On Wednesday, April 22nd, we were joined in Denver by Ivan Massonnat, owner of Domaine Belargus of the Loire Valley and Jon-David Headrick, his importer from JDH Selections. The duo led us through a profound exploration of the varied terroirs of Massonnat’s legendary Domaine Belargus through the lens of Chenin Blanc.

The estate was founded in 2008 in the Anjou Noir by modern Loire pioneer Jo Pithon with the goal to express the terroirs of Anjou through dry wines. Anjou Noir is a region named for its dark, volcanic soils. Pithon’s idea of producing dry wines was radical as much of the Belargus estate is in Quarts de Chaume AOC, the Loire’s only Grand Cru, and an AOC based on sweet wine production. By focusing on dry Chenin Blanc, Belargus is unburdened by the requirements of the AOC as they employ a parcel-specific, Burgundian mindset to their winemaking

Since purchasing the property from Pithon in 2018, Ivan Massonnat has assembled vineyards across the Anjou Noir in Quarts de Chaume, Ronceray, Coteaux du Layon, and Savennieres. The crown-jewel of the property is the ‘Les Treilles’ monopole, a 9 hectare vineyard patched together by Pithon from 70 individual plots managed by 25 different growers. The resulting vineyard is monumental with terraced vines staked into a steep hillside looming over the Layon. The vineyard itself lies within a wildlife preserve, biodiversity and balance with nature is key.

Massonnat has appointed Adrian Moreau (Cheval Blanc, Roederer, Harlan Estate) to lead winemaking and Amaury Chartier (Roc d’Anglade) as head viticulturist.

The template at Belargus is simple: one grape, one parcel, native yeasts, minimal SO2, and up to 3 years in neutral oak barrels.
Certified Organic.