Brut Cremant [No Dosé], Val de Mer

This dry sparkling wine is composed of 100% Chardonnay from vineyards in the Burgundy region of France. Made by Chablis' rising star winemaker Patrick Piuze and vinified according to the traditional Champagne method. All the grapes are hand-harvested and then spend nine months on the lees before disgorging with zero dosage. It is about as dry, crisp and racy as you can get outside of Champagne.

What is dosage? Dosage is a sweet liquid that winemakers use to add complexity, flavor and balance to sparkling wines. It’s tempting to think of dosage as a sweetener, akin to adding a splash of simple syrup to a glass of iced tea, but its effects are much more complex. Dosage has two primary components: reserve wine, which is sometimes an aged version of the same variety, plus sugar or another sweetener. It’s added right after riddling. When winemakers remove the yeast cells from the bottlenecks, they add the dosage then rest the bottles for at least three months. Through sugar concentration, it can influence perceived sweetness or, conversely, accentuate the wine’s acidity or bitter flavors. It can also affect the aromatic expression of the wine, both on the nose and on the palate. It impacts texture, too. Some winemakers calibrate dosage to create a richer, rounder mouthfeel, while others prefer to maintain a steelier style.