Crafting an heirloom cider has been a desire of mine since I began researching organically grown apple varieties in Washington state. Very few growers in Washington focus on heirloom cider varieties since the majority of orchards are planted with popular dessert and fresh eating apples. For our inaugural cider, I was able to purchase exclusively Golden Russet apples, an heirloom American variety that at one point in time was referred to as the “champagne of apples” for its ability to produce sparkling ciders of extremely high quality. Iron Root Orchard was happy to sell some of their Golden Russets to me, and I’m excited to feature fruit grown in such a different climate, expanding our reach into the northernmost part of the state.

Made with a wild fermentation, and a traditional cider method, this is a varietal cider to treat more like a champagne, than a typical american cider. It is complex and savory, perfect for opening up on your rustic french picnic this summer. Or hold onto it for the fall for when the leaves start to turn.

Inspired by the aging traditions of French Champagne and Spanish sherry producers, the Perpetual Cuvée combines multiple vintages to produce a wine that favors consistency and clarity in style and taste. Beginning in 2019 and again in 2020, we held back a portion of our ancestral method Field Blend– a combination of 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Chardonnay sourced from Pear Ridge Vineyard in the Columbia Gorge– to begin the process of perpetually blending a wine from year to year with each new harvest.

Continuing with this process will allow us to focus on the uniformity of flavors that Pear Ridge exhibits as a growing site. This style also helps us achieve a dynamic flavor profile closer to wines made in the traditional method that see extended periods of aging. By blending older with newer vintages of the same wine from the same place, we are able to create something that is consistently beautiful and focuses on natural winemaking methods, versus producing a wine that is homogenous by means of alteration.

A refreshing change from the past few years of high prolonged heat, unpredictable weather, and severe wildfires, the 2022 vintage is an exciting one for Pét Project. Due to a wetter and cooler growing season, yields were higher than 2021, but without compromising quality. Better for us- more wine! Many of our staple wines like Syrah, Chenin Blanc, and of course piquettes are returning in this years’ line-up with the personality of 2022, however we are also introducing a few novelties that are new to us in the cellar.

Inspired by our trip to France this summer, we decided to harvest a few new varietals and have started to rethink our approach to aging. After trying 12+ year old pét-nats in the Loire Valley, it inspired us to consider what our wines would taste like after aging on the lees. So this year, we are holding onto a few varietals that we have typically released in the Spring allowing them to live, grow, and develop in bottle. We look forward to sharing with the US how more time in the bottle will positively affect these wines- trust us, the patience pays off.

In 2017, the same year we transitioned to organic vineyard management, we also planted Cabernet Franc and Malbec at our Estate Vineyard. In 2020, we received Organic certification from the USDA. In 2021, with the young plantings of Malbec and Cab Franc, we wanted to celebrate the vineyard’s transition and youth with a vibrant wine. The end result was a captivating, extremely limited production sparkling rosé, bottled in large format. Co-fermented in stainless steel and neutral oak, the wine was aged on its lees for 10 months in bottle prior to disgorgement. This is a truly special bottling, our first sparkling wine produced from Estate grown fruit.