Philippe Balivet
Bugey Cerdon, NV

Grower: Philippe Balivet
Region: Bugey, Savoie, France
Grape Varieties: Gamay
Viticulture: Organic
Size: 75cl bottle

THE original pet nat. The long and legacied history of winemaking in this niche region of Savoie has been oft-overlooked by natural winemakers due to the incredible challenges faced when making sweet pet nat in this cold-climate region. In the old days, winemakers would take their barrels outside in the early winter to halt fermentation with enough sugar remaining in the ferment that secondary fermentation would naturally arise at the onset of summer. Today, given the demand for quantity and the changing temperatures in Savoie, winemakers can no longer rely on the changing seasons to determine the fermentation periods: in turn, most wine produced here now has massive chemical intervention to recreate this ancient winemaking style. The winemakers here, Cécile and Vincent, came up with a solution that is equal parts technology, science, and a dogged inventiveness to create this incredibly special wine without the use of so2.