Domaine de Bellivière, 2019 Update
Long-term subscribers who have followed my reports on Eric Nicolas over the years will already be aware of the high regard that I have for this vigneron and his wines. Quality is exemplary throughout the portfolio, and at the very top end, in particular with the Vieilles Vignes Éparses and Calligramme cuvées, this domaine is a source of some of the greatest expressions of Chenin Blanc not just in Touraine or the Loire Valley, but in the world.
Given that means I would happily rank Eric Nicolas and his wines alongside the likes of Richard Leroy, Damien Laureau, the white wines from Clos Rougeard or Thierry Germain, the leading domaines of Vouvray or Montlouis, or indeed some of the great Chenin Blancs coming out of South Africa, it should be pretty clear that these are great wines. As you might imagine, they regularly find their way into my cellar. This most recent encounter with Eric and his wines did nothing to dissuade me of these opinions.
The Wines
I focused on the newest releases from the 2017 vintage on this occasion, with a couple of older vintages for the more serious cuvées. After revisiting the 2013 Les P’tits Vélos, a trio of wines from the 2017 vintage demonstrated the quality of this vintage. The overarching style is pure, minerally and reductive, and the vintage favoured sec rather than demi-sec. The 2017 L’Effraie led the pack, but I would be very happy with a glass of the 2017 Les Rosiers or 2017 Prémices.
