2023 Patrick Bottex Bugey-Cerdon La Cueille
WINEMAKER: Patrick Bottex
REGION: Bugey, FR
VARIETY: Gamay, Poulsard
VITICULTURE: Sustainable
A magical blend of 90% Gamay & 10% Poulsard, it's a deeper shard of rosé with luscious wild strawberries, raspberries and cherry. The palate has a pristine sweetness and just lingers on the palate, while a fresh wave of acidity adds details and precision on the palate. During my time working in restaurant I often enjoyed using with with spice dished. The little tickle of sweetness was perfect to help combat the heat. Equally this is perfect as an aperitif, fruit based desserts or for summer sipping!! You have to taste to believe how good this is!!
Bugey is one of the best-kept secrets of France. As a geographical crossroads between the Savoie, the Jura, Burgundy, and the Rhône, it is one of the few regions where one can see both palm trees and snow within eyeshot. It is adjacent to the Savoie on its western side, located in between Lyon, Grenoble, and Geneva. The wines of Bugey were first cultivated here by the Romans and were later resuscitated by the medieval monks. Still, the region had to wait until 2009 before receiving its own A.O.C. status. Today, Cerdon is considered one of three crus within the appellation of Bugey, and the only one whose entire production consists of sparkling wine.
In La Cueille, one of seven high-altitude hamlets surrounding the historic medieval town of Ponsin, Patrick and Catherine Bottex are farming the limestone slopes above the Ain River. They have been working five hectares of land since 1991 and produce only a small quantity of their beautiful, intriguing sparkling wine. As a former part of the Duchy of Burgundy, it stands to reason that several Burgundian grape varietals have found a home here—not the least of which is Gamay. The Bottex’s blend consists of ninety percent Gamay and ten percent of the native Poulsard. They bottle this low-alcohol wine using the méthode ancestrale, a rare technique that experts believe predates the méthode champenoise.