2016 Cerdon Renardat Fache Bugey-Cerdon

A low alcohol pink sparkler made from Gamay and Poulsard grapes using the méthode ancestrale. Unlike the méthode champenoise or carbonation method by which the majority of sparkling wines are made, here the grapes are fermented in chilled vats until the alcohol reaches about 6%. After a light filtration that leaves most of the active yeast in the unfinished wine, it is bottled and continues fermenting, stopping at about 7½-8% alcohol, retaining perceptible sweetness from the grapes.

Alain Renardat is a respected vigneron in Cerdon, and he has been a long-time supplier of Alain Chapel’s restaurant, in the Dombes. The Dombes- which, like the Bugey, is in the Ain department- is an area of ponds and marshes, known for its fish and small birds. Alain Chapel, who died several years ago, was a chef beloved among chefs, and famous for his love of wine and winemakers. A winemaker and his wines selected by Chapel are guaranteed to have great personality. (The restaurant still exists, run by his widow, and the winemakers he brought together have become friends and still meet about once a year.)