Anjou Through the Lens of Chenin with Ivan Massonnat

This episode highlights the beautiful region of Anjou Noir, located in Loire Valley, France. Ivan Massonat joins the conversation and brings insight to the region, the geology, and even a bit of history and culture. 

Massonat became a vintner by passion. He was a Parisian businessman originally from the region of Savoie in the French Alps. Thus, he was always surrounded by wine and at one point in his life he’s become obsessed with it. His passion led him to invest in a few winery projects by his winemaker friends. And then in 2018, he purchased the estate of the Loire trailblazer, Jo Pithon, as well as several other parcels. This is when he created Domaine Belargus.

The idea behind this project is to portray the diversity of microterroirs in the Anjou area. As the vehicle, or the instrument as Massonat likes to call it, they chose Chenin Blanc. Many professionals would agree that Chenin is a perfect grape variety to display the terroir.