Missùs 2018 1500ml Magnum

Wine description for Missùs 2018 1500ml Magnum by Lesuffleur

Colour & appearance

Intense golden yellow tending towards amber, with a lively, fine mousse that rises persistently in the glass.

Nose

Taut and cool: apple-quince and fresh apples meet woodruff, lemon and pine honey. Beneath lie wet stone, hops and a wild yeast note reminiscent of Gueuze – the nose of a cider that takes the apple seriously.

Palate

Powerful and tightly structured, with a long arc of acidity supporting the nine acid-driven apple varieties. Fine tannins and a well-judged phenolic structure provide grip, whilst the mousse remains elegant. Fresh fruit and orchard fruit, yeast, various citrus fruits and hops once more – deep, fresh and persistent.

Finish

Long and precise, with a mineral resonance and a bitter note that evokes the finest Belgian beer culture.

Terroir & origin

The apples come from La Folletière and above all from Friardel, the estate’s oldest orchard in the Pays d’Auge. Here, standard trees – some over a hundred years old – are rooted in blue flint, with only 100 to 150 trees per hectare. Cows graze seasonally amongst the trees; Benoît Lesuffleur has farmed organically with biodynamic practices since 2012.

Varieties & vinification

Nine acid-driven varieties – including Rambeau, René Martin, Locard Vert and an ancient Grisse de Lisieux. Hand-harvested and sorted, spontaneously fermented and produced according to the méthode traditionnelle with secondary fermentation in bottle. Bottled in March 2019, disgorged in December 2021 – almost three years on the lees, a patience Lesuffleur brought with him from Champagne.

Food recommendations

Its taut acidity and fine mousse make it an ideal partner for halibut fillet with cider and shallot sauce or pork belly with cider and apple sauce. It is equally revelatory with oysters, ripe Camembert or a simple galette with butter and salt.

Special features

The magnum format grants this cider additional development time and freshness. Missùs is Lesuffleur’s quintessence: exclusively acid-driven apples, century-old trees and nearly three years on the lees – a cider featured on the lists at L’Arpège and NOMA, where it demonstrates just what this apple is capable of.