Domaine Belargus is one of the most ambitious and precisely-operated biodynamic estates in the Loire Valley, established from the vineyards of the legendary Jo Pithon in Anjou and producing exclusively Chenin Blanc wines from the greatest terroirs of the ‘Anjou Noir’ zone on the schist-dominated soils near Angers. The estate takes its name from a rare butterfly associated with the same limestone meadow habitats that characterise the finest Anjou terroir, and its philosophy is articulated through an extraordinarily detailed approach to individual vineyard sites: each parcel is farmed separately, harvested at precise moments of ripeness and vinified to express its own geological identity without recourse to oak or correction. Ivan Massonnat, who established Belargus in 2017, has rapidly positioned the domaine as one of the reference producers of serious Chenin Blanc anywhere in France.

Quarts de Chaume is the Loire Valley’s only Grand Cru appellation for still white wine, a 47-hectare hillside site in the commune of Rochefort-sur-Loire whose schist soils and specific exposure to the morning humidity from the Layon river create conditions for the development of botrytis cinerea and the production of Chenin Blanc of extraordinary sweetness, concentration and ageing potential. Belargus’s interpretation of Quarts de Chaume is harvested in multiple passes through the vineyard to ensure optimal selection of botrytised berries at peak concentration, and the resulting wine is vinified without intervention to allow the terroir’s character to express itself with maximum fidelity. The 2021 vintage in the Loire was excellent, producing dessert wines of fine balance between richness and freshness.

James Suckling has reviewed the 2021 Belargus Quarts de Chaume and described it as “a dense, oily, caressing and harmonious chenin” with “beautiful freshness at the centre despite the viscous texture.” The wine-searcher aggregate score for the 2021 vintage is 95/100 across reviewers. The Quarts de Chaume Grand Cru from Belargus is one of the most discussed and sought-after expressions of sweet Chenin Blanc in the Loire Valley, combining the theoretical prestige of France’s most exclusive still wine Grand Cru with the practical ambition of one of the Loire’s most uncompromising modern estates.

Deep gold with an intense, viscous nose of baked apricot, crystallised peach, honey, saffron, ginger bread and the distinctive schist mineral depth of the Quarts de Chaume terroir. Full-bodied, oily and caressing on the palate with extraordinary concentration, beautiful natural acidity providing structure and freshness, and a very long, complex, mineral finish of exceptional purity and persistence. Best from 2028 through 2060.