Des Bouchons

Champagne! It’s an honor to be welcomed into this independent wine shop by Maître Caviste Julian Pallaruelo (the only person in the department to bear that prestigious wine merchant title), who used to work at Le Verre Volé in Paris. Decked out with blonde wood and concrete décor, we come to this spot for the rare finds, taken in with a wandering eye, while noticing the owner’s fondness for the Savoie department, like the Pan!, a Savoie Roussette from the Domaine Les Aricoques, or “Totem,” a Mondeuse produced by Ludovic Archer (€18). You’ll also see beauties from elsewhere, including a Lirac by Alexandre Hote, a blend of Grenache noir and Syrah varietals (€19), or for something from further north, a Côtes-du-Rhône from the Domaine Gramenon (€14)… What else is there? From Tuesday through Friday at lunch, you’ll find hot dishes of the week (shepherd’s pie, stuffed cabbage or cassoulet for €10.50), and, starting at 6pm, cheese and charcuterie platters, which you can savor alongside a bottle of wine, minus the corkage fee (€20 minimum). // Albert Gredinbar

The bullet-proof bottle: La Grêlée, a pure Jacquère macerated by the Savoie winemaker Mathieu Apffel (€80 a bottle). Everything rare is expensive!