Les Capriades is a Pét-Nat specialist, and their examples are unrivaled.

A couple of weeks ago, I opened up a bottle of the Pet-Sec and drank it over two days. It was such an exciting experience that I bought every bottle that I could get my hands on. It's rare that you can find more than a few cases, so I'm happy to have the opportunity to do an offering.

The Pet-Sec is Les Capriades' driest bottling and is based on Chenin Blanc, with a very tiny portion of Cabernet Franc added. It's a thrilling, laser-precise, mineral wine.

Pétillant nature (or pét-nat) is a way of making sparkling wines by putting wine that hasn't completed fermentation into a bottle. As the wine continues to ferment, bubbles develop. It's a style of wine that has become very popular. It's also a style that's really challenging to get right. Judging sweetness and getting the right amount of bubbles is really difficult.

Les Capriades are absolute masters of pét-nat. When I taste their examples compared to many of their peers, it seems like they know something no one else does. The wines are that impeccable.

Pét-Nat is almost their sole focus, and they are obsessed. They buy organically grown grapes from friends in Faverolles. They harvest the grapes themselves, putting them through a ruthless selection process. The soils in Faverolles are silex and clay over limestone. You can feel a tightly woven minerality coursing through all of their pét-nats.

There's no place where this minerality is on bolder display than the Pet-Sec. It is intensely mineral with a crazy amount of focused length. There's a fierceness to its tension, but the precision and balance make it really compelling.

This is the first time we're offering a pét-nat. There are many fun examples, but the Pet-Sec is electrifying.

To order, email offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.

Joe Salamone

Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits