Pearl Morissette - Irreverence, Niagara (2020)

A blend from grapes from the Redfoot and Home Farm vineyards of 51% Chardonnay, 26% Viognier (Redfoot vineyard), 19% Pinot Noir (Home Farm vineyard (processed as white juice) and 4% Riesling from our Redfoot vineyard.

Part of the Viognier and the Riesling spent 6 months on their skins in qvevri (amounting to 13% of the total blend); Pinot Noir was fermented and aged in foudres, as was the rest of the Viognier. The Chardonnays were fermented and aged in a combination of foudres and demi-muids. All the wines were blended a year after harvest and spent additional 8 months aging in a combination of old foudres and puncheons.

2020 Irrévérence was bottled unfined and unfiltered on May 12th, 2022.

Pearl Morissette started in 2007 and has become a reference point for high quality and innovative wines. It is a collaboration between winegrower François Morissette and Mel Pearl. 

The farm in Twenty Mile Bench is largely planted in very close spacing (1.2m x 0.9m) to promote competition and mitigate Niagara's rich, fertile soils.

However, humidity in Niagara's infamous hot, soupy climate means this spacing comes with risk and so the winery adapts by trellising the fruit wire higher than normal (60cm instead of 30-40cm). 

Most fermentations are undertaken in concrete and aging in concrete, old founders and amphora. Sulphur use is minimal.