La Petite Soeur

Originally from Brittany, Adrien de Mello began his work in natural wine on L'île Ronde, an island transformed into a vineyard off the coast of the village of Saint-Sulpice in Quebec. His passion then took him all over the world, before his return to France in 2015. He now farms four hectares of vineyards in Anjou, planted over schist in and around the village of Saint-Aubin-de-Luigné. 

The vines have been farmed organically for some time, but since settling here Adrien has taken things to the next level and in just a few years has gained both organic and biodynamic certification. He ploughs by horse and is passionate about foraging wild plants such as nettle, comfrey, yarrow and buckthorn to prepare teas used as treatments in the vineyards. His care and attention to detail here produce wines with great clarity and a startling purity of fruit.

In the cellar Adrien’s work is defined by a lightness of touch that is characterized by gentle extractions to reveal just enough detail and nuance from the grapes, and a focus on expressing the perfume of each variety whilst harnessing the incredible character that schist brings.

Fresh, fragrant and invigorating, Adrien’s wines offer a highly original expression of the part of Anjou he calls home.