Francois Pinon, Vouvray Silex Noir, 2025 SO061826 Pax 1 1/2 ounces Laird's Applejack

1 1/2 ounces Laird's Applejack or other apple brandy

with a frantic August start to harvest before cooler nights and morning fog let the Cabernet finish at its own pace

This Sekt is 100% Elbling

farmed by the Nony family

The 2022 is a perfect intro: fresh and floral but with real backbone and mineral drive

Francois Pinon, Vouvray Silex Noir, 2025 SO061826 Pax 1 1/2 ounces Laird's ApplejackNamed for its soil: silex noir, the rare black flint found in one tiny corner of the Valle de Cousse, which warms early and ripens Chenin fast. The Pinons farm two parcels totaling 3. 7 hectares there, average vine age around 45 years, certified organic since 2007, on a south southeast slope. The wine is pressed whole bunch and left to ferment spontaneously in underground tanks for two or three months, stopping naturally when the cold cellar says so,