The 2018 Domaine Belargus Quarts de Chaume Grand Cru Rouères is a world-class sweet wine crafted from 100% Chenin Blanc in the Loire Valley. Produced by Domaine Belargus, one of the most influential new estates in France, the wine comes from the historic Quarts de Chaume Grand Cru, the Loire's only Grand Cru appellation and widely regarded as the benchmark site for sweet Chenin Blanc.

Founded by Ivan Massonnat in 2018, Domaine Belargus has rapidly become a reference point for terroir-driven Chenin Blanc. The estate focuses on old-vine vineyards and meticulous vineyard management, with an emphasis on expressing the individuality of each parcel. Rouères is one of the estate's most prestigious holdings within Quarts de Chaume, planted on schist-rich slopes that promote both concentration and freshness.

The 2018 vintage provided ideal conditions for the development of noble rot (Botrytis cinerea), allowing for multiple selective harvest passes through the vineyard. The wine opens with aromas of apricot, candied citrus, pineapple and quince, layered with notes of acacia honey, saffron, chamomile and crushed stone. On the palate, it is rich and intensely concentrated, yet remarkably vibrant. The hallmark acidity of Chenin Blanc provides lift and precision, balancing the wine's sweetness and carrying the flavours through a long, mineral-driven finish.

"Located on the eastern side, Les Rouères is one of the three plots listed in the original decree creating the Quarts-de-Chaume Grand Cru appellation, says Ivan Massonnat. The shallow and warm soils rest on pudding sandstone (sand concretions and rolled gravel), which accumulate the heat of the day and restore it at night. This solar terroir gives birth to fruit-intense, complex and ample wines, and the Belarus 2018 Anjou Les Rouères is a great example. The intensely straw-yellow wine offers an intensely aromatic bouquet of ripe, stewed and concentrated fruits intertwined with delicate schistous notes. The Les Rouères is much more fruit intense than all the other Anjous from this exciting domaine. On the palate, this is a silky-textured, rich and elegant, dense yet well balanced, finessed and aromatic Chenin with an exceptionally long and, due to firm tannins, sustainably structured finish that fits easily into Markus Molitor's infamous "physical drinking" category. It is a dense, rich and powerful, firmly structured and enormously fruity Rochefort (or better: dry Quarts-de-Chaume) from late-harvested Chenin Blanc grapes. You shouldn't look for the purity and crushed stones and fresh fruits here. Although the wine has tension, finesse and purity, it is a rather baroque style made to enjoy in a decade and possibly for decades. 14% alcohol (according to the back label, possibly more). - Wine Advocate