{"product_id":"gloria-ferrer-sonoma-brut","title":"Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCarneros gets the cold first. The AVA sits at the southern end of Sonoma and Napa, opening directly onto San Pablo Bay, so marine fog pushes through it before it reaches anywhere else in either valley, and afternoon wind follows the fog in. Growing-season temperatures run well below what most people picture when they hear Sonoma. Soils are shallow clay loam over a dense, compacted subsoil that limits vine vigor and keeps clusters and berries small. The result is Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that reach flavor ripeness at low sugar while holding their acid, which is exactly what a sparkling base wine needs. Carneros became sparkling wine country because the climate left it no better option, and that constraint is the reason a bottle at this price tastes the way it does.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e88 percent Pinot Noir and 12 percent Chardonnay, a heavier Pinot share than most California brut carries, and the reason this wine has red-apple weight underneath the citrus rather than just citrus. Fruit is hand-picked into small bins and whole-cluster pressed, so the juice comes off the skins fast and clean. Primary fermentation runs in stainless steel at 55 to 60°F, cool enough to hold the aromatics intact. The wine is then bottled for its second fermentation and left 18 months on the lees, which is where the toast and the creamy middle come from. Dosage is 12.4 g\/L, at the upper end of brut, and it is set against a finished pH of 3.04; the acidity here is high enough to absorb that sugar without the wine reading sweet. Pear, white flowers and toasted almond, then lemon, green apple and toast, 12.5 percent alcohol, and a bead that keeps going.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Ferrer family of Catalonia built Freixenet into one of the world's largest Cava producers, and Carneros was their first move outside Spain. José Ferrer bought land here in 1982 and named the winery for his wife, Gloria. Production began in 1986, making this the first sparkling wine house in Carneros and the one that proved the region could do it. The Cava inheritance is visible in the setup: caves dug into the hillside for temperature-stable aging, and traditional method start to finish. Ownership has shifted since. Gloria Ferrer joined Henkell Freixenet's portfolio in 2018, with Freixenet Mionetto USA handling sales in the States. The farming has moved the other direction. In 2025 all 338 acres of estate vineyard were certified organic by CCOF, making this the largest certified organic vineyard in Sonoma County.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFried chicken, hot and salty, is the obvious pairing and also the right one. Shrimp seared hard with garlic, chile and lemon. A plate of jamón serrano with marcona almonds, which closes the circle back to Catalonia. Sushi and sashimi, where the dosage handles the wasabi and the acidity resets the palate between pieces. This is the sparkling wine to buy by the case rather than by the bottle, the one you open on a Tuesday because dinner turned out better than expected.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Southern","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51234974990559,"sku":null,"price":21.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P8190157_705c9251-89b3-4e9f-9def-c66c316ab724.jpg?v=1787200653","url":"https:\/\/danverwinemerchant.com\/products\/gloria-ferrer-sonoma-brut","provider":"Denver Wine Merchant","version":"1.0","type":"link"}