2018 Anjou Blanc Coteau des Treilles

The south-facing 2.72-hectare monopole Coteau des Treilles in Rochefort was resuscitated at the end of the 1990s by Jo Pithon from Domaine Pithon, once famous for world-class noble sweet wines from the Coteaux du Layon. Abandoned after the war because of its 30% to 70% steep slopes, this south-facing hillside is based on "geological chaos," as Ivan Massonnat puts it. "The subsoils are made up of magmatic rocks, schists, pudding stone and ancient limestones. ... This plot is located in the heart of the Pont-Barré Natural Reserve, a heaven of biodiversity that has never known chemistry and is home to exceptional flora and fauna, observed as early as the 18th century by Angevin botanists." I remember well my first visit here 17 years ago when I was deeply impressed by the vineyard and Jo's initiative to bring this grand cru back on the map of the Loire's finest vineyards. I have always adored Jo's wines from this cru, but the Belargus 2018 Anjou Coteau des Treilles seems to top everything that I have known from here. Intensely golden-yellow in color, the wine opens with a pure, refined and elegant yet intense and flinty nose of perfectly ripe yet fine fruits that intermingle with the schistous terroir as well as pastry and lemon/orange-scented fruit aromas. Filigreed and intense on the refined and elegant palate, this is a full-bodied, dense, intense and tensioned yet highly finessed and elegant Chenin with elderflower and orange blossom flavors at this early stage and a delicate tannin structure. The wine is rich and intense but always stimulating, with great finesse and elegance as well as long and juicy, wonderfully concentrated fruit. Everything is in great harmony, and any serious wine lover should at least taste this beauty.

A monopole of just under 3ha, south-facing, with pudding-stone and arenite on spilite terroirs. A complex nose, rather Mediterranean in style, with notes of apricot, white peach, rockrose and iodine. The entry is mouth-coating, fleshy yet crystalline so the texture is fine-grained and perfectly balanced. A magical, elegant wine with excellent ageing potential.

Not a powerhouse, and a bit restrained at first, but with air, this opens up beautifully, allowing the notes of peach, ginger and yellow plum to emerge tied to a bony frame. The complexity makes this almost a philosophical drink, but a bright mineral note and the alluring, mouthwatering edge bring back the immediate enjoyment. Superlong and harmonious, but the slight crunch on the finish suggests this could benefit from more aging. Best from 2023 through 2035. 333 cases made. –AZ