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.
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