Patrick Piuze Val de Mer Brut Rose NV

Chablis specialist Patrick Piuze is perhaps best known for his laser-focused, site-specific Chardonnays, but his Val de Mer project—a collaboration with François Moutard of Champagne—allows him to flex a different set of muscles. This is a sparkling Rosé that trades the heavy, brioche-laden richness of traditional Champagne for the mineral-driven, “lip-smacking” energy of the North.

Sourced from 30-year-old Pinot Noir vines near the village of Tonnerre, just a stone’s throw from the Chablis border, the fruit thrives in the same Kimmeridgian limestone and clay soils that give the region’s whites their signature snap. The winemaking here is as transparent as it gets: hand-harvested grapes undergo a brief maceration for that pale, brilliant pink hue, followed by 9 months of aging on the lees.

Crucially, this is a Brut Nature (or Non-Dosé), meaning no sugar was added at disgorgement. The result is a bone-dry, bracingly fresh sparkler.