Domaine Philippe Tessier Pet-Nat Phil En Bulle NV

This is the only sparkling wine the Tessiers make, and they make it from two grapes almost nobody has heard of: Romorantin and Menu Pineau, both Loire natives. Methode ancestrale means a single fermentation that finishes in the bottle — and here, remarkably, without any added sulfur at all. What separates it from the pet-nat crowd is the time it spends resting on its lees before disgorgement, which gives real density under the fizz instead of just froth and fruit. Pale gold, brisk, and considerably more serious than a cheerful bubble usually is. Outstanding with food, excellent as an aperitif, and it makes an unreasonably good French 75.