La Varenne de Chanzé tumbles down a steep southern slope toward the Layon River — a steeper, more volcanic site than Pierre Menard's other parcels. Chenin roots here push through schist laced with weathered spilite, and that volcanic tension is unmistakable on the palate: precise, taut, bone-dry at 12.5%. Ten months on lees across foudres, neutral barrels, and sandstone amphora builds quiet texture without the weight.