Grand Cidre du Pays d’Othe, “Boemius”

Named after a legendary figure from the Middle Ages who dwelled in the forests of the Pays d’Othe, Boemius is a selection of the best juice from each harvest, typically comprising six apple varieties from throughout the family’s orchards, with production topping off at 15,000 bottles per year. Contrary to the ancient method employed for the “Brut Tradition,” this is produced in the same manner as Champagne, and spends two years on its lees before disgorgement. Carrying around 25 grams per liter of residual sugar and 6.5% alcohol, Boemius reads as drier and sleeker than the Brut Tradition, yet with a more profound mineral-inflected funk, as well as an undertone of new leather. Structurally concentrated and tensile, Boemius should blossom even further with a bit of bottle age.