About Julien Thurel: Simply put, some of the best cider in the world. Julien Thurel has been making foraged and organically farmed pear and apple ciders since 2012. He has devoted much time to researching local apple and pear varieties, selecting the ones best suited to his native clay, limestone and silex soils. A perfectionist and nativist, Julien is driven by a mission to find the best local varieties that would lead to delicate yet aromatically complex ciders worthy of aging. Julien specializes in rare, heirloom varieties of apple, pear and quince native to the Pays Gâtinnais and Sancerrois regions of the Loire region in France. Julien grafted and planted his orchard himself and while his pear trees and youngest apple trees mature, he continues to forage fruit from sites he has been studying for years. His orchard is certified organic and biodynamic. All his fruit is hand harvested, pressed in a high quality pneumatic press, and all the ciders are made in the Traditional Method (a.k.a. Method Champenoise). Some of the absolute best French Cider and Perry available in the U.S. From the Loury in France - a small commune in the Loiret department, just northeast of Orléans. The Loiret is mostly composed of low-lying flatlands and takes its name from the Loiret River, a tributary of the Loire.