2014 Domaine Johanna Cecillon Cidre Divona 2014 Domaine Johanna Cecillon Cidre Divona

Price: $19
Region: Brittany < France 
Grapes: Heirloom cider apples: Rouget de Dol, Locard Vert, Douce Moen, Pomme Poire, Marie Menard, Douce Coëtligné, Petit Jaune, Jurella, Judaine, Judor, Inra 1364
Vineyard/Cellar Stats: Certified organic farming; 6 months aging in used barrels, then 4 months natural fermentation in bottle; no added SO2; 250 cases.
Winemaker: Johanna Cécillon

This spritzy cider is quenching my thirst for fall right now. I’ve been dying to break out the fuzzy sweaters and pumpkin soup, maybe roll in some leaves, but unfortunately our Cali seasons are off-kilter and we’re still enjoying summer – or just starting to, up here in SF. But drinking this cider, which is more like a cloudy Pét’Nat than any apple beverage I’ve ever had, is like fall in a glass. Dry with just a touch of apple sweetness, some pleasant funk, and beautiful silky tannins. When I first tasted it, I pictured a Swell bottle full as I walked around with my kids trick-or-treating. At only 7% alcohol, one can sip it discreetly all night long while still appearing to be a responsible adult! Perfect Halloween juice! So why is this cider so wine-like? Apparently, while Johanna’s grandparents and parents are all cider producers, her husband comes from a family of winemakers in the Northern Rhone that goes back 12 generations, and thus she was inspired take a winemaker’s approach to cider production. Using the heirloom varieties of apples in her orchards (some of which are now illegal to replant), the juice is aged in used Hermitage Blanc barrels. Winey, appley, low-alcohol deliciousness.