Petit Saint Vincent “Pélo” 2021 - Saumur-Champigny

Cabernet Franc may be known around the world thanks to Bordeaux châteaux like Cheval Blanc, but the true soul of this grape doesn’t reside in the grand estates of the Médoc. It lives three hours north, in the Loire Valley’s quiet, limestone-veined hills, where Cabernet Franc reaches a purity, lift, and aromatic brilliance Bordeaux can rarely match. And at the center of that revelation sits Saumur-Champigny—an appellation revered inside France but still overlooked by most consumers abroad. Clos Rougeard made it legendary, turning these soft tuffeau slopes into a global shrine for Cabernet Franc, but its pricing has now soared into a realm of fantasy. Thankfully, producers like Petit Saint Vincent remain—working old, organically farmed vines in the same heartland and crafting soulful, authentic wines at a fraction of the cost. Their cuvée “Pélo” overdelivers every single year. Loire geeks: I dare you—put this in a blind lineup next to that Rougeard in your cellar and watch it hold its ground without flinching. At this ~$30 price point, it is one of the great remaining Cabernet Franc values in France today.

To understand today’s offer in more context, here’s a quick overview of the Loire for those of you less familiar: The Loire Valley is a long, meandering tapestry of terroir—France’s most diverse wine region—stretching from the Atlantic to the country’s interior. In the west, the Pays Nantais is maritime and breezy, the home of Muscadet and its briny, sea-kissed Melon de Bourgogne. Move east into Anjou-Saumur, and the landscape rises and folds into clay-limestone slopes where Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc take on deeper resonance; here sits Saumur-Champigny—rolling, chalk-bright, and dotted with small, family-run domaines that define Cabernet Franc at its purest. Continue east into Touraine and the Loire’s character shifts again: this is the heartland of Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc, the two grapes that define many of the region’s most cherished appellations. Chinon, Bourgueil, and St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil are Cabernet Franc strongholds—dark-fruited, structured, and vibrant—while nearby Vouvray and Montlouis represent Chenin Blanc at its most profound, stretching from bone-dry tension to the world’s most age-worthy sweet wines. Then to the east lie the Central Vineyards—home to Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé—where Sauvignon Blanc is most notable and Pinot Noir can make elegant, lifted expressions on track with top Burgundy.

So more on Saumur-Champigny… This appellation has been shaped for centuries by its singular geology and its strategic place along the Loire. The name itself reflects its essence: Saumur from the ancient fortified town that once controlled river trade, and Champigny from the Latin campus ignis—“field of fire”—a reference to the glowing, iron-tinged limestone that surfaces through the vineyards. Beneath these rolling slopes lies the region’s secret weapon: tuffeau, a soft, porous marine limestone quarried for centuries to build châteaux and carve cool underground cellars. This unique rock gives Saumur-Champigny wines their hallmark purity, floral lift, and unmistakable mineral freshness. For generations, small family domaines have worked these soils, crafting Cabernet Franc with a finesse and aromatic clarity rarely achieved elsewhere.

Dominique Joseph—nicknamed “Pélo” since childhood—is the fourth generation of his family to farm these slopes around the village of Varrains, the beating heart of Saumur-Champigny. His 13 hectares are scattered across more than 50 small parcels, all rooted in classic clay-over-tuffeau soils. Fully organic since 1992, the domaine works without chemical shortcuts, focusing instead on soil health, low yields, and transparent cellar work. Pélo is made exclusively from the domaine’s oldest vines—about 50 years old—planted on the most prized limestone-rich sites surrounding Varrains. In the cellar, Dominique keeps things traditional: 100% destemmed Cabernet Franc, a long 22–30 day maceration in concrete vats, cool fermentation, gentle pigeage and remontage for color and fine tannin extraction, then 12 months of aging in 90% concrete and 10% neutral barrique. The result is a wine that distills everything he believes Saumur-Champigny should be: pure fruit, fine structure, and tension carried effortlessly on limestone freshness.

The 2021 Pélo pours a deep reddish-purple color and opens with that unmistakable Loire perfume—redcurrant, blackcurrant, violets, wildflowers, a lift of green tobacco, and a cool mineral edge straight from the tuffeau. The palate is vivid and mouthwatering: crunchy red fruits, green herbs, supple yet confident tannins, subtle spice, and a long, savory, limestone-etched finish that makes the next sip inevitable. This is Cabernet Franc at its most honest and refreshing—no makeup, no excess, just purity. Pair this with roast chicken, duck breast, pork loin, grilled mushrooms, charred leeks, lentils with herbs, or simply steak frites. Loire goat cheeses like Crottin and Valençay are a perfect match. Serve slightly cool—55–60°F, in Burgundy stems—for maximum precision and vibrancy.