Cramant quality, Crémant price.
Every once in awhile you can find an excellent bubbly that can stand in for grower Champagne. Château Passavant Ancestrale Crémant de Loire is one of them—with racy acidity, mineral grip, and long lees aging lending creamy depth, this wine could slip into a blind tasting of the trendiest extra-Brut grower Champagnes from the Aube and Côte des Blancs.
You may be wondering, how can it be both "Ancestrale" and "Crémant"? Even though Crémant appellation rules prescribe two fermentations, Château Passavant makes the case that a single fermentation (aka the Ancestrale method) with zero dosage delivers the best natural Crémant from their terroir. Have you ever seen such a rule broken? It's quite rare, but Passavant got the nod, being one of the early biodynamic pioneers that have made the Loire a hotbed of boundary-pushing natural wine.
Claire and Olivier Lecomte, whose family has owned the estate for four generations, are deeply committed to pure and transparent winemaking. The estate's hard schist-based Greywacke soils inspired their blend of Chenin Blanc with 20% Chardonnay and 20% Cabernet Franc, giving the wine focus and a clean edge.
The Lecomtes push the boundary of their Ancestrale Crémant further, aging the wine 24 months (9 months longer than the minimum in Champagne) and then disgorging the yeast.
While Pét-Nat it is, the wine is very polished and seamless, expanding on entry with a lush rich mouthfeel before the minerality grips with an intense and focused long finish. The mousse integrates quickly, giving way to a fine, steady bead. The extra level of polish that this wine shows is reflected in the elegant full-dressage presentation of the bottle with a natural cork (not a crown cap). This is a classy wine and it looks like one.
As prices for Champagne race toward the stratosphere, it's extremely useful to find capable substitutes like Ch de Passavant Ancestrale Crémant de Loire. Even compared to French Pét-Nats, Passavant is a rare value, one of few that can retail for under $30.
