Bellivière

History of the Domaine de la Bellivière

The history of the Domaine de la Bellivière begins in the late 1980s, when Éric Nicolas, seized by a consuming passion for wine, began studying oenology in Montpellier. After a first experience at Château Pibarnon in Provence, he discovered the Loir Valley and fell under the spell of these abandoned vineyards, forgotten since the catastrophic frost of 1956 that had wiped out virtually all the plantings.

In 1994, Éric and Christine Nicolas settled in the region by renting 3.5 hectares in the Jasnières area. The first harvest was entirely lost to frost. The following year, the owner reclaimed his land. This double setback could have spelled the end of the venture. It was thanks to the generosity of their neighbour Louis Derré, who ceded them some plots, that the Domaine de la Bellivière officially came into being in 1995, on 5.5 hectares under the Coteaux du Loir appellation.

Driven by an unwavering determination, Éric and Christine gradually expanded their vineyard by acquiring plots in Jasnières and the surrounding area. In 2005, the entire estate converted to organic farming. In 2008, biodynamics became the rule, certified Demeter and then Biodyvin from 2011 onwards. In 2015, a brand-new ultra-modern gravity-flow winery was built, making it possible to work without any mechanical pumping, in total respect of the grapes.

That same year, their son Clément Nicolas joined the estate, soon accompanied by his wife Laure-Anne in 2020. In 2021, the handover was made official: Clément and Laure-Anne took over the reins of the estate, continuing the family's work with the same exacting standards and the same sensitivity. Today, the Domaine de la Bellivière is cited as one of the greatest references in the Loire Valley, at the forefront of the viticultural renaissance of the Sarthe.

Terroirs and Vines of the Domaine de la Bellivière

The vineyard of the Domaine de la Bellivière extends over 18 hectares dispersed across more than 60 plots in five communes: Lhomme, Ruillé-sur-Loir, Chahaignes, Marçon and Dissay-sous-Courcillon. This mosaic of terroirs is the beating heart of the diversity of the estate's cuvées.

The predominant subsoil is tuffeau, the soft Turonian chalk so characteristic of the Val de Loire, which gives the wines their incomparable saline tension and their capacity for ageing. On this limestone base, clay-flint deposits accumulate in varying proportions depending on the plot: predominantly clayey in the sectors dedicated to the red wines of Pineau d'Aunis, more siliceous and stony for the Chenins on the Jasnières hillsides.

The Jasnières appellation covers a strip of vines barely 6 kilometres long and 1 kilometre wide, fully south-facing on a steep hillside. It is one of the most northerly vineyards in western France; only Chablis, Champagne and Alsace lie further north in terms of French viticulture. This extreme latitude imposes late ripening (harvest takes place in October) and constant risks of frost, downy mildew and powdery mildew. Crop losses can reach 50% in a difficult year. But when nature delivers a great vintage, the Jasnières wines from Bellivière reach heights of rare depth.

The Coteaux du Loir appellation has a slightly more south-westerly orientation and soils dominated by clay-flint on tuffeau. The vineyard benefits from the protection of the Bercé forest to the north and a temperate microclimate conducive to expressive ripening.

The vines are farmed using certified biodynamics, with no herbicides or chemical fertilisers, and with regular ploughing, hilling-up and scraping. Plantings are carried out through massale selection (since 2010 in partnership with nurseryman Lilian Bérillon), at deliberately high densities: 7,000 to 10,000 vines per hectare, sometimes up to 11,200, to encourage competition between the plants and draw the best from the terroirs. The vineyard is composed of 75% Chenin Blanc and 25% Pineau d'Aunis.

Vinifications of the Domaine de la Bellivière

The winemaking philosophy of the Domaine de la Bellivière rests on a founding principle: letting nature express itself without artifice. The aim is to preserve the integrity of the fruit, the purity of the aromas and the singular character of each terroir.

The harvest is entirely manual, carried out in small crates, with deliberately very low yields (25 hl/ha at most for the reds, sometimes 20 hl/ha for the old vines).

The gravity-flow winery inaugurated in 2015 is at the heart of this minimalist approach: the grapes are pressed at a higher level, and the juices descend by gravity into the cellars carved out of the tuffeau, without ever being pumped. This absence of mechanical stress preserves the fine structure and texture of the wines.

For the white Chenin wines, the grapes are pressed directly, then the musts ferment using indigenous yeasts in 350-litre barrels (previously used, oak), over months of ageing on fine lees in the tuffeau cellars. Malolactic fermentation is permitted depending on the cuvée and the vintage. Sulphuring is kept to the absolute minimum (between 30 and 40 mg/L of total SO₂ depending on the cuvée), or even zero for certain experimental versions.

For the red wines made from Pineau d'Aunis, vinification takes place in open vats with hand punch-downs, over a maceration period of approximately one month. Free-run juice and press wine are systematically blended, then malolactic fermentation proceeds naturally in recent barrels. Ageing lasts from 12 to 18 months on fine lees. Bottling is carried out without filtration for the top-of-the-range cuvées, with very light sulphuring.

This winemaking approach, as natural as possible yet scrupulous — to borrow the very words of the RVF Guide — gives birth to wines of remarkable straightforwardness and salinity, which evolve magnificently in the cellar over 10, 15, or even 20 years.

The Cuvées of the Domaine de la Bellivière

Jasnières Prémices

The first introduction to the Jasnières universe of Bellivière, Prémices is crafted from young Chenin vines (5 to 20 years old) planted on clay-flint soils on south-facing hillsides. The barrels used are exclusively old casks, guaranteeing a pure expression of the fruit with no oaky influence. It is the most open and accessible cuvée in the Jasnières range: aromas of orchard fruit (pear, ripe apple), a beautiful mineral freshness and a characteristic saline finish. Often vinified as a demi-sec depending on the vintage, its sugar-acidity balance is naturally perfect. 

Jasnières Les Rosiers 

Les Rosiers represents the intermediate level and the heart of the Domaine de la Bellivière's range in Jasnières. It comes from the same plots as Prémices, but from a selection of the finest barrels, those best suited to ageing. The vines are under 50 years old, and ageing takes place in old casks with around one quarter new wood, adding an extra layer of depth and density. The palate is more structured, with a marked mineral tension, notes of ripe citrus, quince and white flowers. A remarkable wine for cellaring, which blossoms after 5 to 7 years in the cellar.

Jasnières Calligramme 

The estate's iconic and monumental cuvée, Calligramme takes its name from Apollinaire's visual poems, in which the shape of the text mirrors the meaning of the words. Sourced from old vines over 70 years old selected through massale selection, planted at a very high density (11,200 vines per hectare), it yields naturally low yields (20 hl/ha in a good year). The terroir is identical to the other Jasnières cuvées — clay-flint on tuffeau — but the age of the vines confers an exceptional depth of material and concentration. Ageing takes place with a small proportion of new casks to accompany this richness.

Coteaux du Loir L'Effraie

L'Effraie (the barn owl, a nocturnal presence around the cellars) is the estate's dry white wine under the Coteaux du Loir appellation. Crafted in the same spirit as Les Rosiers on the Jasnières side, it expresses a different face of Chenin: the terroirs of the Loir bring a rounder texture, notes of honeyed white fruits, candied orange and a saline mineral edge on the finish. An approachable, pure wine of delicate balance, to be enjoyed young or after a few years of ageing.

Coteaux du Loir Vieilles Vignes Éparses

The Coteaux du Loir counterpart to Calligramme, Vieilles Vignes Éparses comes from nine plots of 80-year-old old vines spread across the estate, with a slightly more south-westerly orientation than the Jasnières. The soils here are clay-flint on limestone, with a more pronounced clay presence. These octogenarian vines do not exceed 20 hl/ha in good years. The massale selection at 11,200 vines per hectare pushes the plants to reach deep into the tuffeau, yielding a concentrated material of extraordinary minerality. The wine opens on honeyed white fruits, notes of candied orange and dried fruits, with a finish of staggering length, elegantly austere. A