2003 Petra Alba2003 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.
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.
