Baptiste Cousin

Baptiste Cousin, Anjou's independent winemaker

Doué-en-Anjou / Martigné-Briand, a revisited tradition

Baptiste Cousin embodies a modern and profound voice in the Anjou vineyard. Son of Olivier Cousin, a major figure in the natural wine movement in the Loire, he decided in 2012 to settle in Martigné-Briand, now part of Doué-en-Anjou, to take over and develop the family plots of the locality Boisairault — today known as Le Batossay.

Very early influenced by encounters with winemakers such as Yves Canarelli, Jean-Claude Lapalu, and Antoine Foucault, Baptiste chose certified organic viticulture (AB & Nature et Progrès), conducted manually and with horses, and vinification with minimal intervention, true to the peasant spirit and respectful of life.

Natural wines, terroir, and fruit energy

The estate currently spans approximately 4–4.5 old hectares, planted with chenin, gamay, grolleau, grolleau gris, cabernet franc, and sometimes other traditional Anjou grape varieties. The soils mix schist, sand, clay, and limestone, giving the wines a mineral vibration, balanced freshness, and frank energy.

In the cellar, Baptiste vinifies without added sulfites, unfiltered, and unfined, with pressing on old presses and often whole-cluster macerations. His cuvées reflect a purity of fruit, a direct expression of the terroir, and an ability to deliver lively, sincere, and highly drinkable wines.