Behind the ranges: Discovering the mountain wines of Bugey
Having once gazed upon it from afar, Chris Howard sets out to explore the mountain vineyards of Bugey, one of France's most pristine and hidden-away wine regions.
Something hidden. Go and find it. Go and look behind the Ranges—Something lost behind the Ranges. Lost and waiting for you. Go!
— Rudyard Kipling, ‘The Explorer’
If offered a glass you know and love, or something from somewhere you’ve never heard of, which would you choose?
It’s this spirit of exploration that led me to Bugey, a small wine region in eastern France, halfway between Lyon and Geneva, and smack between Jura, Savoie, Burgundy and Beaujolais.
I was drawn there from Savoie, another region I’d scarcely heard of before relocating to France from New Zealand.
From Savoie’s prime Marestel cru, I had gazed across the Rhône river at the Grand Colombier – the tallest mountain around that resembles a giant boulder dropped from the sky.
It rests in Bugey, which my Savoyard amis said also produces interesting wine. Like George Mallory’s rationale for climbing Mount Everest, I had to go.
Why? ‘Because it was there’.
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Alpine Shangri-La
Just off the major routes yet close to everything, Bugey sits cradled within a mountainous cocoon.
Few wine regions remain this preserved, surrounded by verdant forests, where down to earth vignerons work in a serene environment.
It retains its peasant roots, family-run mixed farms, and traditional stone villages, free from the blights of tourism and industrial pollution.
Stretching 100 kilometres north to south, Bugey’s 500 hectares of vineyards are scattered across three distinct zones: Cerdon in the north, Belley in the centre, and Montagnieu in the south.
Upper Bugey is in fact the southern finger of the Jura range, while the lower part is the foothills of the French Alps.
The vineyards sit at altitudes between 220 and 550 metres, with Jurassic soils dominated by limestone and scree deposits – glacial clay or gravel – that have collected at the base of hills and cliffs.
These pre-Alp foothills create pristine conditions for cool-climate viticulture (for the moment, anyway), while the winding Rhône and Ain rivers and the many lakes, ponds, streams and waterfalls lend the terroir an aqueous element.
Ancestral methods
With viticultural roots dating to Roman times, Bugey passed between the Dukes of Burgundy and House of Savoy before phylloxera devastated its vineyards.
Despite finally receiving AOC status in 2009, it remains relatively obscure. Sharing grape varieties with Savoie and terroirs with Jura, Bugey has a dual identity, while radiating an essence of its own.
Indigenous grapes like Altesse, Mondeuse, and Persan thrive here, as do Gamay Noir, Pinot and Chardonnay.
This is largely a land of sparkling wine, which represents 60% of its total production, and almost all its production in the northern terroir of Cerdon.
The rugged terrain of Cerdon stands in stark juxtaposition to its pretty pink sparklers. The Mosel-steep slopes and curving, concave hillsides are planted mostly with Gamay, with small pockets of Poulsard (a key Jura variety).
Here, an aromatic, demi-sec sparkling rosé is made in the méthode ancestrale – a joyous expression of this mountainous region.
Unlike the méthode traditionnelle of Champagne fame, with its secondary fermentation, méthode ancestrale involves bottling partially-fermented wine, allowing fermentation to finish in the bottle.
The process traps carbon dioxide naturally while often preserving some residual sweetness.
Instinctual appeal
Admittedly, semi-sweet pink bubbles were low on my list. After several days of tasting in situ with Cerdon’s vignerons, including in the distinct vineyard grangeons (stone shelters), I found myself genuinely charmed by these mountain sparklers.
The wines dance with wild strawberry, raspberry, bright cherry and delicate floral notes delivered by frothy, palate-cleansing bubbles.
Despite my dry apprehensions, the moderate sweetness (typically 20-40 g/L RS) is perfectly offset by Gamay’s tart acidity.
As the bubbles bounced and burst, I speculated that Cerdon’s appeal might be ancestrale in a deeper sense.
According to biologist Robert Dudley’s ‘drunken monkey hypothesis’, we inherited a predisposition toward fermenting fruit from our primate ancestors.
Our evolutionary attraction to the bright colours, sweet-sour flavours, and mild booze of fermenting fruits may explain why Cerdon’s appeal feels so instinctual.
Nature vs nurture
I suspect my initial resistance was cultural – learned prejudice against what is, at its core, one of nature’s most naturally appealing combinations.
Speaking of natural, Cerdon’s méthode ancestrales are essentially ‘natural wine’ without making claims to be so.
I discovered other appealing aspects about Cerdon. One is its surprising versatility.
It pairs seamlessly with the region’s signature Comté cheese, charcuterie and breads from the communal, chapel-like ovens found in each of the 80 odd villages in Bugey.
Equally, Cerdon would pair well with spicy Asian or Mexican fare, as an aperitif, with fruit-based desserts, as dessert itself, or, as David Boley of Cellier Lingot Martin suggested, even with an after-dinner cigar instead of Scotch.
The partial fermentation means the alcohol levels of Cerdon average about 8%, making this a happy medium in today’s alcohol polemic.
Lastly, at a fraction of the price of Champagne, averaging about €10 (£8.50) a pop, Cerdon offers additional guilt-free pleasure for special occasions or any moment that calls for celebration or consolation.
It may not entirely blow your mind, but it won’t blow your budget either. For all these reasons and despite my skepticism, Cerdon seems ironically on trend.
More to offer
Yet as I discovered, those limestone hillsides, a stone’s throw from Jura, Cerdon also has the potential to produce serious Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
For now, however, these are to be found in southern Bugey, along with a wide range of wines that offer low alcohol, high quality and remarkable affordability.
Excellent méthode traditionnelle is aplenty south of Cerdon. In Montagnieu, the limestone-rich slopes produce elegant, structured Chardonnays with mineral precision and clear longevity.
Meanwhile, the region’s Pinot Noirs offer delicate red fruit profiles, mountain freshness and savoury elements.
The indigenous Altesse is a standout white that pairs well with lake and river fish, while Mondeuse delivers peppery, violet-perfumed wines that perfectly complement the local wild game and mountain cheeses.
While Savoie is sometimes touted as the next Jura, Bugey is just emerging from the shadows.
Epitomising small is beautiful, Adrien Bariol of Domaine D’Ici Là reflects how Bugey is a region, ‘where the true meaning of being a winemaker is alive. Everyone is deeply attached to their local cru, village, and terroirs’.
Yet this doesn’t mean they’re blindly shackled to tradition; a new generation of winemakers and veterans alike are experimenting and adapting for tomorrow’s sun.
The father and sons of Domaine Pellerin, for example, are currently top-grafting no less than 42 mostly rare, ancient varieties on the already diverse array of 17 grapes they grow on their biodynamic farm near Montagnieu.
Do Hibou Noir, Feunate, or Verdesse ring a bell?
Only a handful of Bugey wines travel beyond French borders, and even within the country remain ‘confidential’.
But for those willing to see what’s hidden behind the ranges, Bugey is waiting for you. Go!
Ten producers to know
Domaine Bärtschi
Domaine Boccard (Cerdon)
Domaine de la Dentelle (Cerdon)
Domaine D’ici Là
Domaine Monin
Domaine Pellerin
Domaine de Plantaz
Domaine Tissot
Dubreuil & Fils (Cerdon)
Maison Bonnard