Septime la Cave – Introduction

Septime la Cave is a small, sparse bar and cave quite close to its mothership Septime. It serves a short, but nicely conceived list of wines by the glass at very reasonable prices, or you can buy a bottle from the shelves that line two walls and they will open it for you at a very modest mark-up. They also serve small snacks which are quite delicious.

Septime la Cave is also a great place to sit and enjoy a glass of natural wine while you are waiting for your booking at either Septime or Clamato, both of which are quite close.

It is a great service, especially if you turn up wanting to dine at Clamato – it is so popular that there is almost always a wait for a table here. However the staff are very good at taking your number and giving you an estimate of how long the wait will be so that you can enjoy your experience at Septime la Cave. In fact, according to Google Maps, it is 40 metres from one to the other which it estimates will take you a leisurely 1 minute to walk.

The only issue is that they are not open on Sunday evening and Monday evening so you will have to find an alterative location if you go to Clamato on Sunday night which is a very good option as many places in Paris are closed on Sundays.

The food menu is not extensive but, of course, the main focus is on the wine here. However, the offerings they do provide are of the highest quality. We have enjoyed such dishes as a delightful 24 month old comté cheese from the Jura (which was accompanied by some delicious fig chutney) and a terrine of porc noir de Bigorre which was sensational.

Bigorre, where the pigs are raised, is that stunningly beautiful area in the south-west of France that lies between the town of Pau and the Spanish border.

We have also tried the anchovy and ricotta dish which saw three, high-quality anchovy fillets draped over a mound of very nice ricotta and sprinkled with puffed buckwheat. We also enjoyed a slab of foie gras – studded in the centre with little pieces of smoked eel, some excellent slices of pancetta and a charcuterie plate with some excellent house-smoked duck slices.

To accompany these dishes you might choose the excellent Gringet from Domaine Gringet in the Savoie or a Pet Nat from Herve Villemade or one of the stunning wines from Occhipinti. We have also seen wines from the Mosse family, the delicious wines of Patrick Bouju from the Auvergne, the truly beautiful Champagne offerings from Selosse, the exciting wines of Geschickt from Alsace and the beautiful wines of Fanny Sabre from Burgundy.

Actually, whatever is on offer is of the highest quality with all of the wines available being the best of the natural wine community in France, Italy and beyond.

There are not many stools and the bar is not very big, but the vibe here is excellent and the food and wine what you would expect from the Septime team.

There are usually 10 choices by the glass for those who do not want to enjoy an entire bottle or who want to try a few different wines, maybe from different locations in France or different countries.

You can check their opening hours and other details such as their “blackboard of the day” on their Web site here.

We have included this venue in our article on the best natural wine bars to visit in France here.