Sylvain Bouhélier wasted no time jumping into sparkling wine production once the Burgundy map was rewritten to include Châtillonnais in the revered Côte d'Or. This little-known and all-but-abandoned wine region had over 2,000 years of wine production history, with the same Kimmeridgian soils that are prevalent throughout Chablis and most of the Aube region in southern Champagne. But having been ravaged by the phylloxera blight in the late 1800s, the region was never rebuilt – as it had never achieved the brand and marketing prowess of Champagne or the great sites of Burgundy. But in under 40 years, things have quickly changed, and all in good ways… Châtillonnais has earned a reputation for producing some of the best Cremants in all of Burgundy, and Domaine Bouhélier was the catalyst. 

This wine uses three of the eight allowable grapes in Champagne to craft this wine, with a cepage of 65% pinot noir, 25% chardonnay, and 10% pinot blanc from the family's seven hectares of vineyards spread across five villages within Châtillonnais. The winemaking is reminiscent of classic Champagne – fruit is hand harvested and pressed off in a Coquard press, with the resulting juice fermented in stainless steel and allowed to undergo malolactic conversion. The base wines are then aged and blended before sitting on the lees for a full two years (double the requirement for Crémant de Bourgogne and a full 9 months longer than required by Champagne). Disgorgement is accompanied by a finishing dosage of 6.5 grams per liter – balancing the intense acidity to create a fresh, yet round bubbly.

In the glass, you’d be hard-pressed to convince yourself this is anything other than Champagne from the Aube. The pinot noir dominant blend yields berry accents of raspberries and cherries, with other notes of almonds and hazelnuts. Golden apples, D’Anjou pears, lemon curd, and marzipan round things out – making for a wildly delicious, intricately layered bubbly that over-delivers in a huge way! You can’t find this anywhere else in the States and our only wish is that we had more to go around! This next-door neighbor to Champagne is simply perfect for any time drinking…all year long – especially for under $30 a pop!