Cérès x Chemins de l'Arkose Vermouth Blanc Extra-Sec Bio

Name: Cérès x Chemins de l'Arkose Vermouth Blanc Extra-Sec Bio
Brand: Distillerie Cérès
Rating: 7.8 (1 reviews)

Distillerie Cérès

Auvergne , Francia

7.8 /10

Vermutpedia Score: 7.8/10

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Overall impression

Cérès × Chemins de l'Arkose Vermouth Blanc Extra-Sec Bio is a collaboration between the artisan Auvergne distillery Distillerie Cérès and the Yvan Bernard wine estate, born from the crossing of winemaking and local distilling know-how. According to distillerieceres.com, they fortify — strengthen alcoholically — the «Au Pied du Mur» muscaté Chardonnay, associating it with an absinthe, meadowsweet, fig-leaf, elderflower and gentian recipe, without added sugar to achieve an extra-dry of barely 2 g/L. Limited edition of 650 bottles, 17% ABV and 50 cl, it embodies the Cérès spirit: fresh local organic botanicals, 100% Auvergne production and responsible creativity. The result presents as a straight, modern white vermouth profile, far from commercial sugary whites, intended both for dry-apertitivo purists and author mixology. For Vermutpedia, it represents French mountain vermouth avant-garde: collaborative, ecological and radically dry.

Nose and palate

The official sheet at distillerieceres.com describes a nose that opens on well-ripened yellow fruit and unfolds a weave of soft spices, aromatic plants and grapefruit. The palate is «nette et droite»: fruity aromas underscored by vegetal notes, with fine tension sustained by delicate bitterness; the finish prolongs botanical accents with a refreshing bitterness that cleans the palate. Balance between the roundness of muté muscaté Chardonnay and the herbaceous freshness of gentian, absinthe and elderflower generates a complex white without residual sweetness — coherent with the documented 2 g/L. Texture is direct and precise, closer to high-definition aromatised wine than to bar liqueur. Cérès warns that, without artificial colourings, the liquid may evolve in colour and show natural deposit without altering organoleptic qualities.

How to serve it

Distillerie Cérès recommends tasting it cold, as an aperitivo or in cocktails, neat with ice, lengthened with tonic or in a Dry Martini. The official website proposes the house White Negroni: 3 cl Cérès × Arkose Blanc Vermouth, 3 cl Cérès Caldeira Gin, 1.5 cl Cérès Gentian Liqueur and 1.5 cl cane syrup, mixed in an Old Fashioned glass with ice and orange twist. Also works in dry spritz or Martini variants where extra-dry dialogue with citrus or floral gins. Serve between 6 and 8 °C in a tulip glass or low tumbler. After opening, store upright in the refrigerator and consume preferably within three months, per distillery instructions. Pairs with goat's cheese, smoked fish, bitter salads and herb-driven vegetable cooking. Available at distillerieceres.com.

Production context

Distillerie Cérès operates in Auvergne as an artisan, creative distillery committed to local organic botanicals; the white vermouth is born from collaboration with Chemins de l'Arkose and winemaker Yvan Bernard. The base is «Au Pied du Mur» muscaté Chardonnay, fortified with distillate and maceration of grande absinthe, meadowsweet, fig leaf, elderflower and gentian; the decision not to add sugar defines the extra-dry character (2 g/L). 100% local production, 17% ABV, 50 cl, limited edition of 650 bottles. Cérès holds organic agriculture, Marque Auvergne and Ma Région, Ses Terroirs labels. For Vermutpedia, this vermouth is a reference for French dry mountain white: Auvergne muscaté Chardonnay, field botanicals and an aperitivo proposal without concessions to sweetness.