Detailed Description
The wine opens with an intense yet refined and schistous bouquet of crushed stones intermingled with notes of lemon oil. Silky and crystalline on the palate, this is a fresh and tensioned, very mineral yet very elegant and refined Chenin that reveals a complexity and terroir character that is worthy of a grand cru.
Reviews:
- Wine Advocate: From the Layon Valley, the golden-yellow 2018 Anjou Clos des Bonnes Blanches is from a late-ripening vineyard that is located on a slight north-facing slope on talcous schists covered with clay and white quartz pebbles. The wine opens with an intense yet refined and schistous bouquet of crushed stones intermingled with notes of lemon oil. Silky and crystalline on the palate, this is a fresh and tensioned, very mineral yet very elegant and refined Chenin that reveals a complexity and terroir character that is worthy of a grand cru. Full-bodied, long and expressive, with fine tannins and lingering grip, the Bonnes Blanches is lifted by the crystalline and salty acidity and structured by its fine tannins and sur lie texture. This is an exceptional Bonnes Blanches that should have great aging potential.
Producer Information
In 1978, the bubbly and brawny Jo Pithon started his first winery, Domaine Pithon, in the Loire Valley appellation of Anjou. In 2008, he reimagined the family business to form Pithon-Paillé and now in 2019 Jo made the difficult decision to sell the estate to a new, but deeply dedicated owner: Ivan Massonnat. While no longer the formal head of the estate, Jo will remain heavily involved in decision-making, as well as the production of some of Pithon-Paillé’s most celebrated wines. Bringing aboard the young, but immensely talented Adrien Moreau was the final piece of the puzzle for Domaine Belargus, and the team is eager to get started, with the 2018 vintage representing the first for the nascent Domaine. Together, they have formed the brand new “Domaine Belargus”, a name referring to the rare, beautiful blue butterflies found in the region. Currently they farm 26 hectares of their own land, having recently purchased an additional 13 hectares in Quarts de Chaume and Savennieres AOCs. The monopole vineyard, “Le Coteau des Treilles” remains the gem of the estate, representing an unofficial Grand Cru in terms of dry Chenin Blanc production. All of their grapes are farmed organically. Masters of some of the region’s rare, single-vineyard Chenin Blancs and Cabernet Francs, they take their cues from Burgundy where each parcel is prized for its unique character—a concept that is still relatively new to the Loire. Their wines are made as naturally as possible using only one-third of the permitted doses of sulfur. Straight, layered, fresh, balanced and textured, their wines showcase the pedigree of the terroir, and the bright future of this estate.
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