Loire valley, France
Le Petit Saint Vincent
Le Petit Saint Vincent is a thrilling source of incredibly vibrant, complex wines. Although the quality level at this estate is already extremely high, resident vigneron Dominique Joseph is continually striving for ever-greater finesse.
Dominique Joseph (aka ‘Pélo’ to his friends) is one of a small band of elite producers in the heart of the Saumur-Champigny appellation. When he took over the property in 1990, becoming the sixth generation of his family to make wine in Varrains, Dominique had 10 hectares of vineyard, which he has since expanded to 12 hectares.
Organic growing in Saumur-Champigny
Dominique been fully certified-organic since 1992. He farms 55 different plots, with Cabernet Franc accounting for 99% of the vines. He also grows tiny quantities of Chenin Blanc. Old vines aged between 30 and 80 years give his wines a huge amount of complexity. Grapes in the estate’s grass-covered vineyards are always picked by hand at optimum ripeness.
Always looking to improve
With 30 harvests under his belt (and counting), Dominique remains as motivated as ever and is constantly looking for new ways to improve his wines. In 2011, he started making individual bottlings of his top lieux-dits (Les Clos Lyzières, Les Perruchets and a prime plot within Les Poyeux). These are now among France’s most complex and electrifying Cabernets Francs. We are excited about what the future holds at this estate.
