Henri Chauvet left banking and office work in 2021, to settle on the gravelly hillsides of the Saint-Nectaire region. Having just turned 30, he obtained an advanced technical diploma in viticulture and winemaking through correspondence and went on to train with Jérôme Bressy at his Gourt de Mautens estate, in the southern Rhône Valley. He subsequently acquired the Sauvat estate, comprising more than ten hectares of vines. Each parcel of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Gamay flourishes on volcanic soils composed of blue marl. Henri Chauvet has been converting his vineyard to organic viticulture since the day he arrived, convinced of the benefits for vines and wine and, above all, driven by a desire to get back to the land. Even if his methods have much in common with natural wines, Henri Chauvet doesn’t want to be pigeon-holed, so he retains complete freedom to create his authentic, flavoursome wines.

À Fleur de Peau is a skin-contact white wine, deeply rooted in the history of the Côtes d'Auvergne, a region experiencing something of a rebirth lately. This wine comes from volcanic parcels located on the slopes of Boudes, where the altitude and exposure provide an ideal microclimate for slow and balanced ripening. The soil is composed of ballast, red clays and volcanic ash, which gives the wine an unusually tannic structure for a white, alongside a vibrant, mineral texture. In the cellar, the grapes are left to macerate as whole bunches for about a week before being gently pressed using a pneumatic press. The vinification concludes with nine months of ageing in old 228?L and 400?L barrels. The cuvée remains unfermented, unclarified, unstirred and unfiltered.
This wine is a deep golden colour, with an intense bouquet of stone fruits and notes of tea. On the palate, it is full and indulgent, gently unfolding toward a tense finish marked by citrus and dried herb aromas.