With 2021 just around the corner, the Petites Caves team met to select its favourites of last year! And the task was not easy. We tasted organic, biodynamic and natural wines (and good ones!). Tom, Alix, Guillaume, Pierre and Gaëtan present you the wines that have marked them in 2021!
Thomas: co-founder, in charge of selecting the wines
For me, wine is a companion that is best remembered when it is drunk, well accompanied, both on the plate and around the table. I am very attached to the skeleton of the wine, that is to say to its matter, its structure, which allow to reveal or not the energy of a wine: its strength. This is even truer when it's a white wine.
So here are my favourites of 2021. Not necessarily new wines, but wines that I have had the pleasure of drinking again over the past year. I have deliberately left out the domains that are part of my life and for which I am no longer objective: Valette, Métras, Gramenon and Richaud...
L'Ame Heureux 2018 byElise Hamant (Les Vignes de l'Atrie)
Its first vintage! On a black Grolleau. The vines planted on schist bring minerality, freshness and offer a framework on the palate (tactile which I mentioned) that I love. The finish is also touching on a saline side. It has potential! Discover this organic wine here!
Iota 2019 by Marie Séité (Winery des Passages)
I was won over by all of Marie's wines and in particular by this lively, fresh, fruity Syrah that fills your mouth. A simple red wine, and that's not a pejorative because they are not that easy to make. This kind of wine that you want to have under your elbow so that you can say: "your wine is nice, where does it come from? That's it, everything is said! Discover this favourite here!
Strates 2019 - AOC Languedoc du Clos Constantin
This is a white wine from some very interesting grape varieties in the south that give white wines the opportunity to express their minerality. I tasted this wine in March 2021 and it was like the first time. A white wine that surprises you at the beginning with its fullness, its fatness and then stretches out to let it express what it is in the end: pebbles, dry minerality and a sapidity accentuated by this saline side that holds you until the end. Discover this favourite here!
St Laurent Schafleiten 2017 by Judith Beck - Austria
I remember this tasting perfectly in April 2021. At the time I knew little about this Grape variety St Laurent and it was a great discovery! The nose was immediately open and very elegant, blindly I thought of a Volnay or a Pommard. Extremely fine and multiple aromas with a structure built on polished and silky tannins. I was able to keep this bottle after the tasting and drink it over several days. A great wine absolutely mastered by Judith! Discover this biodynamic wine here!
Guillaume: co-founder, in charge of sales and management
The most beautiful aspect of our job is when we go to the winegrowers to meet them and taste their wines. What a pleasure to see them in their environment, in their vineyards, in harmony with the nature that surrounds them.
The wines I have selected are very much a testimony to my encounters last year: an exclusive cuvée with Michel Bedouet in Muscadet and a super-discovery with Winery des Frères, the Bruneau brothers in Chinon.
Can Sumoi 2019 Xarel.Lo by Pepe Raventos
We wanted to offer Spanish wines in 2021 and it was mainly the whites that appealed to us. Can Sumoi is a Pénédès made from Grape variety xarel lo. A supple, greedy wine, which is not too hard for a Spanish white. A welcome freshness, very palatable, with a low alcohol content. Discover this favourite here!
Magic Melon 2020 by Michel Bedouet
Michel Bedouet and his son Antonin are a great discovery in Muscadet. I am a fan of Magic Melon, this exclusive cuvée is even more successful in 2020 than in 2019. Less round than the previous year but without too much acidity. A good balance that I appreciate in this muscadet without added sulphur. Discover this exclusive cuvée here !
Peru 2020 from Winery
I really liked this Chinon (Beaumont en Véron) and the winegrowers I met at Winery. This wine has a rare finesse for a Cabernet Franc. Fruity and fresh and it is a first vintage! This parcel is unique because the flora and fauna are reminiscent of a Mediterranean enclave with its maritime pines. Discover this favourite here!
Alix : takes care of all the administrative tasks (and there are some...)
I was lucky enough to join a team of enthusiasts who introduced me to natural wines that I did not know. I test, I taste, I train my palate! For the moment, my selection remains fairly classic, but I'm open to surprises!
Cairanne La Belle Rouge 2019 from Winery Richaud
It has become our Sunday wine for fine dining. As I like structured wines, I can totally relate to this vintage from Winery Richaud. A powerful and fine wine that improves with aeration. Once opened, the wine can be drunk over several days without any problem! But that doesn't happen often ;) Discover this favorite here!
Bourgogne Aligoté 2020 by Fanny Sabre
This is the white wine I open to start a meal or an aperitif. Served chilled (but not too chilled either), it is an immediate wine, lively and round at the same time. A game of balance that pleases everyone. And I understand that Fanny Sabre is one of the emblematic Winemakers of Petites Caves ! Discover this Aligoté here!
Champagne Cléobuline by Julie Dufour
I love everything about this champagne: the elegance of its label and the finesse of its bubbles. A very fine, balanced champagne with fine bubbles. No acidity or sugar. Perfect balance for me. (discover also the champagnes of his brother: Charles Dufour)
Pierre: takes care of customer relations and the product catalogue
Trained at the CFPPA in Montreuil Bellay (near Saumur), my tastes quickly turned towards organic wines. After various professional experiences in the wine world and numerous tastings with passionate friends, I fell on the natural side of the force. I drink without thinking (and without headaches), by feeling. I like pure juice, present but controlled acidity, and beautiful bitters.
Albahra 2020 byEnvinate
I have a particular fondness for Spain, and I appreciate the current craze for live wines in that country. This is a red wine from the La Mancha region (near Valencia) that we tasted as a team and which was unanimously approved. A smooth wine, balanced between volume and freshness. Envinate, remember this name. Discover this favourite red wine here!
Pinot Gris de Macération 2020 by Julien Meyer
A wine that I always enjoy tasting. As soon as you pour a glass, the magic happens. A brilliant, almost pink colour. A nose of acidulous red fruits and flowers. A tonic, lively and aromatic mouth. An important but controlled acidity. Notice to lovers of orange wines. Discover this biodynamic wine without added sulphites here!
My White 2020 by Damien Bastian
A great discovery of the year, this is a sharp and mineral white wine. A long finish with fine bitters. A Savoy wine that makes you salivate, that wakes you up, you are alive! Discover this white wine without added sulphite here! This wine is unfortunately no longer available at the moment, but discover the other wines of Damien Bastian )
Gaëtan : takes care of social networks and website content
I joined the team Petites Caves with a rather limited knowledge of the wine world. I was more used to drinking beer with friends and wine at family dinners. I am still a neophyte in the world of natural wine but like some of you, I have been very curious, I am learning from my colleagues and I have discovered new flavours with pleasure.
Charmant Chenin by Charlotte 2018 of Winery Land of the Chosen
To begin, I started by tasting our exclusive cuvées, the best way to discover natural wine. I already had an affection for chenin but this one is really great! More powerful and elegant than I'm used to, it's a great bottle of organic white wine to discover a natural Chenin. Discover this exclusive cuvée here!
Between Earth and Earth 2019 from Winery Poppy
Another exclusive cuvée Petites Caves but I couldn't not put it on, it's my favourite red wine! It's an organic red wine, fruity and fresh. I loved drinking this bottle during a meal with friends, it was unanimously appreciated by everyone. For a wine from the South-West, it is not too heavy, which is great! Discover this organic wine here!
Thomas Puéchavy'sTurbulents 2019
It is a 100% chenin natural sparkling wine, Grape variety which I love as I told you before. It is really a Grape variety that expresses the search for winemaker, which is in the finesse, not too exuberant. Here, it is highlighted by small fine bubbles that caress the palate. The fruits are present, in short it is a natural sparkling wine without heaviness, all in balance! Discover this favourite here!
