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
2021 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
Vouvray Brut
Champalou France | Loire
2023 Beaujolais Blanc “Clos de Rochebonne”
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais
2011 Pomerol
Château Gombaude-Guillot France | Bordeaux
2023 Côte de Brouilly
Alex Foillard France | Beaujolais
2023 Chasselas
Albert Boxler France | Alsace
2021 Corbières “Rozeta”
Maxime Magnon France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2025 Languedoc Rosé “Gris de Gris”
Domaine de Fontsainte France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2023 Chablis 1er Cru “Beauroy”
Roland Lavantureux France | Burgundy
2022 Saint-Véran “Les Pommards Vieilles Vignes”
Domaine Robert-Denogent France | Burgundy
2023 Saint-Chinian Blanc “Montmajou”
Les Eminades France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2013 Vin de France Blanc “Grotte di Sole”
Antoine Arena France | Corsica
2023 Bourgogne Rouge “Champs Cadet”
Domaine de la Cadette France | Burgundy
Vouvray Brut
Champalou France | Loire
2023 Beaujolais Blanc “Clos de Rochebonne”
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais
2011 Pomerol
Château Gombaude-Guillot France | Bordeaux
2023 Côte de Brouilly
Alex Foillard France | Beaujolais
2023 Chasselas
Albert Boxler France | Alsace
2021 Corbières “Rozeta”
Maxime Magnon France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2025 Languedoc Rosé “Gris de Gris”
Domaine de Fontsainte France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2023 Chablis 1er Cru “Beauroy”
Roland Lavantureux France | Burgundy
2022 Saint-Véran “Les Pommards Vieilles Vignes”
Domaine Robert-Denogent France | Burgundy
2023 Saint-Chinian Blanc “Montmajou”
Les Eminades France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2013 Vin de France Blanc “Grotte di Sole”
Antoine Arena France | Corsica
2023 Bourgogne Rouge “Champs Cadet”
Domaine de la Cadette France | Burgundy
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