La VidaBella.

La Vida Bella sits on a slightly higher slope than the rest of Corralitos. Once the fog burns off, this site catches more direct sunlight than its neighbours; the fruit ripens with a little more weight and a little more concentration. In a normal year we blend it into the Corralitos Brut. In 2021 we did not.

Three barrels of Pinot, one of Chardonnay. They were the standout barrels of a standout year. We treated them the way we treat everything: pressed whole-cluster, settled clean, fermented in barrel with native yeast, left on the sediment for twelve months without sulfur. Bottled in August 2022 with fresh yeast and sugar. Twenty-two months on the lees.

At disgorgement, in July 2024, we tried a small dosage trial against a zero-dosage trial. Zero dosage won. The wine was already in balance with itself. We topped each bottle with itself, recapped, and called it Brut Zero.

1,182 bottles, ninety-nine cases. Cork and cage closure. Seventy-five percent Pinot, twenty-five percent Chardonnay. The cépage and the site read more clearly than they ever do in the regular Corralitos blend. There is a long savory finish on this wine that we keep going back to.

This is a Library release. Allocation through the Reserve Club; small public release through the Request Allocation queue.