The phrase "small coterie" refers to a small group of people who have a close and exclusive relationship with each other. They often share common interests, opinions, or goals, and tend to stick together. Full definition
It began as a relatively small coterie of artists who all knew one another. (huffingtonpost.com)
Who cares what this completely and utterly irrelevant small coterie of self - publicists think? (independent.co.uk)
The White Rose Group was a small coterie of students (led by the brother and sister Hans and Sophie Scholl) and one of their teachers at the University of Munich who, beginning in 1942, anonymously scattered leaflets in Munich and some other German cities calling for the overthrow of the Nazi regime. (firstthings.com)