Special Bottling Korbel Natural' (Lion), 750ml

Harvest

The 2015 Korbel Natural’ was made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes grown in the Russian River Valley, in western Sonoma County. Approximately 90% of the grapes used were grown on our own estate vineyards.

The 2015 growing season started off with a remarkably dry spring, being at the worst of California’s 2012 to 2015 drought cycle.  The dry spring caused soils to warm up earlier than normal, which led to an early bud break.  Fortunately, we ended up having a very light frost year.  We did finally get some rain in the spring during bloom, which did not help with fruit set, but we needed the water.  Both the Pinot Noir and the Chardonnay set average, to slightly below average crops.

The summer and very early fall ripening period was very mild, at times even cool.  Later in the fall we had a few hot days and plenty of the fog that the Russian River Valley is famous for.  Fortunately, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay thrives in cooler climates and we had no trouble getting these grapes fully ripe.  We did get a little rain towards the end of harvest, but it had little impact on quality.

The cuvée wines from the 2015 harvest have an elegance to them that really shows the best of the Russian River Valley. The combination of a mild spring and very favorable ripening conditions in the fall has given us beautifully balanced fruit.

Winemaker Notes Traditionally, Korbel Natural’ is a blend of Russian River Valley Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.  The exact blend of the varieties varies every year depending on what flavors the particular vintage gives us.  In 2015 we ended up with a blend of 65% Pinot Noir and 35% Chardonnay.  

Winemaking
We do everything we possibly can to preserve the integrity of the fruit used for Korbel Natural’ California Champagne. This includes delicate whole cluster pressing, cool juice settling and cool fermentation in stainless steel tanks. After fermentation we minimize processing and unnecessary movement of the cuvée base wines. The classic Méthode Champenoise process begins relatively early in springtime, helping to preserve the fruit structure of the cuvée. Finally, the dosage level is kept to a minimum, allowing the crisp fruit character of Korbel Natural’ California Champagne to fully develop.