After having occupied the position of head sommelier in a beautiful establishment in Occitania, Brian Devaux currently officiates in Lorraine with the starred restaurant Toya. Professional and passionate, he won the title of “Sommelier” of the Grand Est at the end of the Gault & Millau Tour 2018.
Un geek du vin
Brian Devaux has a passion for wine. Trained at the Lycée Hôtelier Jean Monnet in Libourne, then at the Lycée d'hôtellerie et de tourisme de Gascogne in Talence, he took his first classes in the heart of the Bordeaux vineyards. Met as head sommelier at theHotel Restaurant Castet located in Martres-Tolosane, he now exercises his talents in the Lorraine region with the starred restaurant Toya, in Faulquemont. His outlook on the profession is both learned and offbeat: rather than endorsing the strict title of sommelier, he defines himself with the originality of his generation as a wine geek. This subtlety of language establishes an attitude for him: rather than highlighting the in-depth knowledge of sommellerie, he approaches his profession as a generous act of sharing. For Brian Devaux, wine must above all be unifying and accessible, in terms of both cost and quality.
Typical wines and typical wines
Brian Devaux's discourse on viticulture is of great maturity and just spontaneity, similar to the estates and chateaux he loves. Because wine is first and foremost a product of the earth transformed by man. This means that the terroir is always first in the art of winemaking, and that the value of a wine depends first of all on the respect accorded to the work of nature. All this testifies to a spirit of the times in which we see dawning in the work of the vineyard a return to the typicity of the terroirs which involves the restoration of local grape varieties. To the typical wines, referring by convention to classic grand crus, Brian Devaux opposes the typical wine, that is to say the identity wine which is distinguished by the signature of the terroir and the generations of winegrowers who have preserved its authenticity. Because the stake is capital: not only is it a commitment for a greater respect for the land, but it is also the motivation to restore ancestral wine cultures.
Brian Devaux's “favorite” selection
Generous in his approach, concerned with the greatest possible sharing, Brian Devaux's advice turns to wines from Occitania that we could say of initiation, suitable to support the emotion of the present moment.
Gaillac
Chateau Clément Termes
A domain that has the know-how of seven generations, the typicity of the blends of which is determined by their alliance with ancestral grape varieties including Mauzac or pruneart.
Chateau Clément Termes
Domaine Plageoles
With Bernard Plageolles we open the bible of the Gaillac vineyard. The wine that rises there in the oak barrels of the Grésigne forest is a hymn to the local terroir. To remember in particular the Mauzac Nature, resulting from the ancestral “Gaillacoise” vinification. Or the Prunelart aged in traditional vatting, seeded with indigenous yeasts, organically grown at the source.
Domaine Plageoles
Cotes de Gascony
Lagajan Estate
Chosen for its reds, matured to the stage of complex and dynamic wines on the palate, expressing all the generosity of the southwest.
Lagajan Estate
UBY domain
The sommelier recommends One Petit Manseng, compatible with the spirit of an aperitif wine, conducive to whetting the appetite.
Delicate profile, ample and fresh on the palate, with an aromatic expression of exotic fruits ...
Domain of Pellehaut
The reputation of Pellehaut is well established for white wines. So our favorite will be the Harmonie Rosé, a blend of Tannat, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. A wine rich in minerality and fruity intensities from which emerge nuances of raspberry or red fruits.
Cahors
Chateau Haut-Monplaisir
A vinification concentrated on a 100% Malbec, expressing the virtues of the sunshine of the Cahors estates. To be allowed to age so that its intense and vintage accents are expressed.
Clos Triguedina
An estate that bears the mark of several generations of winegrowers, of which Jean-Luc Baldès is the current heir. An authentic vinification, which explores in depth the resources of the vine. Superb wines served by sincere authenticity.