Field Recordings "Dry Hop Monte" Chardonnay 2024

If a top-tier Pét-Nat and your favorite West Coast IPA had a love child, this would be it.

Capturing the perfect Pét-Nat is a bit like catching lightning in a bottle, it’s pure kismet. You have to time the bottling perfectly to trap just enough natural sugar for that ideal, hazy carbonation. For the "Dry Hop Monte," Field Recordings got a serious assist from fate (and some legendary fruit) via the Carroll Ranch. These are some of the oldest vines in the Edna Valley, originally planted with heritage cuttings from the famed Rancho Tepusquet in Santa Maria. Tended for decades by the notorious barn boys of the Edna, this fruit has exactly the kind of high-toned energy and soul you need for a world-class sparkling white.

In typical Field Recordings fashion, they’ve pushed the envelope by fermenting this Chardonnay with hops, resulting in a wine that is wildly aromatic and dangerously crushable. Expect that classic, flinty Chardonnay backbone layered with floral, citrusy hop notes and a fizzy, refreshing finish that was practically built for a sunny L.A. afternoon. It’s an experimental, small-batch beauty that proves "Old Vine" doesn't have to mean "Old School."

• Producer: Field Recordings
• Region: Edna Valley, California
• Variety: Chardonnay
• Alcohol: 10.7%