Julien Thurel's Seculaire Cormé, or Centuries, is a rare bottle of fine "cider" made from an extraordinary and rare fruit. Cormé is a unique French sparkling wine made from cormier fruit (also known as Sorbus Domestica or Service Tree fruit). This unique fruit is apple or pear like in appearance, though quite small and grown in bunches along Sorbus Domestica trees. It's uses are limited, and the fruit goes from unripe to rotten so quickly that it's rarely grown by orchardists. Get this fruit in the hands of the right cider maker, and an otherworldly treat ends up in your glass - Seculaire Cormé from Julien Thurel is that treat. 

The fruit in this bottle was hand harvested, macerated, pressed, and naturally fermented (native/wild yeast) in both stainless steel and oak barrels. Blended and bottled with a secondary fermentation in bottle. Aged on the lees for two years before disgorging. 

Tasting Notes: The Century Cormé from Julien Thurel is a dry, sparkling cider defined by subtlety and depth, with a texture reminiscent of white wines, underscored by sensual notes of honey and plum. Complex on he nose featuring a cornucopia of aromatics including floral, waxy, orchard floor, white peach, orange zest,  cooked apple, crème brûlée, and a smidge of butterscotch. Sip this one slow enough and the aromatics open up as it oxidizes in your glass. On the palate it's bright and fresh with loads of complexity - we picked up new notes with each sip. Mouthwatering acid, medium bodied. Lemon pith, slight bitterness akin to sweet pink grapefruit, floral, subtle honeycomb, lingering lime and vanilla and beeswax. 

Pairs well with rich proteins like fish or duck, as well as rich desserts like a soufflé — or simply enjoyed as a timeless aperitif.

"At first glance, it looks like champagne. The color is clear, the bubbles vigorous and fine, escaping in a steady stream from the bottom of the glass. On the nose, it's incredibly smooth and elegant. Blind tasting it would be quite perplexing. A connoisseur would likely hesitate between a taut, rich, and structured white wine from the Loire Valley, and a slightly evolved Chenin Blanc with mellow acidity, caressing with maturity, fine tannins, and subtle oxidative notes. But with the lightness and exuberance, the brioche-like richness, and the white flowers of a great champagne." By Matthieu Le Goff for Regain Magazine

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.