Domaine le Petit Saint Vincent
Saumur-Champigny, Loire Valley, France
Dominique Joseph
Dominique Joseph, or "Pelo" as he is affectionately called by his friends, is the fourth generation to lead Domaine Le Petit Saint Vincent. He lives in Varrains, the heart of the Saumur Champigny appellation, and has some pretty illustrious neighbors. Antoine Sanzay and Thierry Germain of Domaine des Roches Neuve live down the block.
Pelo’s friendly, direct approach is reflected in his wines and the improvements he has made at the estate, converting to organic viticulture in 1992 (and finally getting around to certification in 2010), separating out his top lieux-dits such as Les Poyeux (one of Clos Rougeard’s top terroirs) in 2011, have earned his wines an amazing reputation.
Dominique's wines are transparent expressions of the magic that happens when well-farmed Cabernet Franc vines grow in clay and limestone soils over tuffeau.
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Domaine Le Petit Saint Vincent farms 13 hectares of vineyards, with all but one being planted to Cabernet Franc. Dominique has led the winery since 1990 and they have been farming organically since at least then.
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The tannic structure of Cabernet Franc from an argile calcaire terroir and a sandy terroir are very different. In a nutshell, Cab Franc from an argile calcaire terroir will have chalkier tannins or tannins with more corners while a sandy terroir will give rounder and softer tannins. There is a saying in Saumur Champigny that “Le Poyeux c'est soyeux.” “Soyeux” translates to silk and Le Poyeux is the most famous sandy terroir for Cab Franc.
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Dominique is quick to point out that his wines are based on the soil they come from. They are not about the age of vines, the winemaking...etc. He’s been farming organically since 1990, however did not become certified until 2010.
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Grapes are typically destemmed, never punching down but favoring pumps over for a more gentle extraction. Fermentation and aging occur in concrete tanks except for Les Poyeux which sees some oak.
Two minimal doses of sulfur are added at pressing and ‘en masse’ (finished wine resting in a tank) one month before bottling, reaching a total SO2 of 35mg/l.
All of Dominique’s wines are aged underground in his deep tuffeau caves spreading out under the village - which also doubles as the perfect venue for jam sessions for this seasoned musician and his friends.
Wines
Saumur-Champigny "Le Petit Saint Vincent"
Le Petit Saint Vincent comes from Dominique Joseph's youngest Cabernet Franc vines just outside the village of Varrains. The soils are sandy. It is vinified and aged entirely in cement. The combination of the aging and it being Cabernet Franc from sandy soils makes it the most immediately approachable bottling from Dominique.
Saumur-Champigny "Les Clos Lyzieres"
Les Clos Lyzières comes from a parcel of 55 year old Cabernet Franc just outside the village of Varrains. The soils are clay- limestone (Argile calcaire) based with chalk underneath. The parcel is southeast facing so it is particularly well-exposed and gets sun all day. While the parcel is called “Les Clos Lyzieres” it is not actually enclosed by a clos anymore, having been weathered and broken down over time. The wine is vinified and aged entirely in concrete.
Saumur-Champigny "Les Poyeux"
Dominique Joseph's family has owned vines in the lieu dit of Les Poyeaux for generations but they did not produce a single vineyard wine from those holdings until 2011. It was previously just blended into the Saumur Champigny. Les Poyeux is celebrated for its unique geological composition. It has a high concentration of sand, significantly more so then its closest neighbors. Dominique farms a 0.85 ha parcel of southeast-facing 60 year old Cabernet Franc vines. The wine is fermented and aged in large wooden barrels where it stays until bottling. There is a bit of whole cluster, usually around 10%.
Saumur Champigny Pélo 2020
100% Cabernet Franc from Pelo's oldest vines; grown on soils of clay/limestone over tuffeau. Vinification: 100% destemmed followed by 22-30 day maceration in cement vats. Temperature control fermentation with punching down, delestage and pumping over to best extract color and soften tannins from the very ripe 2020 harvest. Aging: 50% in cement vats & 50% in 2-3 year old barrels for one year.
Saumur Blanc "Les Perruchets"
Dominique Joseph’s Saumur Blanc is a bit of an anomaly. He is the last grower to still have Chenin Blanc in the Saumur lieu dit of “Les Perruchets.” Most of the Chenin Blanc that was planted there was uprooted in 1970s and replaced with the more fashionable Cabernet Franc. The soils in “Les Perruchets” are clay & limestone over silex. He has a range of vines ages with the youngest being 30 years old and the oldest 80 years old.The wine is fermented and aged in mostly neutral oak for 10 months.
Cabernet de Saumur Rosé
Uses same plots as Le Petit St Vincent, vine age average 45 years. No Malo; aged 6 months in Inox.