Country France
Region Bugey
Farming Sustainable
Soil Rocky limestone// sandy red clay
Varieties Altesse, Mondeuse, Chardonnay
Alcohol 12.5%
Size 750 ML
Winemaking 50% Mondeuse/50% Altesse + Chardonnay. Though not vintage-dated, Peillot's Brut is always single-vintage, methode champenoise wine. Most cru Montagnieu sparkling is Chardonnay-dominant; Peillot emphasizes local varieties Altesse & Mondeuse. Average vine age is around 30 years, with some plots of Altesse and Mondeuse up to 60 years old. Much of the Altesse is planted on rocky limestone scree on a steep slope right by the village of Montagnieu, trained individually in local traditional gobelet sur échalas style; the Mondeuse comes mainly from flatter, sandier, red clay soils downslope from town, close to the Rhône River. The different varieties are harvested by hand and vinified separately, parcel by parcel. The clusters are direct-pressed and spontaneously fermented in tank; the blending takes place in late winter. The blended wine is bottled with a liqueur di tirage and finishes fermentation in the bottle; it is disgorged and finished with a 6-gram dosage. "Bugey Montagnieu" is the village cru-specific appellation name.
Pairings Sushi, pool party, crudités 

Elegant, Fresh and floral.

About the Producer
Franck Peillot is the clear standout in this sub-alpine region. He makes wines of terroir, elegance and distinction at his family’s historic estate. His still wines made from Mondeuse and Altesse, along with a little Pinot Noir are easily tops for his commune. But he also makes his own version of the region’s most famous sparkling wine known as Montagnieu. It’s hard to even compare Franck’s Montagnieu to the large quantities of bubbles that go down the hill to Lyon. Like all his wines he uses native yeasts and is very judicious with SO2. He also uses a high percentage of Mondeuse and Altesse, where most of his neighbors prefer the less fussy Chardonnay. Finally he always makes a single vintage wine and ages it on the lees quite a bit longer than is standard.