Domaine de Bablut, 2018 Update
Christophe Daviau is one of the unsung heroes of Anjou. Having returned from work in Bordeaux and Australia in the 1990s, he quickly set about converting the family domaine in Brissac to biodynamic viticulture. This was all done by 1996, just a few years behind Noël Pinguet at Domaine Huet and Nicolas Joly at Château de la Roche-aux-Moines (although the domaine is perhaps more commonly referred to by the name of its most famous vineyard, the Clos de la Coulée de Serrant).
Christophe turns out a range of white, red and sweet wines. The top Anjou-Villages Brissac cuvées are usually the most striking, monovarietal (either Cabernet Franc or Cabernet Sauvignon) and from single identified terroirs (limestone for the former, schist for the latter). The various cuvées of Coteaux de l’Aubance fashioned here should also not be overlooked. Along with Domaine de Montgilet and Domaine des Rochelles, this domaine is one of the top tier producers for this appellation.
The Wines
I tasted small selection of wines with Christophe (pictured). The two white cuvées were both very successful, the 2016 Petit Princé a cool steel-fermented style, the 2014 Ordovicien showing its oak very plainly, and clearly in need to extended cellar time to absorb the wood. These wines both showed a very typical character for Christophe’s wines.
