Val de Mer French Sparkling Non Dosé

Val de Mer means "valley of the sea," a nod to the ancient marine seabed beneath Chablis, where Kimmeridgian clay and limestone are packed with fossilized oyster shells. This is the source of Chablis's famous flinty tension, and it carries into the sparkling wine. The project belongs to Patrick Piuze, a Canadian-born winemaker who became one of Chablis's most respected names. Val de Mer is his second label, co-owned with Moutard-Diligent and made in an above-ground cellar in Tonnerre, just east of Chablis and only a few kilometers from the Champagne border. The old vine Chardonnay is picked a week or two early to lock in the acidity a sparkling base needs. The wine is traditional method, spending roughly nine to thirteen months on the lees before disgorgement, and it is finished non dosé, meaning zero sugar is added at the end. With nothing to soften it, the wine stands on pure fruit, minerality, and acidity: bright apple and citrus, a fine bead, a toasty lees hint, and chalky, racy drive.