What a difference a year makes. After a run of warm and dry seasons, 2024 is bringing freshness back. And plenty of it. Chermette’s 2024 Griottes is a punchy crowd-pleaser with loads of crunchy blueberry fruit and exuberant cherrystone tang. This is just the kind of Beaujolais the late Marcelle Lapierre referred to when he said, “Ça se boit sous la douche.” (It’s a wine you can drink under the shower.) A few years back, Jean-Étienne Chermette had the genius idea of bottling a parcel of Griottes “en BIB”—coincidentally, the French slang for bag-in-box. We’ve managed to get our hands on a little more stock, but it shouldn’t last the summer out. And don’t forget that the Chermette family is more than a dab hand at crafting quality sparkling Burgundy. From harvest through to disgorgement, everything is done in-house and by hand. If you don’t know this wine, do yourself a favour; fine Méthode Champenoise at this price is a rare bird.