PELTIER RAVINEAU - Arthur Peltier & Achille Raveneau
FRANCE, LOIRE, CHEVERNY
Arthur Peltier and Achille Ravineau grew up in Cheverny and have known each other since they were teenagers. Both studied winemaking in Beaune from 2015 to 2019 between them, and cut their teeth with mentors like Philippe Pacalet and Les Foulards Rouges. Returning home they furthered their education with local legends Hervé Villemade, and Clos du Tue Boeuf before taking the leap into their own project.
Their first hectare came in 2021, working with one barrel, one tank, and one tractor. They’ve grown slowly and deliberately since, selling the fruit of their first two years farming, before bottling their first vintage in 2023. Today they work 5 hectares organically over limestone and flint soils, planted to Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Gamay, Côt, and old-vine Romorantin, with a small amount of carefully sourced négoce fruit. Certification will be received next year (2026) but everything has been organic from the start.
It's a farming-led approach here, shaped by intuition and limited equipment. “Most of the time we are in the vineyard” says Achille. "We don't have the luxury of over-complicating things, being just two of us and five hectares to look after." Focusing on historic grapes, they have also been grafting some stock of their Chardonnay with Menu Pineau (known locally as Arbois) to produce more of this expressive, disease-resistant variety.
In the cellar they vinify in fibreglass, old barrels, and a pair of truncated wooden tanks. Presses are through their vintage Vaslin press from the 1960s, and its limitations offer an education: “We need to stay at the press and taste, over three, four hours, so we learn the wines, learn what they need, and decide as we go.”
They hope to reach 10-12 hectares in time, adding more vines, a little more Romorantin and Menu Pineau, slowly expanding the cellar. But at its heart, this is a local project, Cheverny made by people who grew up here and were inspired by its winemaking community. "Sure, it would be nice to be in the Jura, or the Savoie, but we didn’t have the option to make wine somewhere else,” says Achille. “We’re lucky to be able to work where we come from.”
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NV - WD-41 - Sauvignon Blanc
A negoce project to supplement their low yields in 2022 topped up with wines from 2023. Direct pressed Sauvignon Blanc grown over clay limestone. Aged in fibreglass.
2023 - La Marnière - Sauvignon Blanc, Menu Pineau
Fruit hand-harvested with their teams from two different local domaines: de Veilloux in Fougères (10km from their home) and Domaine de Cambalu in Francueil (25km from their home). Pressed gently over 3-4 hours. Aged in fibreglass 6 months on the lees. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.
2023 - Taille Ronde - Sauvignon Blanc
From their own fruit, Sauvignon Blanc from their ripest parcel of the variety, on clay and flint soil, harvested by hand, pressed over 3-4 hours. Aged for 8 months in a combination of fibreglass (80%) and old barrels (20%) Bottled unfined and unfiltered.
RED
2024 - Balle dans le Pied - Gamay, Cot, Cabernet Franc
Fruit hand-harvested with their teams from two different local domaines: de Veilloux in Fougères (10km from their home) and Domaine de Cambalu in Francueil (25km from their home) 12 days of whole bunch maceration for the Gamay & Cot, together. Cab Franc pressed directly and added. Aged in a large truncated oak vat for 6 months. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.
2024 - Le Peu - Peltier Ravineau - Valaire, Cheverny - Pinot Noir, Gamay
From their own fruit, an assemblage of the best red grapes from 2024, 60% Pinot and 40% Gamay. Hand harvested, with a 15-day whole-bunch maceration before pressing. Aged in barrels for 8 months, bottled unfined and unfiltered.