Lesuffleur Friardel 2018

Benoit Lesuffleur  is a natural at farming his family’s historic apple orchards. He’s freshly certified organic this year, although he didn’t have to change his practices all too much to achieve this distinction. It’s how they’ve been doing things for generations. He has worked closely with distinguished winemakers in Champagne and Burgundy, and it shows. Friardel comes from Benoit’s orchards of the same name.

The apple trees of the Friardel orchard have higher than normal branches and produce larger quantities of bitter and bittersweet apples. This makes for a beautifully tart and juicy sparkling cider. The silky bubbles are complemented by notes of spice, earth, and minerality. It’s herbaceous, tart, with just a hint of sweetness for balance, and a fine, lengthy finish. Find a reason to celebrate, because you need to pop this bottle.