Renardat-Fache

The teeny-tiny Bugey appellation is quite literally at a crossroads: Jura and Burgundy are to the north, Rhône is to the south, Beaujolais to the west and Savoie to the east. Borrowing a bit from each of these regions, the varieties grown here include gamay, poulsard and chardonnay. Tucked up against the southern slopes of the Jura mountains, the elevation is not high, but the vineyards are scattered about the appellation on steep inclines, making vineyard work very difficult.

Domaine Renardat-Fâche are widely regarded as the best producer in Bugey, and rightly so. Despite the difficult terrain, Alain Renardat-Fâche and his son Elie, harvest by hand all the grapes from their 25 different parcels scattered around the village of Cerdon. Where other producers ripped out poulsard in favour of the higher-yielding gamay, Renardat-Fâche persisted and are one of the only producers to blend this grape into their Cerdon, a sweet, bubbly pink wine that has been described as “the happiest wine on earth” by Jon Bonné (and he’s a man who knows a thing or two about wine). This refreshing méthode ancestrale wine is true farmer’s fizz: low in alcohol at around 8.5% abv, and combining vivid wild berry flavours with refreshing minerality.

Since 2011, the domaine has been certified organic, with some promising research into biodynamics. Additionally, when Alain took over from his father, he pioneered the use of temperature control for maceration and fermentation. The wine can now undergo a three-week cold maceration for maximum berryliciousness while minimising the use of sulphur and avoiding oxidation.