Notes from Leon and Son:

"The Renardats are 7th-generation vignerons in the tiny Cerdon du Bugey village of Mérignat. They farm their 13 hectares of Gamay and Poulsard organically and biodynamically (certified as of the 2022 vintage) in these high, rolling, wooded, steep hills of rocky clay-limestone soils. The fruit is harvested by hand, gently pressed and naturally fermented at very cold temperatures in steel tanks. The process seems complex for a “simple” wine but is the only way to discourage refermentation and exploding bottles with méthode ancestrale wine with residual sugar; back in the olden days, gargantuan quantities of sulfur were the only way to try to suppress further fermentation, often not successfully, and the wine rarely got sent further than 20 km. away from the village.

Starting in the 2020 vintage, Renardat changed their program a little. They went from making only one Cerdon to making two. A non-vintage version, called “Initiale”, featuring mainly Gamay with less Poulsard than in their original Cerdon, is headed toward being about 2/3 of production. It is a non-vintage wine, which allows some flexibility and the ability to have a more consistent supply of wine. Then the classic, still-single-vintage Cerdon will contain a higher proportion of savory Poulsard, balanced out with the fruitier Gamay, and will be about 1/3 of production. Both wines are moving toward lower residual sugar levels as well, though their general demi-sec level of sweetness will remain (as it is a key AOC requirement for Cerdon)."

79% Gamay. 21% Poulsard.