PRE-ORDER: domaine lesuffleur 2020 'friardel' cider – $69.95
PRE-ORDER: domaine lesuffleur 2020 'friardel' cider – $69.95
Configuration:(6 x 750mL)
Winery: Domaine Lesuffleur
Appellation: Normandy, France
Philosophy/Farming: Certified Organic
Apple Variety: A blend of many heritage varieties in the single Friardel orchard. 49% bitter, 36% bittersweet, 15% tart varieties.
ABV: 5%
Why we love it: Friardel is one of the Lesuffleur orchards, purchased by Benoît’s grandfather in the 1960s, when the high-branched trees here were already considered quite old. The orchard is Certified Organic as of 2023, though Benoît has been farming organically here for many years now. At harvest, apples are hand-picked and hand-selected in the very small quantities that these old trees allow.
In the cellar, fermentation is thoroughly indigenous inside the bottle after Keeving (see below!) and the resulting cider ages for a minimum of 36 months in bottle before being disgorged. This 2020 Friardel is the current vintage!
The Friardel cuvée in particular was what made me stop and reconsider what is possible from cider. There’s a dichotomy of the Lesuffleur-classic concentration, with incredible poise and structure that is unlike anything I’d tasted before. On its own this is heaven, but also an incredible match to apple tarte tatin or pastry-based dessert, pork dishes, any spice-infused/warm or cold bean or legume dish (looking at you, vegans!), and so much more. Use it as the fruit component in any dish that could be complimented by the apple flavour.
What is Keeving Method?
To put it simply, Keeving Method is a very old, traditional way of making a richer, sparkling cider with a touch of residual, balancing sugar left over. This gentle ratio of sugars with more tannic apple varieties (such as Benoît uses) is what creates such a gorgeous balance of structure and flavour in traditional Normandy ciders.
In Keeving Method, the apples are brought to the cellar, where they’re crushed into pommace. That pommace is allowed to rest, sometimes for weeks, to “brown” (begin to oxidize). The browned pommace is then pressed, and the juice settles for a couple of days. A châpeau brun (“brown cap”) forms at the top of the juice during this settling process. In large part, the châpeau brun is comprised of much of the nutrients that the indigenous yeasts would feed on – meaning that the fermentation won’t fully complete, and a touch of the natural sugars of the cider will remain in the final product.
From here, the châpeau brun is removed, and the remaining juice is bottled to undergo fermentation inside the bottle. At Domaine Lesuffleur, the bottles are left for a minimum of 36 months to age.
