‘Dr. Ongo’

Pét-Nat | Tasmania - Australia

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About

‘Dr. Ongo’ is a tongue-in-cheek name alluding to ‘drongo,’ which is a Australian slang for a halfwit. It’s a light-hearted rumination on the breed of people who roll themselves twenty cigarettes a day and snort drugs off cisterns but only drink pure, natural wine. Bloody drongos. It’s certainly an unconventional pét-nat in style, starting out as a dry rosé of Pinot Noir and getting a little bit of Riesling to jump start the fermentation again, but it’s totally Dr. Edge in ethos. The grapes come from two sites in the north and east of Tasmania, with the majority coming from the Meadowlark Vineyard in the Derwent Valley. Like with all of the Dr. Edge wines, Peter likes to focus on blends of sites to really encapsulate the entirety of the vintage across Tasmania. Plus, this way, he gets to play with the percentages of each block to bring out the elements he desires, which are consistently drive, energy, and texture.

This pét-nat starts as a table rosé made via whole-cluster pressing and a small addition of ‘Tasmania’ Pinot Noir saignée. Then, about five weeks later when the Riesling is picked, the dry, base Pinot rosé gets an addition of still-fermenting Riesling to reinvigorate the fermentation in the bottle. The wine ferments again to dryness, and then is bottled without fining, filtration, or sulfur addition.

Stats

Grapes: 95% Pinot Noir - 5% Riesling
Vineyard: Meadowbank (Derwent Valley)
Vine Age: 28-years-old
Soil Type: Loose sand & sandstone overlying dark brown coffee rock
Viticulture: Sustainable - practicing organic
Fermentation: Native – old French oak cask
Skin Contact: Only at the press
Aging: 6 weeks in oak - 2 months in bottle
Alcohol: 12%
pH: 3.5
Total Acidity: 5 g/L
Total SO2: 10 ppm (none added)
Total Production: 208 cases

Tasting Notes

Though unfined, unfiltered, and with zero sulfur additions, this wine drinks incredibly clean. It has dominant strawberry and raspberry flavors, with a burst of acidity from the fermenting Riesling added to the base Pinot Noir rosé. It’s certainly more refined than traditional pét-nats. Pop it in an ice bucket on the beach and you’ve got yourself a Dr. Ongo party. Just don’t be a drongo about it.

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2022

‘Dr. Ongo’

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