Domaine Belargus - Anjou "Treilles" Monopoly 2020

The Treilles is a full-bodied, dense, intense and tensioned yet highly finessed and elegant Chenin.

Jo Pithon resuscitated this south-facing monopole, Coteau des Treilles, in Rochefort in the late 1990s. This 2.72-hectare plot is “geological chaos” hence abandoned after the war. Located in the heart of the Pont-Barré Natural Reserve, a heaven of biodiversity that has never known chemistry, Jo brought this grand cru back on the map of the Loire's finest vineyards. Now run by Ivan Massonnat they worked to create the very first vintage, the 2018.

The 2020 Anjou Blanc Treilles draws you in with its savoury, smoky, spiced scent. Shining gold in the glass, it has a luxuriant richness on the palate while remaining dry, revealing a combination of nervous energy and salinity that shows its adolescence. Firm, taut and indefatigable, as if a Roman army is marching to a beat through your palate, it just keeps coming. This is a superbly curated wine from one of the most intriguing vineyards in the entire Loire Valley. 94 points, Rebecca Gibb, Vinous.

 100% Chenin Blanc.