Kimera Espumoso Ancestrale, rosado (“Pétillant naturel”, or Pét-Nat!)
80 % Garnacha, 20% Garnacha Blanca
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A continuation of the collaboration between Luis Moya Tortosa and his friend Gonzalo Celayeta under the Kimera label.
The vineyards are located near San Martín de Unx (Baja Montaña de Navarra; east-central Navarra) and cultivated according to strict organic farming standards. With the inexperience of disgorging management, new labels more difficult to print than expected, bottles poorly adapted to the filling line, this project was quite an adventure giving many headaches to Luis and Gonzalo. On the other hand, beyond having worked very hard and having learned a lot, the results are exceptional and reflect the enthusiasm of the partners in this adventure. This is a cuvée produced according to the ancestral method for production of sparkling wines, also known as pétillant naturel (pét-nat). This method involves bottling wine that is only partially fermented. Fermentation continues in the bottle and the CO2 produced is trapped. After a few months in the bottle, the gas is absorbed into the wine in the form of bubbles and the pét-nat is ready! Kimera pét-nat rosé is made from 80% garnacha and 20% garnacha blanca from clay-limestone soils in 600m altitude. The wine was fermented in stainless steel tanks until the must was around 24g of sugar per liter, then bottled to continue the fermentation and the fermentation. The wine was aged on lees in the bottle for 10 months, then disgorged and topped up with the same wine which continued a complete natural fermentation in tank. No sulfur was added. Approximately 700 bottles were made for this first vintage (2018). |
Reviews
2021 Vintage
- 89 pts — Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate (Apr. 2023)
2018 Vintage
- There are two sparkling wines, a rose and a white, of which I only tasted the white NV Kimera Espumoso Ancestral, part of the Kimera joint venture with his friend and winemaker Gonzalo Celayeta. Produced with grapes from the surroundings of the village of San Martín de Unx, 80% of the young Garnacha Blanca was unoaked and the other 20% aged in barrique for one year in an effort to add complexity and volume on the palate. They fermented it in stainless steel and put it in bottle when around 24 grams of sugar had not yet fermented, so it continued fermenting in bottle. It has a varietal nose with notes of waxy apples, hay and straw, with some yeasty notes. After 10 months in bottle, it was disgorged and refilled with the same wine, and the bottles have six to seven grams of residual sugar. It’s quite balanced, and the sugar feels integrated and counterbalanced by the acidity. It’s fresh and very pleasant to drink. They produced around 1,400 bottles, and the bottles are sold by both Luis Moya and Gonzalo Celayeta. Despite being grapes from Navarra, this is sold without appellation of origin. There’s no vintage date, but there is also no indication of disgorgement, blend or anything on the label, which will make it difficult to differentiate the different bottlings if they continue like this.
90 pts — Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate #248 (Apr. 2020)