La Note Sauvage – A Wild French Symphony
La Note Sauvage Gin is a blend of elegance and untamed tradition that rewrites how gin should be experienced, marrying sweetness with raw power. This is a forest ballad – a promise of a gin that swims boldly against the current.
Symphonie No. 1 is distilled in the French region of Hauts-de-France and orchestrated to unfold on your palate in three distinct acts: first herbal, then peppery, finally crowned with red berries. Different in every way, its aromatic profile and structure seduce through their originality and complexity.
Distilled in rare single-pass Stupfler stills, it remains particularly light and round despite its layered nature – a contradiction that somehow makes perfect sense once it touches your lips.
The Forest Walk Begins
Picture this like you’re stepping into a French woodland, morning mist still clinging to the hedgerows. That first breath you take? That’s exactly how La Note Sauvage greets your senses.
The walk begins with lightly woody floral whispers – hawthorn blossoms and blackcurrant leaves that locals have been gathering from Picardy hedgerows for generations. These aren’t your typical gin botanicals. They’re wild, foraged treasures that most distillers would never dare touch, lending a pleasant woody bitterness that makes you pause and really listen to what’s in your glass.
As you venture deeper down this idyllic path, the silky heart reveals itself: lemon verbena dancing with juniper berriesand fresh basil, creating that perfect green harmony that makes French gardens so intoxicating. There’s even a whisper of wild Madagascar pepper here – just enough to make your palate sit up and pay attention.
But hidden behind the thicket, the real treasure awaits. Nothing left to discover but the juicy, sun-warmed notes of wild raspberries and strawberries – forest fruits that taste like childhood summers spent picking berries with purple-stained fingers.
This unique symphony weaves wild plants with woodland fruits in perfect composition – obvious complexity that somehow feels effortless and harmonious.
The Stupfler Secret of La Note Sauvage Gin
Here’s where the magic really happens. While most distillers are content with their copper pot stills, running spirit through twice to get it right, La Note Sauvage takes a different path entirely.
Enter the Stupfler alembic – a copper still so rare, most gin lovers have never even heard of it. Invented in the 1950s by Jean-Louis Stupfler, this engineering marvel performs what seems impossible: two distillations in a single pass.
Think of it as the Formula 1 car of distillation. Where traditional pot stills lumber through multiple runs – heating, cooling, heating again – the Stupfler dances. Its secret weapon? A special double-jacketed “analyzer” column where cold water flow controls reflux in real time. The distiller becomes a conductor, precisely selecting which volatile compounds rise and which heavier notes stay behind.
The result? Aromatic fidelity that’s almost shocking in its purity. Those delicate botanicals – the hawthorn, the verbena, the wild berries – they’re not subjected to the harsh second boiling that can strip away their soul. Instead, they emerge untouched, unbruised, carrying the true essence of their forest home.
This is why La Note Sauvage achieves something seemingly contradictory: despite its complexity, it feels light, round, silky on your tongue. The Stupfler captures every whisper of flavor while keeping the harsh edges at bay.
Three Acts, One Glass
The French call it Symphonie No. 1 for good reason. This isn’t just marketing poetry – it’s flavor science made beautiful.
Act I: Herbal – Those first volatile compounds hit your palate like morning light filtering through leaves. The hawthorn, verbena, and blackcurrant leaves announce themselves with fresh, green confidence.
Act II: Peppery – As the herbal notes fade, warmth blooms across your mid-palate. Juniper’s piney spice mingles with basil’s peppery nuance and that hint of wild pepper, creating a gentle heat that makes you want to slow down and savor.
Act III: Fruity – Finally, as the spice settles, those heavy aromatic compounds reveal the finale: juicy raspberries and strawberries that linger like the last rays of sunset through the trees.
This isn’t accident – it’s chemistry choreographed by artists. Different botanicals contain aromatic compounds of varying weights, and they present themselves to your senses in carefully timed waves. Light volatiles first, then spice, then the rich, lingering fruit notes that make you close your eyes and smile.
France's Gin Revolution
A decade ago, French gin was practically an oxymoron. This was the land of cognac and wine – gin was something the English did, not the French.
How times change. Today, there are seven times more distilleries making gin in France than just ten years ago. From Provence olive gins to Brittany seaweed infusions, French distillers are rewriting the rules with terroir-driven recipes that could only come from l’Hexagone.
La Note Sauvage stands proudly in this new wave, its creators building intimate relationships with organic local producers in Hauts-de-France. They work hand-in-hand with nature, wild-foraging from French woods, ensuring total traceability while minimizing environmental impact.
This is French gin done right – not trying to be English, but celebrating what makes France unique: that rare northern sun, the distinctive soil, the foraging traditions that have been passed down through generations.
The gin’s smooth yet complex profile has already caught the attention of connoisseurs. In a country famous for its exacting standards, La Note Sauvage is earning its place among the new aristocracy of French spirits.
Perfect Serve
La Note Sauvage + Premium Mediterranean Tonic + Pomelo
This combination is pure genius. The Mediterranean tonic’s mineral backbone highlights the gin’s bright herbal opening, balances that peppery mid-palate beautifully, and enhances the soft berry finish without overwhelming it.
The pomelo garnish? Chef’s kiss. Its subtle bitterness and fresh aroma create the perfect bridge between the gin’s wild botanical character and the tonic’s clean finish.
Cultural Fusion: When Café Meets Cocktail
Leave it to the French to take gin and somehow make it about coffee too.
The signature cocktail “Forrest Gump” is described as “wild, fresh, and with a hint of caf caffeine” and and it delivers on that promise spectacularly. Created by Victor Delpierre, a world-champion barista turned mixologist, this drink is pure cultural fusion.
Cold brew Arabica coffee adds depth and subtle roastiness, paying homage to France’s beloved café culture. Fresh strawberry and citrus keep it bright and gin-forward. But the real surprise? A delicate dusting of matcha tea.
Matcha in gin cocktails is having a serious moment right now. That earthy, grassy umami pairs beautifully with botanical spirits, while its vibrant green color creates Instagram-worthy presentations. In Paris cocktail bars, you’ll find matcha gin fizzes and matcha-infused martinis capturing both health-conscious trends and adventurous palates.
In the Forrest Gump, matcha doesn’t just add flavor – it echoes the gin’s forest concept while bridging Eastern tea traditions with French aperitif culture. It’s the kind of bold fusion that makes modern mixology so exciting.
The Recipe:
- 4 cl La Note Sauvage
- 12 cl Tonic Water
- 1 fresh strawberry (sliced)
- 2 cl Cold Brew Arabica
- 1 orange slice
- 1 grapefruit slice
- A hint of matcha tea
Shake, chill, and let your taste buds take that forest walk.
Why Your Glass Deserves This
La Note Sauvage Symphonie No. 1 isn’t just another regional curiosity collecting dust on a specialty shelf. This is proof that when precision distillation meets locally rooted botanicals and cultural storytelling, something truly special emerges.
For those who want to taste Hauts-de-France in a glass – from the wild hedgerows to the bustling café terraces – this gin offers the complete journey. It’s approachable enough for newcomers yet distinctive enough to make gin veterans pause and reconsider what French distilling can achieve.
In a world of mass-produced spirits, La Note Sauvage reminds us why terroir matters, why traditional techniques still have surprises to offer, and why occasionally the most beautiful symphonies come from the wildest places.
This is French gin swimming against the current – and we’re all better for it.
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