Pierre & Antonin Petit Sauvage Orange is an exciting, modern take on skin-contact wine, made entirely from Souvignier Gris – a disease-resistant grape variety chosen as much for its environmental credentials as for its flavour. Eleven days of maceration with the skins gives the wine its golden-orange colour, gentle structure and wonderfully expressive personality. Jasmine, white tea and vineyard peach lead the nose, followed by bergamot, citrus peel and delicate spice. The palate is broad and silky rather than aggressively tannic, with fresh acidity keeping all that texture beautifully balanced. It is natural wine with plenty of character but none of the wildness that can make some orange wines challenging: aromatic, dry, clean and immediately appealing. A brilliant introduction to skin-contact wine, but unusual enough to keep more adventurous drinkers interested too.
Pierre & Antonin Petit Sauvage Orange, Producer
Pierre Caizergues and Antonin Bonnet are both from winegrowing families in the south of France, but rather brilliantly, they first met thousands of miles from home in New York in 2010. Antonin comes from the Larzac area while Pierre has roots in Malepère, and their shared interest in the future of southern French viticulture eventually brought them back to France to create Pierre & Antonin.
Their philosophy is deliberately forward-looking. Rather than concentrating on the traditional varieties already widely planted across the Languedoc, they work exclusively with disease-resistant grapes capable of thriving with dramatically fewer vineyard treatments. They combine this with indigenous-yeast fermentation, no winemaking additives and no added sulphites, aiming to produce natural wines that remain accessible, vibrant and easy to enjoy.
Sustainability continues right through to the packaging. Their wines use exceptionally lightweight 370g bottles manufactured within 80km of the vineyards, French cork from Roussillon, natural wax instead of aluminium capsules and labels produced using recycled plant fibres.
Pierre & Antonin Petit Sauvage Orange, Terroir & Winemaking
Petit Sauvage Orange is made from 100% Souvignier Gris, one of the resistant grape varieties at the heart of Pierre & Antonin’s project. These varieties have been bred to retain the wine quality associated with European vines while possessing much greater natural resistance to diseases such as powdery and downy mildew. As a result, the vines require substantially fewer treatments, reducing the use of water, energy and vineyard machinery.
The project is rooted in Malepère in the Languedoc, where Pierre & Antonin established their Stricou estate on previously uncultivated land surrounded by oak forests. They also work closely with growers in neighbouring valleys who share their approach to sustainable farming and resistant varieties.
For Petit Sauvage Orange, the Souvignier Gris grapes are harvested at full ripeness and placed directly into vats without either destemming or crushing. The whole bunches remain in contact with their skins for 11 days, extracting colour, aromatic compounds and a gentle tannic structure. The wine is then carefully pressed and returned to tank for five months of maturation before bottling. Fermentation is carried out using indigenous yeasts, with no added winemaking inputs or sulphites.
Pierre & Antonin Petit Sauvage Orange, Tasting Notes
Golden-orange in colour with an expressive and slightly exotic nose. Jasmine and white flowers are immediately apparent, followed by white tea, vineyard peach and fragrant bergamot. Citrus peel brings freshness while delicate spice gives the wine an intriguing savoury edge.
The palate is dry, broad and textural, with ripe peach and citrus flavours supported by the gentle grip created during skin maceration. There is enough structure to distinguish it clearly from a conventional white wine, but the tannins remain soft and silky rather than drying.
Subtle tea, orange peel and spice emerge towards the finish, while lively acidity keeps everything fresh. It is full-flavoured without being heavy, with an appealing balance between aromatic fruit, texture and gentle savouriness.
Pierre & Antonin Petit Sauvage Orange, Food pairing suggestion: Chicken Masala with Tomato, Coconut and Fresh Coriander.
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