahe region of Germany in Burg Layen. Christine makes her own natural wines under the Piri Naturel label, highlighting her passion for organic and biodynamic winemaking and setting her apart from her family’s more classic winemaking style. She works only with wild yeasts, bottles without fining or filtration, and uses zero or very low amounts of sulfur. The labels on her bottles feature local plants that grow in or near her vineyards, which are hand printed on fabric and digitized to make labels. ‘Ponderosa’ is the name of the vineyard site where the pinot gris (grauburgunder) and pinot noir (spatburgunder) for this cuvée grow in close proximity to one another. The grapes are co-fermented whole cluster semi-carbonically for a week with gentle foot stomping, followed by aging in oak on the lees. Situated at the delicious intersection of rosé and orange wine, it offers delicate layers of peach tea leaf and spice over a core of briny peach, kumquat, and cantaloupe. A salted tangerine rim and hints of pickled watermelon rind provide splashes of savory intrigue, while the finish is long, mellow, and textural - a surefire winner at the table. Certified organic, biodynamically grown, low-intervention/natural wine.