Domaine Belargus

Escaping the Parisian rat race, Ivan bought a house in the Loire and discovered the excellence of its, often overlooked, wines. He wanted to play a role in their promotion and have his own chance to explore terroir expressions of a single variety – in this case, Chenin Blanc. His first purchase was revered Loire winemaker, Jo Pithon’s Coteau des Treilles vineyard and Jo remains one of Ivan’s closest advisors at Domaine Belargus. Indigenous to the Coteau des Treilles, it is the blue Belargus butterfly which lends the domaine its name.

Soon after, Ivan acquired 10 hectares in the Quarts de Chaume – the Loire’s only Grand Cru appellation. The Grand Cru classification only applies to sweet wines, so Ivan’s Chenin Blanc vineyards here produce the domaine’s ambrosian sweet wines.

Domaine Belargus now has over 20 hectares of Chenin Blanc vineyards, producing 15 cuvées of dry and sweet wines. Already certified organic, it is also farmed biodynamically and in the process of acquiring full biodynamic certification.