Domaine du Petit Bouchon
Saint Pierre, Alsace

Prior to installing himself in Alsace, Vincent Larcelet began his long wine journey in his native Jura - landing himself consecutive roles in the vines and the cellar of two Jurassic heavyweights; first at Domaine Villet, and later alongside Jean-François Ganevat. It was in the Ganevat cellar that Vincent’s dream to make wine was first realised: after several years of tutelage under Jean-François, in 2013 Vincent was handed two pneumatic presses worth of wine carrying out the press and vinifications on his own. For the four years that followed, Vincent was able to learn the details of winemaking, the pressures of vinification, and the nuance and skill that’s needed to produce wines of outstanding quality. 

In 2017, Vincent’s growing family decided it was time to move ahead with their plan to establish a domaine of their own. They decided to pack their bags and move to Alsace, where Vincent saw a burgeoning energy of young natural winemakers was beginning to take form. Since neither Vincent nor his wife, Sophie, had any generational connection to the land in Alsace, they immediately realised the difficulty, and expense, of buying vines in the region. To help offset the immense costs involved, Vincent decided to start small, purchasing a tiny parcel of land, and decided to plant vines himself.  Little by little he was able to purchase a few more parcels until settling at the 2.5 hectares he holds today. 

In the vineyards, Vincent realises the dreams he had as a younger man. Using a low-or-no till approach, Vincent encourages the growth of nitrogen-rich cover crops between the rows of vines, and works with a variety of homeopathic and biodynamic treatments.

In 2020, the project came together, and Vincent produced his first vintage of Domaine du Petit Bouchon, named sweetly after the pet name for his daughter, Agathe. He continues and expands upon the legacy imparted to him at Ganevat, eschewing manipulation of his wines, which come together with, in Vincent’s words, “no so2, no filtration, just love.” 

In the wines we see an exacting approach, one that favours details and nuance, and shows the hand of terroir. Slow, gentle presses and well-judged vinifications work in tandem to produce wines at once influenced by the time spent with a legendary winemaker, and also speak of a vigneron guided by a love of the land who is well on his way to becoming a legend himself.