Coteaux du Layon 2023 Belargus

The Coteaux-du-Layon 2023 from Domaine Belargus is the entry point and most approachable blend from this biodynamic Angevin estate, founded in 2018 by Ivan Massonnat's passion for Coteau des Treilles, and now one of the most ambitious and admired addresses in the entire Loire Valley vineyard. A moelleux Chenin of remarkable sweetness, freshness and fruity complexity, sourced from the estate's different Coteaux du Layon parcels across three villages. A supremely elegant expression of the moelleux style, according to Wine Spectator.

Terroir and vines

This Coteaux-du-Layon is a blend of 6.51 hectares of Chenin parcels spread across three communes of the Layon, Saint-Lambert du Lattay, Beaulieu-sur-Layon and Saint-Aubin de Luigné. These clay and schist hillsides of Anjou Noir, facing due south on the banks of the Layon, benefit from a warm, dry microclimate that naturally encourages noble rot on Chenin berries late in the season. The entire Belargus vineyard is farmed in certified biodynamics, free from synthetic chemicals, in absolute respect for biodiversity and natural cycles. Yields are deliberately low, around 25 hectolitres per hectare. Winemaking is non-interventionist, manual harvest at optimal ripeness, fermentation in barrel with indigenous yeasts, without stirring or racking. Ageing is long, between one and three years depending on vintage, in varied containers of 228 and 400 litre barrels and demi-muids, to develop the natural complexity and depth of Chenin.

Tasting profile

The robe is a brilliant golden gold, luminous and visually rich. The nose is immediately generous and aromatically complex, with aromas of pineapple, spices, caramel, exotic fruits and blood orange opening with remarkable frankness and sweetness. Notes of quince paste, honey and white flowers gradually enrich this bouquet with natural depth. On the palate, the wine is supremely elegant in the moelleux style, round and supple, with a gourmand and fruity mid-palate, supported by a natural fresh acidity that is well-integrated, bringing tension, balance and persistence. The finish is penetrating, fresh and pleasantly long, with discreet noble bitterness that balances the natural sweetness of residual sugars. A moelleux of remarkable drinkability and precision for its level.

The estate

Domaine Belargus was born in 2018 from Ivan Massonnat's passion, a financier who fell in love one February morning that same year with Coteau des Treilles, 70 per cent slope to master, anchored in unique geological chaos, a parcel that has never known chemicals and harbours 2,200 different species in a Mediterranean microclimate more than two degrees warmer than surrounding villages. Ivan acquires the estate from Jo Pithon, the legendary winemaker who had resurrected these hillsides abandoned after the war, and surrounds himself with a team of passionate individuals including winemaker Adrien Moreau. His ambition is unique, to produce exclusively Chenin Blancs from the finest terroirs of Anjou Noir, in a parcel-specific approach inspired by Burgundy's Climats, with rigorous biodynamics and unadulterated winemaking.

Food pairings

This Coteaux-du-Layon pairs beautifully with semi-cooked foie gras with citrus, warm apple tarte Tatin, blue-veined cheese such as Roquefort or Fourme d'Ambert, crêpes Suzette or a dessert with exotic fruits. It will also be delicious slightly chilled, between 8 and 10 °C, as a prestige apéritif with a few bites of pan-seared foie gras. Served between 10 and 12 °C, it will reveal all the fruity sweetness, natural freshness and elegance of a Loire moelleux from one of the most ambitious and admired biodynamic estates in the Angevin vineyard.