2003 Petra Alba

2003 Petra Alba, Anjou Villages Brissac
2003 Anjou Blanc

During the past few days we’ve enjoyed these two wines from Christophe Daviau’s Domaine de Bablut (Brissac–Quincé). The Daviau family have been vignerons here since 1546. The domaine is now biodynamic.

Both wines are marked by 2003, the year of the heat wave in France, particularly during August. In the Loire the vintage was the earliest since 1893 with picking beginning in the Pays Nantais, Touraine, Quincy and Reuilly around 18th August. Even in Sancerre the vintage started in early September.

We drank the 2003 Petra Alba, which is 100% Cabernet Franc grown on limestone, with a simply roasted free-range chicken. Deep coloured and with rich, full fruit – plums and prunes. Tasted blind you would think that this comes from the south of France – the effect of the sunshine and high temperatures of 2003. For me, although CRM disagreed, there is a slightly roasted quality to the fruit particularly in finish that detracts a little from the wine, although it still a very enjoyable bottle.



The 2003 barrel-fermented and aged Anjou Blanc (100% Chenin Blanc) is the more successful wine. It has a lovely golden colour, rich honeyed fruit with just a touch of oxidative evolution that adds to the complexity. Unlike a number of 2003 whites it has enough freshness and acidity in the finish to balance the rich fruit. We drank it as an aperitif but it would I’m sure be a great match with richly sauced fish dishes or grilled sea bass or similar. Along with a number of other Anjou producers this is further evidence that, despite the poor image of Anjou Blanc, it is certainly possible to make very fine whites here from 100% Chenin Blanc.

Christophe now makes two cuvées of Anjou Blanc – Ordovicien which is the equivalent of the above, spending 12 months in barriques and bottled around 18 months after the harvest – and Petit Princé, which is bottled earlier, around nine months.

Name plate outside Château Pierre-Bise

Just got back to the Hotel du Mail after a busy day – four excellent visits starting with Claude Papin, then Vincent Ogereau, followed by Domaine des Rochelles – Jean-Yves, Jean-Hubert and Anita Lebreton – and Christophe Daviau to finish. Now off to Le Relais for dinner with Sarah Ahmed (the wine detective), Chris Kissack (the wine doctor), Neil Irvine (HG Wines) and Tom King (RSJ Restaurant).

The four visits provided not only the opportunity to see how the 2008s and some of the 2007s are developing but also raised anumber of very interesting issues including a detailed explanation from Claude Papin about the harmful effects of working the soil, several mentions of the use of osmosis machines in Anjou during the 2008 harvest to convert grapes picked at around 14˚ natural into sweet wines, and the possibility of the Coteaux de l'Aubance banning chaptalisation. Clearly all themes to return to in more detail but if the Coteaux de l'Aubance do have the courage to ban the chaptalisation in the making of sweet wine – then bravo you will have put a stop to an aberration! Hopefully the Coteaux du Layon would rapidly follow your example.

Claude Papin: "Le travail du sol is an aberration"

Similarly the use of osmosis machines, if indeed they have been used and Jim's Loire would be delighted to hear from any Anjou producer who has used them, surely undermines the hard work that a good number of Anjou producers have put into the remarkable renaissance of quality sweet wine in Anjou since 1985.

A quick call this evening to Christophe Daviau, Domaine de Bablut, to find out how the vintage is progressing. The Daviau family have been at the Bablut in the market town of Brissac since 1546 – an estate agent’s nightmare!

Christophe: “We are still harvesting. We have finished the Cabernet Sauvignon – the last grapes were picked on Friday. The Cabernet Sauvignon was very ripe including the pips and skins and this year is much more evenly ripe than the Cabernet Franc, which is decidedly variable. I expect that there will be a 2008 Rocca Nigra (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) but am less sure about whether we will release a Petra Alba (Cabernet Franc on calcaire – limestone) in 2008. As usual the Cabernet Franc on calcaire is later in ripening.

Cabernet Sauvignon vines@Brissac
overlooking the L'Aubance Valley

“There is still not much juice in the grapes. Yields are about two thirds of what I had anticipated – about 25-30 h/ha for the Cabernet Sauvignon.”

“We didn’t pick this morning as there was a little rain but I expect we will start picking the Cabernet Franc tomorrow morning and finish on Friday. We picked the Chenin for the Anjou Blanc on Thursday and Friday of last week. It was a good thing we did as noble rot really developed over Saturday and Sunday. As for the Coteaux de l’Aubance I expect that we will begin on Friday and we’ll pick Monday and Tuesday – the forecast is good until Wednesday. Noble rot is now developing. I might release a little Grandpierre (Christophe’s single vineyard L’Aubance, which has a wonderfully mineral character, but there will be very little as the parcel was frosted.

It’s is a problem getting some of the grapes fully phonologically ripe as most of the leaves have now fallen off – because the vines started to anticipate winter early due to the cool temperatures in August. Also, of course, the vintage is later than in recent years.”