Gaël Petit
| Vigneron | Gaël Petit |
| Location | Tavel (Gard) |
| Size of Domaine | 10 ha |
| Terroir | Mediterranean climate, Mistral (northern wind) influence. Urgonian limestone scree, glacial stones, red clay, sand and pebbles. Mostly gentle north-facing slopes. 125m altitude. |
| Viticulture | Certified organic (Ecocert) |
| View Gaël Petit wines ↓ |
Tavel is unquestionably one of the finest terroirs in the southern Rhône, on the opposite bank of the river from Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Tavel was one of the first five wines in France to gain its AOC back in 1936, when it was noted as a pale red wine (made from field blends of white and red grapes) rather than nowadays ubiquitous technical rosé. Back in the early 19th century it enjoyed a reputation as one of France’s finest wines – it was the only Rhône wine served at the best Parisian restaurants alongside Hermitage. Sadly, the early discovery of phylloxera just 5km away from Tavel had a decimating impact on the appellation.
Gaël Petit’s ancestors created the domaine in the late 16th century (since 1572), pulling together vineyards in the finest terroirs of Tavel – first and foremost the prime lieu-dit of Les Vestides in the limestone-marl combe of Malaven; we are in the historical heart of the appellation, a W/E open valley shaped as an amphitheatre with the village of Tavel as center stage. Then there are vines to the east of the village, in the vallon of Manissy, planted in Pliocene sands (think Rayas in Châteauneuf-du-Pape). And to finish, the plateau of Vallongue, bordering Lirac to the north, where vines sit on Quaternary terrasses made of 'galets roulés', glacial stones and sandy limestone.
Gaël took over the baton in 1998, inheriting old co-planted bush vines (including rare strains of grenache, cinsault, and clairette) in the three emblematic terroirs of the appellation. The average age of the vines at the domaine is 60yo with the oldest planted in 1920! Working conventionally at the outset, he quickly moved away from chemicals – a rare feat in Tavel in the early 2000s – and has controlled grass and weed growth by interceps since then. In 2013 he was voted in as president of the growers’ association for five years, and in his role Gaël often found himself defending the wines of Éric Pfifferling’s Domaine de L’Anglore. Éric’s wines stood out a mile from the rest, as he worked by whole bunch semi-carbonic maceration, allowing malolactic fermentation to give stable wines that aged, and cutting sulphur down to minimal levels. This was in stark contrast to most wines in the appellation where the blocking of malos led to commercial wines that were overloaded with SO2, killing the fruit, drying the wines out, and leading to a loss of appreciation of Tavel wines.
La Combe de Malaven, lieu-dit Les Vestides 
Éric and Gaël became close friends enjoying their erudite conversations around history, local culture, and traditions. As well as appreciating the wines of Domaine de L’Anglore, the scholar Gaël Petit was a keen and efficient learner; he quickly gained knowledge about semi-carbonic and 'pied de cuve' techniques, he also met and exchanged in depth on the subject with Christophe Pacalet (Burgundy). There arrived a point when it didn’t take much persuasion from Éric for Gaël to officialise the domaine’s organic viticulture and start to practice all that he’d learned in the cave – the first Combe des Rieu bottling was made in 2018 and he hasn’t looked back!
The different grape varieties are hand harvested in small cases (only in the morning) and cooled down further in a cold room. A naturally fermenting pied de cuve is made right at the start and kept aside. The semi-carbonic maceration that follows is based on the 'mille-feuille' or layering technique: a vessel is progressively filled-up by layering different grapes, destemmed or not. In this instance, the mille-feuille is completed by alternating layers of whole bunches with fermenting must from the pied de cuve, ensuring homogenous saturation of the vat with natural CO2 when it is finally closed. When the wine reaches the right colour density – usually after a 5 to 8 days cuvaison – the grapes are pressed, and the juice is transferred by gravity into 4yo barrels (228ltr 'pièces bourguignonnes' as well as traditional 275ltr 'demi queue de Vaucluse') where it finishes its sugars, completes its malolactic and ages. The wines are bottled unfiltered in July with just half a gram (per hl) of SO2 added after racking.
The results are quite spectacular and underline why Tavel is enjoying a deserved renaissance led by like-minded vignerons – the most attractive colour, ruby tones with warm golden hues, and a natural southern ripeness cut through by wonderful freshness (low pH levels of 3.30/3.40) and lengthy umami-loaded salivation. The beautiful, old school Rayas style label is an added bonus too; it dates back to the 1920s when Gaël’s great grandfather, Aimé Roudil, ran the 'syndicat des propriétaires-viticulteurs de Tavel' and subsequently created one of the very first AOC.
La cave 
Gaël Petit Wines
TAVEL 2022
La Combe des Rieu
50% Grenache Noir, Blanc and Gris, 20% Cinsault(s), 20% Carignan Noir and Blanc, 10% Clairette Blanche and Rosée
50% Grenache Noir, Blanc and Gris, 20% Cinsault(s), 20% Carignan Noir and Blanc, 10% Clairette Blanche and Rosée (14.5% alc.)
Lieu-dit Les Vestides in the Combe de Malaven – the Malaven is a precious underground stream that flows through the Urgonian limestone bedrock (Cretaceous period). The co-planted bush vines (planted in 1965, 1969, 1976) enjoy steady capillary access to water and a cool north exposure; they sit in a rocky red clay topsoil littered with tile-shaped limestone scree (locally called 'lauzes'). The 3.5ha usually yield 25hh on average and Gaël practices a SO2-free, semi-carbonic maceration using the 'mille-feuille' technique (see profile). Its colour is like an unfiltered pinot noir rather than a delicate rosé. The flavours include spicy black cherry, juniper, and bay leaf. There’s a gentle tannic pull on the palate, a good sense of freshness and salinity, and a very long limestone-induced finish. Low pH level of 3.30 and total SO2 at 20mg/l. It holds up extremely well when open for a few days auguring well for its ageing potential – Gaël reckons it should drink perfectly for at least five years from vintage. He strongly suggests drinking cellar cool (12-14C), and highlights that it’s ideally suited to spiced, garlicy Mediterranean cuisine.
TAVEL 2023
Postérité Soixante-Dix
40% Grenache Noir, Blanc and Gris, 30% Cinsault(s), 15% Mourvèdre, 15% Bourboulenc
40% Grenache Noir, Blanc and Gris, 30% Cinsault(s), 15% Mourvèdre, 15% Bourboulenc (14% alc.)
The name Postérité 70 is a historical reference to the birth years of Gaël (1970) and his great-grandfather Aimé Roudil (1870) who created the appellation (see profile). For this cuvée Gaël has settled on blending two of the historical terroirs: the vallon of Manissy on deep sand – grenaches and cinsaults go through semi-carbo maceration and the wine ages in concrete vats – and the plateau of Vallongue, where vines sit in glacial stones and sandy limestone – here the grapes are directly pressed and the wine ages in old oak. This traditional combination enhances the smooth, pillow-like texture of grenache on sandy soils. The colour and overall structure are lighter compared to the Combe des Rieu, it shows incredible dynamism on the palate with aromas of blood orange and salty citrus peel bitters. This wine is quintessentially Mediterranean – a crowd-pleaser with extremely high 'buvabilité'.