Julien Thurel - Athena Poire
Julien Thurel - Athena Poire
Julien Thurel's Athena Poire is a delightful & limited, small batch French perry made 100% from pears harvested from trees over 200 years old. Brut with intense primary notes of fresh pear. To be served as an aperitif or at the end of a meal. Dry with notes of tart pear, honeyed notes and white flowers.
The perry is a bit strong in the bottle; open it tilted, holding the cork to avoid spillage. The bubbles are nonetheless fine.
Made from a blend of 70% White plant pear, 20% Fausset pear and 10% Cloche pear. The pears are hand harvested and then allowed to age briefly in cool conditions near his cellar prior to pressing. This process concentrates the flavors in the pears and enables better extraction of the flavors and sugars from the fruit at pressing.
Native fermentation (wild, naturally occurring yeast) in stainless steel, then blended and aged in neutral oak barrels prior to bottling. Secondary fermentation occurs in bottle, aged on the lees for over a year, then hand disgorged for a natural sparkle (Champagne method).
The color is a clear straw yellow with greenish reflections, while on the nose, one can perceive intense notes of fresh pear, accompanied by floral nuances and a slight herbal touch. On the palate this perry surprises with its freshness and liveliness, featuring a lovely acidity balanced by a subtle sweetness that invites a second sip. Fine and persistent bubbles caress the palate, making it an excellent option both as an aperitif and paired with light dishes.
Purchase Now and Pre-Order Options: We will be ordering a very limited number of bottles of this cider every 6 or so months. It's quite expensive and we're unsure how much demand there might be for this cider. There are two purchase options: full price for a bottle from our current stock, and a discounted price to pre-order yourself bottle(s) as part of our next shipment (likely Jan/Feb 2027). Pre-Ordered bottles don't require shipping/delivery fees at checkout, we will work out the delivery costs upon arrival (e.g. you'll pay shipping later and can build an order around your special order bottles).
About Julien Thurel: 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.
- Dry-to-Sweet Scale: Semi-Dry
- Tannins: Medium-Plus
- Acidity: Medium Plus
- 🍎🍐 Varieties: Perry Pears
- Features: Blend, Pears, and Organic
- ABV: 6.0%
- Format: 750 mL Bottle
- Shipping available across U.S.
- In stock, ready to ship
- Inventory on the way
