Clos Rougeard Saumur-Champigny Le Bourg 2019
Clos Rougeard · Clos Rougeard
A benchmark expression of Cabernet Franc that redraws what the grape is capable of — proof that patient old-vine work on tuffeau can achieve Burgundian nuance with Bordelais structure.
Nose
Crushed blackcurrant and dark cherry lift from the glass, layered with graphite, cedar shavings, dried tobacco leaf, and a whisper of violet. Time in glass reveals bay laurel, iron filings, and a subtle smokiness drawn from the tuffeau limestone.
Palate
Astonishingly refined for Cabernet Franc — silken tannins carry black raspberry, cassis, and sanguine minerality through a mid-palate of remarkable tension. Notes of pencil lead, incense, and dried herbs unfold with weightless precision, buoyed by bright acidity and a saline undertow.
Finish
Extraordinarily long and mineral-driven, closing on graphite, crushed stone, and lingering black fruit with a spectral echo of violet and cedar. The tannins fan out like fine gauze rather than gripping.
- Varietal
- Cabernet Franc
- Blend
- 100% Cabernet Franc
- Vineyards
- Le Bourg, a small parcel of old vines (60+ years) planted on tuffeau limestone bedrock with clay topsoil in the commune of Chacé, Saumur-Champigny.
- Alcohol
- 13%
- Organic / Biodynamic
- No
Cocktail Suggestion
Served neat — no cocktail recommended — This wine should be experienced on its own. Decant 60–90 minutes before serving at 60–64°F in a large Burgundy stem to allow the tuffeau minerality and floral aromatics to unfurl.
Food Pairing
Roast squab with black cherry jus, aged Comté, or a rare côte de boeuf with bone marrow and salsify.
Founded in the 17th century and shepherded for decades by the late Charly and Nady Foucault — reclusive brothers whose obsessive, biodynamic-in-spirit farming turned a modest Saumur estate into the Loire's most legendary address — Clos Rougeard now continues under the Bouygues family with winemaker Cyril Chirouze preserving the singular Foucault vision.
Be the first to comment.
Leave a comment
Passopisciaro Contrada P Terre Siciliane IGT 2021
Passopisciaro
Andrea Franchetti's Passopisciaro project maps Etna's contrade with obsessive precision, and Contrada P — from the Porcaria vineyard on Etna's north face — is a vivid demonstration of how volcanic fire, stored in the soil for millennia, shapes a wine's identity. Nerello Mascalese here is lean, focused, and electric.
Vietti Barbera d'Asti Tre Vigne 2022
Vietti
Vietti's Tre Vigne Barbera shows how minimal oak aging can shape a wine without redefining it. The fruit remains front and center, with wood providing structure rather than flavor. For a daily-drinking red from a top Piedmont producer, it delivers remarkable clarity and balance.
Benanti Etna Rosso DOC 2021
Benanti
Benanti pioneered the modern Etna wine movement in the 1980s, and their entry-level Rosso remains a benchmark for the appellation. Nerello Mascalese grown on volcanic slopes delivers transparency, tension, and a sense of place that few wines at this price can match. A vivid expression of heat stored in stone.
Marchesi di Gresy Barbaresco Martinenga DOCG 2020
Marchesi di Gresy
Marchesi di Gresy's Martinenga vineyard is one of the historic crus of Barbaresco, and this 2020 shows the site's characteristic combination of elegance and structure. The tannins are fine-grained and the fruit pristine. A wine that rewards careful attention and moderate cellaring.