The Eric Bordelet Sydre Argelette 2023 is a dry, lightly sparkling cider from southern Normandy, closer in feel to a serious white wine than to anything you'd pour from a can. Bordelet builds it from tannic heirloom apples grown on schist, and the result is savoury, mineral and quietly complex rather than sweet.

Aromas run to bruised orchard apple, quince paste and dried pear, with a bready, cellar-floor note underneath and a faint whiff of woodsmoke. The palate carries baked apple skin, bitter marmalade and a salty, stony streak that keeps everything taut.

Fine natural bubbles carry gentle apple tannin across the tongue, giving the Argelette real grip and a chewy texture through the middle. Alcohol is low, acidity is bright, and the finish is long, dry and faintly bitter in the way good cider should be.

Pour it with roast pork and crackling, a tray of andouille and mustard, salt-baked chicken, washed-rind cheese or a plate of oysters. It is also one of the few drinks that handles a proper apple tart without arguing with it.

Drink the Sydre Argelette 2023 now through to around 2029, though the fruit and structure here will reward a couple of years in a cool spot, where the aromatics turn nuttier and more savoury.