Eric Bordelet Sydre Nouvelle Vague NV is a lightly sparkling French cider from Normandy, made in a fresher, more immediate style than the bottlings that usually carry the Bordelet name. In a 330mL bottle it lands somewhere between dry and off-dry, apple-driven and low in alcohol, and it is built for drinking cold rather than contemplating.

Aromas run to crushed orchard apple, bruised pear skin and a touch of lemon peel, with the faint bready note that comes with a natural fizz. The palate is gently sweet on entry before drying out, carrying baked apple, quince and a whisper of bitter apple skin from fruit grown on the estate's younger biodynamic trees, with less maceration than Bordelet's more serious cuvées. Fine, persistent bubbles do most of the structural work here, with a tart, cidery acidity keeping things brisk and a light tannic grip on the close. The finish is clean and short in the best sense, leaving apple and a saline flick rather than sugar.