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If you’re looking for wines that buck the trend and color outside the lines, look no further than pétillant naturel. Often called pét-nats, these are lightly sparkling wines made by bottling a still-fermenting base wine, resulting in trapped carbon dioxide that generates a slightly fizzy outcome.
This style is similar to the méthode ancestrale wines of France and the Col Fondo bottlings of Prosecco. Together, these categories represent a delicious sub-set of sparkling wines that are generally low alcohol, gently bubbly and made from an array of grape varieties. With the yeast still trapped inside the bottle, these wines are often textural and a little savory, which set them apart from traditional-method offerings.
Take a walk on the wild side with these 10 tasty sparkling wines.
Antech NV M L’Ancestrale Le Mauzac Méthode Ancestrale (Blanquette de Limoux); $18. An immediate aroma of sweet grass leads the nose of this sparkling wine, with supporting scents of green plum, firm peach… SEE SCORE AND FULL REVIEW
Breaking Bread 2020 Pet Nat Sparkling Zinfandel (Dry Creek Valley); $26. Unfined and unfiltered, this wine takes on a hazy, grapefruit-like color… SEE SCORE AND FULL REVIEW
Broc Cellars 2020 Love Sparkling Chenin Blanc (Paso Robles); $25. Sparkling Chenin Blanc isn’t too common in California, but this makes one wonder why… SEE SCORE AND FULL REVIEW
Ca’ dei Zago 2020 Rifermentato in Bottiglia (Valdobbiadene Prosecco); $30. Refermented in bottle, this bone-dry, lightly sparkling wine offers enticing scents of citrus, spice and bread dough… SEE SCORE AND FULL REVIEW
Cho 2020 Laurel Vineyard Pétillant-Naturel (Laurelwood District); $35. Working with Pinot Noir from a single estate vineyard, this innovative young winery has produced six quite distinctive wines… SEE SCORE AND FULL REVIEW
Concentric Wine Project 2020 Petillant Naturel Sparkling Chenin Blanc (Columbia Valley); $34. There’s a lot to like on the aromas of brioche, pear, apple and kiwi… SEE SCORE AND FULL REVIEW
Domaine Guillemot-Michel 2018 Sophie et Gautier Une Bulle Méthode Ancestrale (Vin de France); $63. This rare méthode ancestrale sparkler is produced by conducting both primary and secondary fermentation in the same bottle without disgorgement… SEE SCORE AND FULL REVIEW
Medici Ermete 2019 Phermento Frizzante (Lambrusco di Sorbara); $27. Refermented in the bottle, this lightly sparkling wine has aromas of red berry, violet, citrus and yeasty whiffs of bread dough… SEE SCORE AND FULL REVIEW
Scar of the Sea 2020 Topotero Vineyard Methode Ancestrale Rosé of Pinot Noir (San Luis Obispo); $32. Pale pink in the glass, this pét-nat pops with lovely aromas of strawberry, cotton candy, light chalk and citrus spray… SEE SCORE AND FULL REVIEW
Troon 2020 Fizzante (Applegate Valley); $35. This metodo ancestrale wine is a pét-nat made with a 50-50 cofermented blend of estate-grown Sangiovese and Montepulciano… SEE SCORE AND FULL REVIEW
Last Updated: June 6, 2023
