2019 Thierry Tissot Rosé du Bugey Extra Dry, Savoie, France
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ABOUT THIS WINE
This méthode traditionelle sparkling wine is made with organically-farmed, estate Gamay and Mondeuse. The grapes are manually harvested in a first-pass before the harvest for the still wines. For both varieties, the grapes are direct-pressed and then fermented at a low temperature in stainless steel tanks. Malolactic fermentation is spontaneous. The wine rests on the fine lees until the following February when it is bottled and begins its secondary fermentation. It ages on the lees for around 16 months before being disgorged. A dosage of 12g/L emphasizes the friendly and convivial aspects of this cuvée.
As an Extra-Dry, it has an exceptional balance that will play well at the beginning and end of the meal (or throughout your picnic!). Céline and Thierry Tissot are showing that top quality méthode traditionelle sparklers can be made in Bugey, transmitting a clear and unique Bugey identity. The Tissots have been pushing the envelope with the development of their traditional method sparkling wines with a long lees-aging regimen.
ABOUT THIS PRODUCER
One of the particularities of the Tissot wines is that they require time in a bottle to express themselves. As Thierry Tissot explains: “Altesse tends to produce wines that are muted when young, but then they gain lots of body, complexity, and length as they age. The wines become very elegant.” The same is true for the red mondeuse, which needs time to smooth its rough, tannic edges. This kind of approach, which is low-intervention, hands-off, and very patient, is uncommon in the region. Altesse is usually left with residual sugar, and mondeuse is often fermented carbonically, all in a bid to make the wines more approachable when young. Thierry and Céline are doing singular work, quietly elevating the stature of Bugey in the process and proving the region’s potential.
While the semi-sweet sparkling méthode ancéstrale wines from Cerdon du Bugey have certain fame, Céline and Thierry are showing that top quality méthode champénoise sparklers can also be made here, all while transmitting a clear and unique Bugey identity. The Tissots have been pushing the envelope with the development of their traditional method sparkling wines. Using their prized native varieties (altesse and mondeuse), combined with varieties from neighboring Burgundy (chardonnay and gamay), they produce both a white and rosé sparkling. The use of these varieties, combined with a long lees-aging regimen, creates distinctive and elegant sparkling wines which have gained many fans.
Bugey is an exciting region in the crossroads of its more famous cousins. Located between the Jura and the Savoie wine regions, Bugey shares aspects of both, yet it retains its own distinct identity. It is at the southern end of the Jura mountain chain, and at the northern end of the Rhône river, which loops the region’s southern and eastern edges, marking the border with Savoie. Burgundy’s Mâconnais lies directly to the northwest. Here on their Mataret hill (a terroir that would be inconceivably unattainable if located in neighboring regions), the Tissots are quietly, steadfastly working to make the wines that will come to define their region for future generations.