Le Petit Saint Vincent, Saumur-Champigny, “Les Poyeux”

We’ve offered a couple of Le Petit Saint Vincent’s wines in years past and they seemed to have struck a harmonic chord. It’s hard to say who enjoyed them more—you or me—but either way, I’m constantly on the hunt for their standouts, and we’ve finally stumbled upon the ultimate bottle. I heard through the grapevine they they started a tiny 300-case production of “Les Poyeux” back in 2011, but until last month I had never tasted (let alone seen) it. “Les Poyeux” is one of the most famous vineyards in the Loire Valley: it’s the site behind a $300+ bottling from Clos Rougeard, a producer widely regarded as the ultimate interpreter of Loire Cabernet Franc. Le Petit Saint Vincent’s version, meanwhile, costs exponentially less for what we’d argue is the same quality. With only two acres owned in this prestigious vineyard, winemaker and owner Dominique Joseph oversees his tiny lieu-dit with the utmost organic care. The result is a Cabernet Franc at its most elegant, aromatic, and pure; you’ll