NV Domaine de Trottieres La Pierre Couverte Cremant de Loire 750 ml

In a hotel room overlooking the placid Loire River, highly-regarded wine broker Anne-Sophie issued us a challenge: If we correctly identified the Crémant de Loire in a lineup of Champagnes, she would pay for dinner.

We took in the aromas of all five wines, reveling in the telltale toasty notes that typify the best bubblies. Every single wine danced on the palate with Astaire-like grace, and every one finished with the tongue-tingling crispness that makes your mouth water. We would have taken any one of the bottles at $40 or $50, and when we shook our heads in amazement, Anne-Sophie thought she had us licked.

But just before she could point out the interloper, we beat her to it.

“This one,” we said, pointing to the glass that held the Domaine des Trottières La Pierre Couverte Crémant de Loire. Anne-Sophie’s face fell—she couldn’t believe we knew. “It’s the ripe apple and a touch of honey from the Chenin,” we explained, but we definitely got her point:  With its fine fusillade of bubbles, biscuity nuttiness, mouthwatering finish, and overall quality, there was no difference between this wine and the twice-as-expensive Champagnes on the table.

Did we collect on our bet? You’re damn right we did, toasting with the Pierre Couverte the whole night—and grabbing as much of the extraordinary bubbly as we could the next day.

The La Pierre Couverte cuvée is what investors would call an undervalued asset, something you can acquire at less than its true value. In those cases, good advisers would tell you to buy as much as you can as quickly as possible. We heartily agree.