Benoit Lalanne

History of the Benoit Lalanne estate

Benoît Lalanne's path toward the vine is one of total and passionate reinvention. A trained medical biologist, he decided to leave a profession whose evolution no longer suited him, turning instead toward viticulture and working with the land. His passion for the wines of the Loire, and in particular for the Chenins of Richard Leroy, naturally guided him toward Montbenault. He undertook a training course in viticulture and enology at the Institut Agro de Dijon, by distance learning, while working for three years alongside Richard Leroy, the guiding figure of Angevin Chenin, of whom he also became a neighboring plot owner on this legendary terroir.

In 2022, Benoît produced his first vintage after obtaining 70 ares on the Noëls de Montbenault hillside, a plot yielded by Joël Ménard of the Domaine des Sablonnettes, farmed organically for many years. As early as 2023, he expanded his vineyard with the acquisition of two additional plots on the Quarts des Noëls, planted in 1962 and 1964, enabling him to produce a second distinct cuvée. Richard Leroy continues to accompany and advise him in his winemaking, ensuring a precious transmission of the expertise of this exceptional terroir.

Terroirs and Vines of the Benoit Lalanne estate

Benoît Lalanne's plots are located on two adjoining lieux-dits on the Montbenault hillside, in Faye-d'Anjou, in the Anjou: Les Noëls de Montbenault and Les Quarts des Noëls. Les Noëls de Montbenault rest on a soil of rhyolite, a pale and ancient volcanic rock particularly rich in quartz, which gives the wines mineral precision, a pronounced salinity and a characteristic electric tension. This rare volcanic-origin terroir is one of the most mythical in the entire Loire, shared with Richard Leroy, whose Chenins have achieved worldwide renown. Les Quarts des Noëls present a slightly different profile, with a slightly more clay-rich soil that is also very high in quartz, yielding wines that are deeper and more lush in their expression.

Benoît tends his vines using biodynamic farming, with a rigorous and demanding approach: severe pruning and desuckering to drastically limit yields to a maximum of 10 to 12 clusters per vine, soil work that respects living matter, and the pursuit of precise, on-the-edge ripeness in order to harvest before any appearance of botrytis. Harvesting is exclusively manual. The vineyard, made up of several plots with old vines, represents a very small total surface area, which explains the extreme scarcity of volumes produced.

Winemaking at the Benoit Lalanne estate

Benoît Lalanne's winemaking is faithful to the spirit of the Montbenault terroir and to the teachings received from Richard Leroy: absolute minimalism, pure expression of rock and fruit. The grapes are harvested as whole bunches, pressed directly in a pneumatic press, followed by a light natural settling overnight. The juices begin their fermentation in tank on indigenous yeasts, and once the fermentative dynamic is well established, they are placed into 228-liter Burgundian barrels for the remainder of the aging process. No sulfur is added at any stage of the winemaking.

For Les Noëls de Montbenault, aging in barrels (including one third new barrels) lasts approximately 12 months, then the wine is racked for blending and continues its bulk aging in stainless steel tanks for approximately 6 months. For Les Quarts des Noëls, aging combines new and old barrels depending on the vintage, for a result that is both concentrated and mineral. The wines are bottled without fining or filtration. The legal classification is Vin de France, the winemaker having chosen this freedom of denomination to fully express his vision without the constraints of an appellation.

The cuvées of the Benoit Lalanne estate

Les Noëls de Montbenault: The estate's flagship cuvée, sourced from the plots resting on the pale volcanic rhyolite of Les Noëls de Montbenault, in 100% Chenin blanc. Manual harvesting of whole bunches without botrytis, direct pressing, fermentation and lees aging in Burgundian barrels for 12 months, then in stainless steel tanks for 6 months, with no added sulfur. The color is a brilliant and intense gold. The nose is expressive and complex, blending ripe white fruits, quince jelly, autolytic cereal notes (warm bread, toasted sesame) and a slight noble reduction upon opening. The palate is sleek and powerful, carried by a ripe acidity and a pronounced mineral salinity, with an endless finish of noble bitterness of pomelo and orange peel. An exceptional wine for aging, in the purest style of the Montbenault terroir, directly inspired by the hallmark of Richard Leroy.

Les Quarts des Noëls: Cuvée from the two old-vine plots of Les Quarts des Noëls, planted in 1962 and 1964, on soils that are more clay-rich but also very high in quartz. This moelleux Chenin is made from partially botrytized bunches, vinified with indigenous yeasts and aged for 12 months in Burgundian barrels (blending new and old barrels), with no added sulfur. It offers an aromatic palette of incomparable breed and complexity: quince chutney and fresh mirabelle plums, autolytic cereal notes, warm bread, toasted sesame, chalky nuances and white pepper. The palate is deeply mineral, simultaneously lively and savory, with a sweetness balanced by an acid and saline framework of great nobility. An exceptional moelleux Chenin, produced in tiny quantities from one of the rarest volcanic terroirs in the Loire.