Tour Des Gendres Petillant Naturel

Chteau Tour des Gendres is a household name found on virtually every fine wine-list in France, yet it is little-known in North America. The de Conti family has run the farm here since the early 1900s, but only in 1986 did Luc de Conti and his brother, Jean, decide to plant the vineyard and embark on a new adventure of viticulture and winemaking. In 1994, they became the first in the region to move away from pesticides and chemicals and turn to 100 percent organic.

This unique sparkling wine is made from a blend of 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Chenin blanc. The grapes were softly pressed and fermented in stainless steel vats with ambient yeast about two thirds of the way, and then bottled. The final one third of the fermentation in bottle creates the wines characteristic bubbles. Light body and low in alcohol, it shows lively notes of yellow apples, orchard fruits, and candied lemons.