Petit Royal
Lambert de Seyssel
The village of Seyssel, in the French Alps, has a history of viticulture dating back centuries, having built a reputation for floral-scented charmers from the local grapes, Molette and Altesse. Produced in the méthode traditionnelle and aged for two years sur latte, the Petit Royal is unequaled in the world of sparkling wine: alpine flowers, dried fruit, wildflower honey, and a toasty, yeasty note give this value sparkler an utterly delightful aromatic richness and complexity. Serve it with various salty toasts to kick off your next dinner party, or pop one open to liven up a night at home with a big bowl of mac and cheese.
—Anthony Lynch
| Wine Type: | sparkling |
| Vintage: | NV |
| Bottle Size: | 750mL |
| Blend: | 70% Molette, 30% Altesse |
| Appellation: | Seyssel |
| Country: | France |
| Producer: | Lambert de Seyssel |
| Winemaker: | Gérard Lambert, Olivier Varichon |
| Vineyard: | 10-25 years |
| Soil: | Clay, Limestone |
| Aging: | A liqueur de tirage is added to launch the second (sparkling) fermentation and the bottles are stocked sur latte for two years |
| Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
| Alcohol: | 12% |
More from this Producer or Region
2019 Royal Seyssel
France | Savoie, Bugey, Hautes-Alpes
This bottle of Royal Seyssel had me Royally fooled into thinking I was enjoying a very pricey, very prestigious, vintage Champagne.
Petit Royal
France | Savoie, Bugey, Hautes-Alpes
From a village in the French Alps with a reputation for floral-scented charmers made from the local grapes.
About The Producer
Lambert de Seyssel
The “Royal Seyssel” label, launched in 1901 by the Varichon and Clerc families, was considered the best sparkling Seyssel on the market. But when the operation was purchased in the 1990s by a Burgundian négociant, quality suffered, and in 2007 the owners closed the winery. Dismayed to see what their great local wine had come to, Gérard and Catherine Lambert teamed up with Olivier Varichon to buy back the Royal Seyssel label and recreate the wine that was once so renowned. The wines of Seyssel indulge in the same traditional methods used for Champagne, and take it a step further by aging for at least three years before disgorgement.
More from or France
2021 Vin de France Blanc “Général de la Révolution”
Domaine Comte Abbatucci France | Corsica
2023 Vin de Corse Rosé “Gris de Marquiliani”
Domaine de Marquiliani France | Corsica
2023 Saint-Péray Blanc
Domaine Clape France | Northern Rhône
2020 Pinot Gris “Zellberg”
Domaine Ostertag France | Alsace
2018 Bouzy Brut Grand Cru Millésime MAGNUM
Paul Bara France | Champagne
2011 Meursault-Charmes 1er Cru
Antoine Jobard France | Burgundy
2024 Moulin-à-Vent “Vieilles Vignes”
Bernard Diochon France | Beaujolais
2023 Vin de France Blanc Melon de Bourgogne
La Sœur Cadette France | Burgundy
2019 Vouvray “Bois Guyon”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2023 Bouches-du-Rhône Blanc “Baume Noire”
Clos Sainte Magdeleine France | Provence
2022 Rully Blanc “Les Saint-Jacques”
Domaine de Villaine France | Burgundy
2019 Pomerol
Château Gombaude-Guillot France | Bordeaux
2023 Vin de Corse Rosé “Gris de Marquiliani”
Domaine de Marquiliani France | Corsica
2023 Saint-Péray Blanc
Domaine Clape France | Northern Rhône
2020 Pinot Gris “Zellberg”
Domaine Ostertag France | Alsace
2018 Bouzy Brut Grand Cru Millésime MAGNUM
Paul Bara France | Champagne
2011 Meursault-Charmes 1er Cru
Antoine Jobard France | Burgundy
2024 Moulin-à-Vent “Vieilles Vignes”
Bernard Diochon France | Beaujolais
2023 Vin de France Blanc Melon de Bourgogne
La Sœur Cadette France | Burgundy
2019 Vouvray “Bois Guyon”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2023 Bouches-du-Rhône Blanc “Baume Noire”
Clos Sainte Magdeleine France | Provence
2022 Rully Blanc “Les Saint-Jacques”
Domaine de Villaine France | Burgundy
2019 Pomerol
Château Gombaude-Guillot France | Bordeaux
Where the newsletter started
Where the newsletter started
Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch