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2023 Vin de France Rosé Brut “Elle est pas bulle, la vie?”
Catherine & Pierre BretonCartoonist Michel Tolmer depicts a joyous scene on the label of this pét-nat: two bon vivants sharing not one but two bottles of sparkling rosé, bubbles flowing confetti-like from their glasses. Made from 100% Grolleau in the méthode traditionnelle style with no dosage, Paul Breton has bottled this same joie de vivre. It’s refreshingly bright on the palate, flush with delicate notes of strawberry rhubarb, and dangerously quaffable. So look no further for the perfect apéritif to close out the work day or usher in the weekend. “Elle est pas bulle, la vie?” as they say chez Breton. Life isn’t so bad.
—Meghan Foley
Wine Type: | sparkling |
Vintage: | 2023 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Grolleau |
Appellation: | Vin de France |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Catherine & Pierre Breton |
Winemaker: | Paul Breton |
Soil: | Gravel |
Aging: | Aged in cement tank |
Farming: | Organic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 13% |
More from this Producer or Region
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2022 Bourgueil “Trinch!”
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There isn’t a spot in the world better suited for Cabernet Franc, and their old vines produce the raw material for one of the best reds in the Loire valley.
2023 Val de Loire Rouge Grolleau
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This wine in the Breton book is a pure old-vine Grolleau from soils of clay and silex.
2021 Vouvray “Pierres Rousses”
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Vouvray Brut “La Dilettante”
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2019 Vouvray “Bois Guyon”
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For this Vouvray, Paul has opted for a demi-sec style utterly unique in its combination of honeyed richness and flinty verve. This bottling is hard to resist on its own, but you might also try serving it with a simple cheese platter.
2022 Bourgueil Clairet “Avis de Vin Fort”
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Fresh and punchy Cabernet Franc from fun-loving Catherine and Pierre Breton. Light, juicy, and ready to go. Drink young, drink chilled, drink plenty.
2022 Vin de France Brut Nature “Elle est pas bulle, la vie?”
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Delicious and honest naturally sparkling Chenin, bottled with no dosage and no sulfur.
About The Producer
Catherine & Pierre Breton
About The Region
Loire
The defining feature of the Loire Valley, not surprisingly, is the Loire River. As the longest river in France, spanning more than 600 miles, this river connects seemingly disparate wine regions. Why else would Sancerre, with its Kimmeridgian limestone terroir be connected to Muscadet, an appellation that is 250 miles away?
Secondary in relevance to the historical, climatic, environmental, and cultural importance of the river are the wines and châteaux of the Jardin de la France. The kings and nobility of France built many hundreds of châteaux in the Loire but wine preceded the arrival of the noblesse and has since out-lived them as well.
Diversity abounds in the Loire. The aforementioned Kimmderidgian limestone of Sancerre is also found in Chablis. Chinon, Bourgueil, and Saumur boast the presence of tuffeau, a type of limestone unique to the Loire that has a yellowish tinge and a chalky texture. Savennières has schist, while Muscadet has volcanic, granite, and serpentinite based soils. In addition to geologic diversity, many, grape varieties are grown there too: Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Melon de Bourgogne are most prevalent, but (to name a few) Pinot Gris, Grolleau, Pinot Noir, Pineau d’Aunis, and Folle Blanche are also planted. These myriad of viticultural influences leads to the high quality production of every type of wine: red, white, rosé, sparkling, and dessert.
Like the Rhône and Provence, some of Kermit’s first imports came from the Loire, most notably the wines of Charles Joguet and Château d’Epiré—two producers who are featured in Kermit’s book Adventures on the Wine Route and with whom we still work today.
More from Loire or France
2020 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
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Charles Joguet France | Loire
2021 Vouvray “Pierres Rousses”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Saumur-Champigny “Franc de Pied”
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2022 Saumur Champigny “La Foulée”
Domaine des Roches Neuves France | Loire
2023 Sancerre
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2021 Sancerre “Les Coutones”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2019 Vin de France Rouge Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Clandestine”
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
2021 Vin de France Blanche
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2021 Vin de France Rosé Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Les Arceaux”
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2021 Sancerre “Racines”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2023 Gros-Plant du Pays Nantais
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2023 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” Blanc
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2021 Vouvray “Pierres Rousses”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Saumur-Champigny “Franc de Pied”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2022 Saumur Champigny “La Foulée”
Domaine des Roches Neuves France | Loire
2023 Sancerre
Domaine Roger Neveu France | Loire
2021 Sancerre “Les Coutones”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2019 Vin de France Rouge Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Clandestine”
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
2021 Vin de France Blanche
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2021 Vin de France Rosé Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Les Arceaux”
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
2021 Sancerre “Racines”
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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