More info
Given that the use of the term "naturel" is prohibited in the regulations governing appellation contrôlée, back in 2007, the producers of Montlouis-sur-Loire managed to create the pétillant-originel category for these very wines (pét-nat) and became the first appellation in France to essentially legislate this particular style. The production method is based on the very simple principle that producers "capture" a small amount of sugar in the bottle (by bottling the wine together with the yeast before fermentation is complete) and the yeast continues to produce a little more alcohol and the by-product of fermentation in the bottle, carbon dioxide. In the case of Nouveau Nez, the wine is transferred to the bottle with approximately 15g of residual sugar, which is essentially consumed by the yeast, producing natural effervescence. With perfect hygiene in the winery, about ten months of contact with the lees and then removing them from the bottle (many of the more punkish pét-nats are bottled with them), Nouveau Nez is explosive in its fruitiness with aromas of quince, floral notes, verbena, autolysis notes, and wonderful creamy effervescence.
