La Petite Soeur is a small domaine in Anjou run by winemaker Adrien de Mello. Farming four hectares of vines near the village of Saint Aubin de Luigné, Adrien creates wonderfully pure, classical and delicious expressions of chenin blanc, cabernet and other local varieties.

Originally from Brittany, Adrien first began working in wineries in 2003. He gained experience with years spent working in Quebec, Stellenbosch, Virginia and, finally, back in France where he worked for five years at a biodynamically run estate in the southern Rhone.

In 2015 Adrien learned of an organically farmed domaine in Anjou (Clos de L'Elu) that was selling a 3.5 hectare parcel of their 25 hectare property and with relish Adrien leapt at the chance to be closer to Brittany and to begin his own domaine.

Adrien's 3.5 hectares are comprised of black and grey schist (generally sitting beneath around 20 cms of clay) – a predominant feature of this point of the Armoricain Massif and a key difference between Anjou and the much younger calcareous soils of bordering Saumur.

The average vine age in Adrien's vineyard is 50 years and pruning is undertaken, first and foremost, to respect sap flow. The chenin blanc and gamay are trained in the gobelet system while the cabernets and sauvignon blanc are cane-pruned. His vines have been farmed organically for some time, but since taking over Adrien has worked hard to gain both organic and biodynamic certifications. He plows with the help of his horse, Toscane, and forages plants such as comfrey, nettle, buckthorn and yarrow to create teas for the vineyard.

Adrien’s holdings comprise cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, gamay, sauvignon blanc and chenin blanc. Some of the grapes are vinified as single varieties, while some are blended. Extractions tend to be more gentle, with whole bunches included for the reds, and some of the whites are macerated on skins. In the winery, Adrien works largely with fibreglass and loves the sense of purity that this material captures in the wines.

The direct-press chenin and the cabernet blend in many ways resemble the more conventional white and red wines of Anjou, with a clean classicism, vivid varietal character, and a strong sense of place, while cuvees like Kumu demonstrate a more distinct and inventive style – albeit with great precision and judgement with the blending and elevage.