Louis de Grenelle Saumur Brut

Sparkling Saumur of 90% Chenin Blanc and 10% Chardonnay, cool-fermented in stainless steel and then rested 18 to 24 months on lees in bottle before disgorgement at a low brut dosage (2.4 g/L residual sugar). Brilliant yellow with a golden shimmer, the nose develops tropical fruit — pineapple and mango — with brioche notes; the palate is crisp and concentrated, finishing on bittersweet ripe white fruits. The producer pitches it as an aperitif that also stands up to richer plates.

The house is the last family-owned sparkling producer in Saumur, and it lives underground. About two kilometres of caves run beneath the town, cut into tuffeau limestone 12 metres or more below the streets. The Resistance used them during the war. Today the fruit is pressed at the top and runs by gravity into tanks down in the rock.

The fruit comes from 24 partner growers across six villages south of the Loire, including Montreuil-Bellay, Le Puy Notre Dame and Nueil-sur-Layon. The farming carries HVE3 certification.

Maison Tessier started here in 1859. Hubert Bodet revived a fading cellar in 1976, and his daughter Françoise Flao has run it with her husband since 2009. Open it as an aperitif, then bring it to the table with monkfish or sea bass. It also stands up to pastries and a fruit sorbet.