Domaine Belargus

Belargus is essentially a wine lover's dream come true.

At the origin of the project: the vision of a wine enthusiast, determined to restore the prestige of a thousand-year-old vineyard, in the heart of Anjou. Built stone by stone by Ivan Massonnat, the Estate is 100% dedicated to Chenin Blanc and explores the micro-terroirs of Anjou Noir in a single-plot approach inspired by the climats of Burgundy.

From the 11th century the hillsides of Anjou, stemming from a geological chaos from the primary era, were planted in vines by religious orders. Chenin reigned supreme there and, until the 19th century, Anjou wines were served on royal tables across Europe. Then came modern times. These brought so-called technical "innovations" and their share of historic vicissitudes, which impressed a profound change on this wine region, like many others in France. But this mosaic of millenary terroirs does remain, and Domaine Belargus has chosen to reveal all its facets through an unprecedented selection of grands crus, single-plots and monopoles.

On twenty-four hectares dedicated to the noble Chenin grape, the Estate cultivates some of the most renown terroirs in Anjou, in biodynamics. Its mission is to express their quintessence through a single-plot approach. Among its most remarkable plots:

• The Quarts-de-Chaume (grand cru), centre of gravity of the Estate with ten hectares in one piece, centred around the three plots historically composing the appellation
• The "Coteau des Treilles" (monopole), a wild and steep hillside, located in the heart of a classified "Regional Natural Reserve"
• The "Clos des Ruchères" (monopole) in Savennières, planted on a rare hillside of purple schists

Respecting the vintage’s personality, Domaine Belargus produces each year a collection of dry white wines and, in exceptional years only, uses the magic of botrytis to create some sweet wines.

Ivan Massonnat fundamentally believes in the virtues of a collective approach: since inception the Belargus project has been designed as a team adventure, brining together young talents (notably winemaker Adrien Moreau and vineyard manager Amaury Chartier) and some iconic Loire pioneers (namely Jo Pithon and Guy Bossard). 

A collective energy that also serves several regional projects, with him presiding the Paulée d'Anjou (an international event aimed at promoting the excellence of Anjou), or contributing to the efforts to get “Ronceray” (dry Chenin produced in the Quarts-de-Chaume area) officially recognised as a Cru.

Early hours of the Earth. The world is taking shape. Sharp rocks emerge from geological chaos. Mosses develop, life appears, swarming; molecules at first then insects, birds, mammals. Hundreds of millions of years later, in France, the mountains from the Armorican Massif have become hillsides. On these terrestrial islets with complex geography, between the Loire and Layon rivers, men grew vines. Anjou wine was born ... and in its wake, Belargus.

Through a unique collection of grands crus, single-plots and monopoles, Domaine Belargus explores Anjou through all its micro-climates, using Chenin as its sole instrument. 

Cultivated according to the laws of biodynamics, Belargus wines bear the singularity of the millenary plots that give birth to them. They express, through each cuvée, a vibrant panorama of Anjou.

Croups sculpted by the winds, sand plateaus and sun-drenched steep hillsides make up a collection of terroirs with chiselled character. Deep beneath surface are mingling purple shists, magmatic rocks, rolled pebbles and fine clays, all giving life and complexity to the soil. The vines plunge their roots deeply to extract complexity and mineral finesse. This environment is home to a thousand native species: fragrant heather, wild flowers, medicinal plants, colourful shrubs... This microcosm also belongs, depending on the hours and the seasons, to grasshoppers and bats, to sheep and birds.

Twirling among this infinite variety of exposures and biotopes, the Belargus strolls...

It is the emblematic blue butterfly of the Estate, historic inhabitant of the famous Coteau des Treilles which impresses the wines' slight vivacity. Under its flapping wings, the hills palpitate, motionless despite the hectic life around and the passing of time.