Dr. Edge Pet-Nat Dr. Ongo Tasmania
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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. In 2023, the Doctor shook it up with the addition of 10% Pinot Meunier. The wine starts out as a rose from the direct pressed Pinot Noir and Meunier and, like the last vintage, it sees about 5% of fermenting Riesling to kick start the fermentation in the bottle. The grapes come from the Meadowlark Vineyard in the Derwent Valley, which is where Peter works (read: moonlights) as their head winemaker. 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 pet-nat starts as a table rose made via whole-cluster pressing of the Pinots and a small addition of ‘Tasmania’ Pinot Noir saignee. Then, about five weeks later when the Riesling is picked, the dry, base Pinot Noir and Meunier rose is racked clean and then 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. DATA Grapes: 85% Pinot Noir - 10% Pinot Meunier - 5% Riesling Vineyard: Meadowbank (Derwent Valley) Vine Age: Average: 30-years-old Soil Type: Loose sand & sandstone overlying dark brown coffee rock Viticulture: Sustainable - practicing organic Fermentation: Native – old French oak barriques (direct press on Pinot Noir and Meunier with some saignee from table Pinot Noir batches) Skin Contact: 12 hours for saignee portion Aging: 6 months in bottle on lees Alcohol: 11.5% pH: 3.5 Total Acidity: 5.1 g/L Total SO2: 15 ppm (none added) Total Production: 200 cases TASTING NOTE Though unfined, unfiltered, and with zero sulfur additions, this wine drinks incredibly clean. Strawberries and mint evolve from the nose to the palate, which also has a kombucha-like kick. The Riesling gives it that burst of acidity before a prickly, clean finish. 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. PRESS James Suckling | 92