Eric Bordelet

Eric Bordelet - Birth of an idea

After a long apprenticeship with some of the biggest names in food and wine, former sommelier Eric Bordelet took over the family farm in 1992. The property consists of 23 acres of certified organic cider, pear and rowan orchards. He achieved organic certification as early as 1996 and headed full steam ahead to apply his knowledge of the wine world to ciders and fruit wines.

The terroir of Eric Bordelet 

In southern Normandy, Eric Bordelet's orchards are situated on the Armorican massif, which stretches from the Domfrontais to the edge of the Mayenne and the Orne. The property is situated on the great Brioverien slate, the "Grand Crus", a sedimentary rock.

The apples & pears of Eric Bordelet

About 30 varieties of apples (bitter, sweet and sour) with rustic names that change depending on the village or valley where they grow, form the basis of Bordelet's creations. In addition, there are about 20 varieties of pears and several varieties of "corms" (serviceberry or white pear).

The cider production of Eric Bordelet

The pears are harvested by hand, placed in wire baskets and then packed in paloxes. Due to the large number of varieties, the fruit is selected according to ripeness from September to December.
To achieve the final balance, each type of fruit is processed individually: It is assembled, coarsely ground, gently pressed, and the juice is bottled and racked.
Traditional fermentation in vats and subsequent bottling take place over several weeks or even months, depending on the vintage, with more or less natural residual sugar (fructose), so no addition of sucrose is required. Sulfite is added in various forms (mineral or solution). The total SO² content ranges from 50mg/l to 80mg/l, depending on the vintage.