Domaine de Bellivière, 2025 Update
My tasting of the latest releases from Domaine de Bellivière earlier this year cemented in my mind the transition from one generation to the next, as Eric Nicolas and his wife Christine were notable by their absence. The domaine is now run by their son Clément Nicolas and his wife, Laure-Anne.
Of course, this transition was always on the cards, ever since Clément joined his parents in their work back in 2015, and the young couple stepped into this role in 2021. Nevertheless, it is something of a jolt to see it made real. I always enjoyed tasting with Eric and Christine, and not just for the wines; of all the photographs I have snapped during my thirty years of Loire Valley visits and tastings, those I have of Eric Nicolas are among my favourites. Eric was always ready for a soft-focus portrait with a suitably angelic expression; he was more photogenic than perhaps he realised.
But now this is the domaine of Clément and Laure-Anne, and I am happy to see they have been tweaking the portfolio of wines here, making it their own. On this occasion I took notice of two significant developments.
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