Domaine Belargus

Anjou AOC Rouères (Sec)

"Les Rouères" is one of the three plots originally listed in the decree creating the Quarts-de-Chaume appellation. Domaine Belargus’s plot covers nearly 3 Ha of the total area, exposed on the South-Eastern slope of the rump of Quarts-de-Chaume. The thin and warm soils rest on ‘pudding-stones’ (sand concretions and rolled gravel), accumulating heat during the day and releasing it during the night. This dry cuvée is made from the earlier harvested semi-botrytized grapes while the remainder go into the grand cru dessert wine. Fermented to dry, this muscular chenin brings this powerful terroir to life, replete with the roundness and solar power of those famed pudding-stones.

A fine salinity, signature of this terroir, brings complexity and length on the finish. “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.” Best enjoyed between 2025-2035.

2020: "Delicate notes of honey and a touch of butter, along with a hint of wood within a vibrant texture. The long, elegant finish is currently a little closed, so needs more time or should be decanted before drinking. The southeast-facing Rouères parcel is 2.98ha and was planted between 1979 and 1985 in loamy clays over puddingstone. The parcel was picked on 14 September with a yield of 25 hl/ha. Fermented and aged in demi-muids and barriques averaging five years old for 14 months and bottled in November 2021." —Jim Budd, 94 points, Decanter