Patrick Bottex Bugey Cerdon La Cueille Sparkling Rose, Savoie, France NV 750ML ($21.95) Buy Now: $14 special
Case-12 Patrick Bottex Bugey Cerdon La Cueille Sparkling Rose, Savoie, France NV 750ML ($249.95) Buy Now: $149 special (that’s only $12.42/bottle!)
The Bugey region of France has hosted winemaking since Roman times, although it took until 2009 for it to receive AOC status. This wine hails from La Cueille, a small medieval hamlet on the high altitude limestone-rich hills surrounding the main village. Patrick and Catherine Bottex have farmed the area since 1991, producing small quantities of this unique style of sparkling wine. The wine was ‘discovered’ by importer Kermit Lynch when the well-known Beaujolais producer Marcel Lapierre opened a bottle at a party.
The wine is 90% Gamay and 10% native Poulsard. It undergoes a partial primary fermentation in cuve and is bottled with some residual sugar, allowing the secondary fermentation to complete in the bottle. This results in a low alcohol and medium to fully- sparkling wine with some naturally occurring residual sweetness.
Eminently drinkable, this juicy sparkling offers lush notes of black raspberry and marionberry with a vibrant acidity and steady fizz. The light sweetness and low alcohol combine to make this supremely refreshing on its own or a flexible pairing to just about anything on your plate this summer – try it Kermit Lynch’s favorite way: on a beach with hamburgers!
-Suzanne