In a fair world, Nicole Deriaux's sparkling wine would be discussed in the same breath as the great grower Champagnes. But in the real world, her address is the Jura rather than the Marne, which happily keeps her remarkable Crémant an under-the-radar gem at a fraction of the price. She produces it from her own vines in the tiny village of l'Étoile, a place whose name literally translates to "the star." Local legend says the village earned this title either from the five hills that surround it, or the tiny, star-shaped marine fossils scattered throughout its vineyards.

Those ancient, fossil-rich soils—a remarkable mix of blue, gray, and red clay-limestone—are the secret behind France's most expressive Chardonnays. Nicole farms this 100% Chardonnay fruit organically, working the vines and harvesting entirely by hand. In the cellar, she relies on spontaneous fermentation and minimal sulfur, treating the wine with the exact same traditional methods used by the finest Champagne houses. That means extended aging on the lees, a secondary fermentation in the bottle, and patient cellaring before the wine is finally released perfectly dry.

The resulting wine is crystalline and fiercely mineral-driven, bearing a striking resemblance to fashionable zero-dosage Champagnes from the Côte des Blancs. It smells of fresh forest air and lemon peel, while the palate delivers a rush of crushed stones and bright, pure fruit. Thanks to that extended bottle aging, there is a beautiful, subtle creaminess that rounds out the exaggerated minerality, providing a flawless balance of texture and tension.

If this bottle wore a Champagne label, the price would be so much higher. But because the broader market still largely ignores the quiet brilliance of l'Étoile, a small group of lucky initiates can chase down these bottles every year for a steal. Quantities are always tightly allocated – L’Etoile is just about the smallest AOC in all of France – and we rarely keep this wine in stock for long once the word gets out.

Domaine de Montbourgeau Cremant du Jura NV - $38.99