Visit us to shop and hang in person or order online for quick and easy pick up.
Address
210 EAST VERMILION STREET LAFAYETTE, LA 70501
Hours
Tues-Thurs
1pm-7pm
Friday & Saturday
1pm-8pm
Closed Sunday & Monday
21 and Over Only to Buy Wine.
Choose In-store Pickup To Order Wine Online.
We Do Not Ship Wine or Alcohol.
We do ship Everything Else!
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Fermented during 4 weeks on the skins, pressed and aged in stainless steel tanks.
Smells and tastes like spring. Well rounded and benefits from some aeration before full consumption. Even with a more rounded body, this wine is soft and elegant due to the amount of acidity that keeps a great freshness.
Schooled by Steiner and influenced by Jim Morrison. Self-seclusion in the garigue. Over the past 15 years they are crafting perhaps the freshest wines in the entire Roussillon.
Why Les Enfants Sauvages? Simply put, as a tribute to Jim Morrison and The Doors. The duo behind the wines drew inspiration from The Doors’ song “Wild Child”—about finding salvation in the wild state of nature—and they took the French translation for their name.
Nikolaus and Carolin Bantlin are originally from Germany but fell in love with the south, rock climbing and biking. They discovered a large sheep pasture in Fitou, France with a small number of vines around that inspired them to start making wines.Nikolaus has been studying anthroposophy for a long time and had worked on biodynamic farms after studying at one of Rudolf Steiner’s schools in Germany. So the conversion to organic in 2001 was very smooth and they released their first vintage in 2003 with access to Olivier Pithon’s cellar. 2004 marked a new phase for Les Enfants Sauvages; their craft winery was ready for full production and 9 hectares of vines had come to maturity.
The vineyards at Les Enfants Sauvages are hidden by the surrounding garigue and with no neighbors in sight. The only threat is the overgrowth of vegetation, as well as wild pigs that are kept out of the vineyards by kilometers of stone walls that the Bantlin’s built. But with the vibrant growth around the vineyard, beneficial insects and birds naturally maintain the pest populations.
Freshness and finesse are the key terms at Les Enfants Sauvages. The wines are never over-extracted as there is no pumping and only gentle handling of fruit and wines. This means the wines are full of energy and very approachable. The freshness is due in part to their proximity to the Mediterranean five kilometers away. Then there is the ripeness levels. Goblet pruning protects the clusters and ensures that the berries achieve an even ripeness and never get cooked by the sun and lose their natural acidity. Which is all key because Les Enfants Sauvages never adds to their wines except a small amount of sulfites.
Denny & Katie
Owners
Your friendly neighborhood wine shop and tiny bar, focused on small production wines and conservas. Connect with us on Instagram for suggestions on your next bottle and to follow along in our downtown Lafayette wine journey.
Visit us to shop and hang in person or order online for quick and easy pick up.
Hours
Tues-Thurs
1pm-7pm
Friday & Saturday
1pm-8pm
Closed Sunday & Monday