Renardat-Fache Bugey Cerdon Initiale

96% Gamay/4% Poulsard. in 2021 we are seeing the first release of this new non-vintage wine from Renardat. It is made identically to their classic Cerdon. The certified-organic fruit is picked by hand, pressed and fermented in cold vats until it reaches about 6% alcohol. After a light filtration that leaves most of the active yeast in the unfinished wine, it is bottled and continues its fermentation, finishing at about 8% alcohol with some residual sugar (51 grams in this new current release, less than historically remaining in the classic vintage Cerdon). The wine is disgorged before release. 

A note on changes to the winemaking program at Renardat: this wine, "Initiale", was created so that the domaine has a year-round, fresh, bright Cerdon in good supply and of consistent character. It will become about 2/3 of the domaine's production. in the classic vintage Cerdon blend, which will still be made and released once a year, there will a higher proportion of Poulsard, given the pulling of some Gamay for the Initiale bottling, which will refine its nature a bit; it will be about 1/3 of the production. Both Cerdon wines are being finished with less sweetness than the one classic wine ever was--though with no lack of residual sugar to be sure, as it's required by the AOC and key to the wine's very nature--and the Initiale will generally have more RS than the vintage Cerdon going forward.