It's easy to think of a crémant as a bargain alternative to Champagne — after all, that's what most crémants throughout France are. They're made just like Champagne, with a second fermentation in the bottle that generates tiny, elegant bubbles. And they're often made with the same grapes as most Champagne, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

On paper, that just about describes the Crémant du Jura from Bénedicte and Stéphane Tissot, a cuvée called "Indigène". In practice, this wine is so much more than the sum of its parts.

It's a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but there's 5% each Poulsard and Trousseau added to the blend, lending a Jurassien je ne sais quoi to these fresh, bright and dry bubbles.

The Tissot family has been making wine in the Jura for decades. Stéphane's first vintage was in 1989, at the tender age of 19, and almost immediately thereafter he decided to eschew commercial yeasts and pursue organic farming (and the domaine has been certified biodynamic since 2004).

Chez Tissot, the goal is to illustrate the region's unique terroir, and to that end, they vinify as many as 28 different cuvées, determined parcel by parcel according to the soil. With the Indigène cuvée, they take this dedication to terroir a step further: the fermentation is done only with native yeast, but in this crémant the ante is upped — rather than using a standard liqueur de tirage, the sweet elixir used to feed the yeast during the second fermentation — another uniquely Jura treat is employed: vin de paille. This sweet, passito-style dessert wine is made chez Tissot, creating a closed-loop circuit that helps to ensure quality.

As a bonus, we also have a small amount of Tissot’s Cremant Rosé. Pink bubbles are always fun, and these ones steer you even more in a Jurassien direction, as the grape varieties here are Trousseau, Pinot Noir and Poulsard. Delicious!

Needless to say, these are fantastic sparklers to kick of a big feast, or even to keep drinking throughout:

Benedicte et Stephane Tissot Cremant du Jura Rose Extra Brut NV $37.99

Benedicte et Stephane Tissot Cremant du Jura Indigene NV $49.99