Ivan Massonnat, the new face of the Pithon Paillé estate: the revolution of Anjou wines!

Ivan Massonnat , who has always been passionate about oenology, a passion he fuels through his professional career, decides to buy an estate and embark on the adventure.

In February 2018, Ivan met Joe Pithon at a trade fair through a friend's recommendation and learned that Joe was retiring and looking for someone to take over his estate. The next day, Ivan visited the Pithon Paillé estate, fell in love with the slopes of Les Treilles, and decided that his winemaking adventure would begin there.

Coteaux des Treilles, a jewel in Anjou

Long neglected due to the complexity of viticulture work, the Treilles hillsides are a magical place recreated 20 years ago by Joe Pithon, who bought 70 plots and grouped them into one on the Coteaux du Layon , above the eponymous river, facing due south.

This now iconic plot is planted exclusively with the flagship white grape variety of the Loire : Chenin Blanc. Located in the heart of a protected reserve, this gem now rivals the emblematic Coulée de Serrant appellation.

After this acquisition, everything moved very quickly. With Joe's advice, Ivan managed to buy a quarter of the Quarts-de-Chaume appellation in one single block—a real stroke of luck! He also acquired several vineyards in the Savennières appellation to produce single-vineyard wines. Ivan therefore harvested his first vintage in 2018, a year that proved particularly favorable for the harvest!

From the very beginning, Ivan wanted to leave his mark on the estate and so he started renaming it. On the slopes of Les Treilles there is a variety of blue butterfly called the Bellargus, and that's where the estate's name came from!

Ivan decided to showcase a single grape variety that he greatly appreciates: Chenin. Produced in both dry and sweet styles, he tries to bring out the quintessence of each terroir through 6 single-vineyard cuvées for his dry wines and 5 for his sweet wines.

Regarding vineyard management, Joe Pithon had already been working organically for several years, but Ivan decided to go further and embrace biodynamics . With the invaluable help of Guy Bossard, a pioneer of biodynamics in the Loire Valley, he obtained his Demeter certification in 1998.

Even though Ivan clearly puts his stamp on the estate, he decides to keep the emblematic wines of the Pithon Paillé estate such as Grololo, Mozaïque or Brut de Chenin which are the legacy of Joe.

Ivan chose a young team to work with him on his estate, with an average age of under 30 among his seven employees. What do they all have in common? A love of wine, curiosity, and a desire to taste!

Chenin, an extraordinary grape variety

Recognized as a very great grape variety by enthusiasts and unfortunately little known to the general public, Chenin is Ivan's spearhead in promoting Anjou wines.

More than ever, people are seeking fresh, vibrant wines and eager to discover new terroirs and regions. And it's with its acidic structure, which provides the necessary balance for a truly age-worthy wine, that Chenin Blanc manages to rival the world's greatest white wines! With recent trends toward reduced meat consumption and the threat of climate change, Loire Valley white wines are in the spotlight more than ever.

And according to Ivan, there's nothing better than working together to achieve this, which is why this year he's taking on the presidency of the Paulée de l'Anjou. Ivan intends to seize the opportunity to make it a tool for raising the region's profile, and it's a real success!

On Sunday, June 30th at the Coulée de Serrant, more than 500 people are expected by around sixty winemakers from the Loire Valley as well as by starred chefs from the region and presided over this year by Pascaline Lepeltier and Paz Levinson, 2 huge references in the world of wine!

The time for Anjou has arrived, according to Ivan!