Jean-Louis Denois "Tradition" Extra Brut Crémant de Limoux

We can't keep this sparkler in stock for a simple reason - it's outstanding! This is not champagne. I repeat, this is not champagne, but when we poured it at a recent blind tasting 100% of the participants guessed it was from Champagne - until they saw the sub-$20 price tag! From the Languedoc, the blend is equal parts Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with 10% Chenin Blanc added to give it a hint of richness mid-palate. Aged on the lees for as long as a vintage champagne (3 years), it has a toasty autolytic character to go along with the sumptuous green apple, citrus, red berries, and hazelnuts. To balance out the acidity with the ripe fruit, which basks in the hot Mediterranean sun, the Tradition has a low dosage that technically makes it a bone dry Extra Brut. On the palate, however, it tastes like a Brut. This is easily one of the best sparkling deals in the store and maybe my favorite Cremant!

If you are looking for a fun, bone dry and organically farmed French sparkling wine, this is your chance to experience it all. Crafted from Champagne varietals, but grown near the Pyrenees in the South of France, this sparkling comes from base wines that spend some time in oak barrels, which adds a pleasing richness to the palate.

Looking for Champagne taste on a beer budget? This is the solution! With a creamy mouth feel, delicate bubbles, and a slightly toasty, yeasty goodness you'd think you were drinking Champagne if I poured you a glass and never let you see the bottle. Great for parties, weddings, or really anytime you want to have a glass of bubbles, this $15 sparkler knocks it out of the park!

Whether in art, film, literature or wine, I've always been strongly attracted to iconoclasts, those who forge their own path through life's coombs and brambles, basing their decisions on an intuitive feel for what fits and arriving at a place where they know they belong. Call it 'sense of terroir' or what have you, but Jean-Louis Denois exemplifies this philosophy of place as well as anyone I've met in the wine world. The dust on his boots are the embodiment of his long journey from his native Champagne to Burgundy to South Africa and back again, and finally to the southwestern corner of the Languedoc, where he planted his vines in the foothills of the Pyrenees to create his signature red and sparkling wines. Keeping to the rhythms of nature have led him to adopt both organic and biodynamic precepts in the vineyards, and his brilliant sparkling wines express this with clarity and exuberance— the 'Tradition' Extra Brut is a fifty-fifty blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, created in a refreshingly crisp and lightly toasted style, with notes of red apple, orange blossom and brioche, the perfect sparkling for all festive occasions and dining without the high price of a Champagne. Stock up on this one for the long summer and beyond, it will never let you or your thirsty guests down.

Looking for a super deal on bubbles, this sparkler offers a whole lot of bang for your buck! Elegant enough to toast any occasion and perfectly priced for parties, this is crisp, clean drinking balanced by a lovely layer of fruit that shines through nicely. Super recommended!

It is fascinating that once you get outside of the Champagne appellation and into other areas of France that produce "sparkling wines" in a similar method, the price for those wines seems to de-escalate substantially. Of course, there is the question of quality comparisons, which can be a realistic appraisal, but once in a while you will find a sparkler from those other regions that will rival its much more expensive cousins in Champagne and at one-third the price or less. Such is case with this beautifully created sparkler from the Languedoc region of Southwestern France. We have been importing Jean-Louis Denois wines for well over ten years, and have found his productions to be of superb quality in general, and when the price is taken into consideration, ridiculously ‘cheap’ vis-à-vis the outstanding quality level. Produced from equal amounts of estate grown Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, this lovely sparkling wine spent eighteen months on yeast (Cremant style), yet in its rich-smelling aromatics and lush flavors, this Gem behaves as if it has been on yeast for five to six years. Creamy, nutty, toasty, and pronounced both, again, on the nose and in the mouth, this finely beaded, dry, clean, and mouthwatering Gem provides tons of elegant and delicious flavors, which do defy the low price. The Bean has ordered me to bring home cases of this wonderful Gem and strongly recommends that you do the same. An Incredible Value.” ***** 12.0% ABV *****

The “Tradition” is almost technically a Cremant de Limoux, but since Jean-Louis does his own thing, he blends 50% Chardonnay with 50% Pinot Noir, which doesn’t conform to appellation rules. Always one of our best crowd-pleasers, it spends about three years on the lees, giving it a wonderful mousse with toasty biscuity notes.

As one of the first sparklers that we direct imported from the south of France, Jean-Louis Denois' Brut Tradition has gained quite a following over the past 10 years. Composed of 50% each Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and vinified in the traditional method aged 18 months on the lees, this super value sparkling wine can give many wines from Champagne a run for their money!

Champagne in all but name? Aged 18 months on it lees, just like NV Champagne. Made by a wine maker trained in Champagne. Grapes grown, well not in Champagne but that's why we can sell it for $15! Toasty, nutty and dry with just a hint of red berries. Buy this buy the case and drink it every night.

Easily our best sparkling wine under $20, this is as close one gets to real Champagne without paying $30. Denois is a brilliant producer, and it shows in the Tradition: a crisp, focused, slightly yeasty, entirely beautiful Southern French sparkler.

We tried this bubbly at a recent staff tasting and it blew me away. A blend of 50% chardonnay and 50% pinot noir done in the traditional Champagne method, this sparkler from the Languedoc could easily pass itself off for Champagne. It was crisp on the nose and palate with limestone and slate minerality, apple fruit and a generous texture from attack to finish. A recent convert to bubbles, I’m going to keep plenty of this on-hand for impromptu celebrations.