As we’ve mentioned in previous blog posts, there’s a revolution underfoot in the French countryside. The sons and daughters of aging winemakers are taking over their multigenerational estates and choosing to do things differently than their parents. Dominique Joseph from Le Petit Saint-Vincent is a perfect example, having pulled his family’s domaine out of the bulk wine business and converting the entire estate to organic farming a decade ago. 

Today, the 13 hectare domaine is almost entirely planted to Cabernet Franc and his old vine selections have become decidedly famous among younger generations of wine drinkers who have given up on finding (or affording!) a bottle of Clos Rougeard at $200 a pop. American wine critics are also big fans. Jon Bonné, the author of the newly-released and expansive tome “The New French Wine” included Le Petit Saint-Vincent in his top producers, writing: 

“The hidden gem is Les Clos Lyzières, from an even older parcel at the edge of Verrains, a proper clos in concept. This wine is slow to open, but has a remarkable dark mineral intensity and ripe but edgy plum fruit, a quintessence of Cabernet Franc.”

According to Joseph, the vineyard was once a walled-in clos, but the stones have since fallen and no longer remain. “We’re not in Brittany,” he remarked; “They’re not made of granite.” 

If you’re looking for a dark-fruited, expansive, and multi-layered French red, brimming with plummy fruit, yet with an undercurrent of graphite reminiscent of some of the finest Right Bank Bordeaux wines, there are few options this good for less than $100, let alone $30.

2018 Le Petit Saint Vincent “Les Clos Lyzières” Saumur-Champigny $29.99