Renardat-Fâche, Au Commencement 2023

50% Gamay, 50% Poulsard Bugey, France The Renardats are 7th-generation vignerons of mainly méthode ancestrale Cerdon du Bugey wines in the tiny village of Mérignat in northern Bugey. They farm 13 hectares of Gamay and Poulsard biodynamically (certified as of the 2022 vintage) in these high, rolling, wooded, steep hills of poor, rocky, clay-limestone soils. Like their Cerdon bu Bugey, their "Au Commencement" Vin de France is also a pink méthode ancestrale wine; but there are key differences: a higher proportion of Poulsard, much less residual sugar and much higher alcohol. The bunches are harvested by hand, gently pressed and naturally fermented at cold temperature in steel tanks. The wine is bottled at about 6% alcohol and slowly continues its fermentation in the chilly cellar. The wine was disgorged and finished at only 8 grams/liter of residual sugar and 12% ABV in the 2023 vintage. There is no sulfur added at any point. The Renardat family doesn't make this wine annually and the production is miniscule. VEGAN, NO ADDED SULFUR. Renardat-Fâche is a true family domaine with more than eight generations of vine-growing history in Mérignat, a small village in Bugey. The family was also traditionally involved in growing apples, walnuts, cherries, and strawberries, before wine became the focus. After World War II, Léon Renardat-Fâche and his wife, Cécile, worked alongside other local growers to develop and refine the méthode ancestrale used to make Bugey Cerdon, helping establish the sparkling rosé as a defining wine of the region. Their son Alain returned to the domaine in 1974 after studying winemaking in Beaune and continued developing the estate with his wife, Mireille. Together, they invested in new winemaking technology, including some of the region’s first insulated tanks, which allowed them to control fermentation by cooling the wine. Alain’s eldest son, Élie, joined the family business in 1996 after studying viticulture and oenology in Beaune, carrying the domaine into its next generation. In 2000, Élie’s wife, Christelle, joined Mireille in handling administration and welcoming customers. The family began converting to organic farming in 2008 and received Ecocert certification in 2012. Today, the domaine farms about 12.5 hectares of Bugey Cerdon.