Domaine Belargus

Domaine Belargus sits in the Loire Valley’s Anjou appellation. It is owner Ivan Massonat’s labour of love. His grandfather farmed a small vineyard where the family lived in Savoie, so wine was always familiar to Ivan. It was Burgundy that first stole Ivan’s heart, however – how the region could produce such varied expressions of one grape variety fascinated him.

Escaping the Parisian rat race, Ivan bought a house in the Loire and discovered the excellence of its, often overlooked, wines. He wanted to play a role in their promotion and have his own chance to explore terroir expressions of a single variety – in this case, Chenin Blanc. His first purchase was revered Loire winemaker, Jo Pithon’s Coteau des Treilles vineyard and Jo remains one of Ivan’s closest advisors at Domaine Belargus. Indigenous to the Coteau des Treilles, it is the blue Belargus butterfly which lends the domaine its name.

Soon after, Ivan acquired 10 hectares in the Quarts de Chaume – the Loire’s only Grand Cru appellation. The Grand Cru classification only applies to sweet wines, so Ivan’s Chenin Blanc vineyards here produce the domaine’s ambrosian sweet wines.

Domaine Belargus now has over 20 hectares of Chenin Blanc vineyards, producing 15 cuvées of dry and sweet wines. Already certified organic, it is also farmed biodynamically and in the process of acquiring full biodynamic certification.

Savennières

Savennières is a tiny white Anjou appellation (comprising Savennières, Savennières-Coulée-de-Serrant, and Savennières-Roche-aux-Moines) revered for its dry, full-bodied Chenin Blanc wines, grown on the ancient schistous/volcanic soils on the southern banks of the Loire. The best are hand-harvested by trie (often with a degree of noble rot), before being pressed and aged in oak barrels. Domaine du Closel is a good source.

Chenin Blanc

Chenin Blanc is an important white grape variety planted in the Anjou-Saumur and Touraine regions of the Loire Valley and the most widely planted varietal grape in South Africa.

In the Loire it produces high quality dry wines in Savenniéres, and luscious sweet, dessert wines in Coteaux du Layon, Bonnezeaux and Quarts de Chaume. In Vouvray and Montlouis it can be dry, medium dry, or sweet, and still or sparkling. Whether dry or sweet, the best Loire Chenin Blancs possess marvellously concentrated rich, honeyed fruit together with refreshingly vibrant acidity. It is Chenin Blanc's high acidity that enable the wines to age so well.

In South Africa Chenin Blanc is easier to grow and is prized for its versatility. It is used as a cheap blending option with Chardonnay, Colombard, and Muscat but also bottled unblended. The best producers keep their yields low and produce impressive mouthfilling wines.