2018 Domaine Belargus Roueres Anjou

Domaine Belargus is the realisation of a dream by former Parisian investor Ivan Massonnat. While it was his love and respect for Burgundy that ignited his passion for wine, his family connection to Chinon opened his eyes to the potential of Chenin Blanc from the great terroirs of the Loire Valley. A chance encounter with retiring vigneron Jo Pithon lead the pair to meet at the foot of the legendary Coteau des Treilles vineyard one frosty morning, and the fate of each was sealed. Further acquisitions followed, including one quarter of Les Quarts in the historic heart of the Quarts-de-Chaume appellation, along with sites across the river in Savennières. This new estate is 100% dedicated to Chenin Blanc and celebrates the grape's versatility regarding terroirs and wine style. Ivan has installed a young team, and together they are currently converting to biodynamics, with a single-plot approach inspired by Ivan's first love: Burgundy.

Adapting their approach each vintage, the various plots are harvested at their optimum maturity at incredibly low yields of around 25 hectolitres per hectare. Fermentation occurs in barrel using indigenous yeasts, and can last from less than a month to more than a year, depending on each plot and the vintage characteristics. This is one of the most exciting new ventures in France today, and should appease lovers of high quality, terroir specific wines.

“Les Rouères” is one of the three plots listed in the original decree creating the Quarts-de-Chaume appellation, on the eastern side. The soils, thin and hot, rest on pudding sandstone (sand concretions and rolled gravel) accumulating the heat of the day and restoring it at night. This solar terroir gives birth to charming, ample and complex wines.

Other Reviews....
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). Tasted in June 2021. Drink 2030 - 2060.
95 points
Stephan Reinhardt - Wine Advocate (Jul 2021)

This is produced from a special type of soil with pudding stones, which makes for powerful wines. A complex nose – floral, gentian and spices – for this racy yet fleshy, dense wine. The texture is superb, with a succulent roundness, some beguiling bitterness and an overall precision and impressive freshness with a menthol flourish. Great ageing potential. Drinking Window 2025 - 2035.
93 points
Yohan Castaing - Decanter

This cuvée is sourced from Les Rouères, one of the domaine’s parcels in the Quarts de Chaume zone, where the slope ranges from 10% to 30%. The 2.96 hectares of vines are planted on warm soils over conglomerate rocks known as poudingue, or puddingstone. At the time of tasting this was still in élevage, this sample drawn from a ten-year-old barrel. It has a focused nose, elegant with notes of elderflower and an effusive minerality suggested. There follows great harmony on the palate, fresh and charming, again full of convincing minerality here, with no real impact from the oak. The middle shows focused and tightly expressed energy with lots of vivacious acidity, wrapping up a core of peach and mirabelle fruits. Really nice potential here.
93-95 points
Chris Kissack - Winedoctor