Les Petites Fleurs

With Gamay d'Auvergne as the main grape variety and a focus on natural practices in the vineyard and cellar, the stated ambition of Vincent and Marie Tricot's estate is to produce wines that are fruity, honest, and easy to drink.

Vincent Tricot's journey unfolded in several stages before he settled in Auvergne with his wife Marie, in Orcet, south of Clermont-Ferrand on the left bank of the Allier River. He trained in Beaujolais, where he discovered sulfur-free winemaking, worked in Chilean vineyards, then in the Costières-de-Nîmes region, before taking over an Auvergne estate in 2003 that had been ideally cultivated organically for over thirty years.

Alongside a small amount of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Gamay d'Auvergne – with its more aerated bunches, longer ripening period, and more pronounced acidity than Beaujolais Gamay – is the predominant grape variety on the estate's 5 hectares (clay-limestone soils with volcanic pebbles). It is primarily vinified using carbonic maceration, sometimes with a few punch-downs to optimize a gentle extraction. With careful soil management, indigenous yeasts and bacteria, and very little or no added sulfur, the stated ambition is to produce wines that are fruity, honest, and easy to drink.

Since 2007, due to recurring inconsistencies in the AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) certification process, the estate has opted for the Vin de France appellation for all its wines.