Julien Frémont “Par Nature” Cidre Brut
Normandy, France
$14/glass
‘Tis the season for cider, and we have a remarkable one for you to try by the glass. Julien Frémont, based in the Pays d’Auge in Normandy, crafts this cider with the same heirloom apples he uses for his celebrated Calvados. While his Calvados has earned him renown, this cider is a true passion project, rooted in his picturesque farm where apple orchards and grazing cows create a harmonious ecosystem. For Frémont, cider-making is more than an art—it’s a commitment to preserving the balance between the soil, flora and fauna that sustain his land. Frémont’s 80 cows, though admittedly labor-intensive to maintain, play a vital role in the orchards. They mow the grass, naturally prune the trees, and consume fallen fruit “enriching the soil” and enhancing the unique character of the apples. The orchards are planted with old local varieties of acidic, late-ripening apples, which thrive in this symbiotic environment, producing fruit with extraordinary depth of flavor. Frémont hand-harvests the apples, presses them using a wooden press built by his ancestors in 1765, and ferments the juice slowly in large vats. The natural cold of winter slows fermentation, allowing the cider to develop complexity and balance. It’s then bottled for a secondary fermentation, akin to Champagne, creating the lively sparkle of his Brut par nature. Expect a dazzling flavor experience with this cider. Beyond the layers of tart, dried, and cooked apples, notes of maple syrup, bacon fat, black pepper, and orange marmalade emerge. It’s like a southern cooked breakfast distilled into an effervescent beverage!
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