Focus On Clos Rougeard Dinner

Saumur-Champigny first came into the wine scene in the late 1970’s, when it was the go-to Cabernet Franc at all the best Paris wine bars and Bistros. The more structured Champigny wines come from the vineyards on the cliffs facing the Loire where the soils are chalk covered with alluvial silt. The lighter style comes from soils of sand, clay, and gravel from the communes further from the river. The greatest wine in the area that championed this more structured style came from the Foucault brothers of Clos Rougeard. They make wine like their grandparents did. Hand harvesting, no added yeasts, foot-stomping the fermenting yeasts to break the cap, and no filtration.

The wines are aged in barriques, either new or used, for eighteen months to two years. The results are magnificent, the wines are structured, pure, complex, and delicious. With their eight hectares of vines, they bottle a few different cuvees. The first is “Clos” Rougeard which is assembled from several parcels. Next is “Poyeux” which is 2.7 hectares on chalky soils. “Le Bourg” is from a hectare of old vines grown on tuffeau soil right behind the cellars. Le Bourg ages in new oak and Poyeux ages in used Bordeaux barriques. They also have a wine made from Chenin Blanc grown on Limestone and Marl soil called “Brézé”. This is a rare opportunity to taste an extensive vertical from this outstanding Domaine.

Wines include:

• Clos Rougeard, Saumur-Champigny 2005 
• Clos Rougeard, Saumur-Champigny 2008 
• Clos Rougeard, Saumur-Champigny 2009 
• Clos Rougeard, Saumur-Champigny 2010 
• Clos Rougeard, Saumur-Champigny 2011 
• Clos Rougeard, Saumur-Champigny 2012 
• Clos Rougeard, Saumur-Champigny 2013 
• Clos Rougeard, Brézé Saumur 2009 
• Clos Rougeard, Brézé Saumur 2011 
• Clos Rougeard, Brézé Saumur 2012 
• Clos Rougeard, Le Bourg Saumur-Champigny 2006 
• Clos Rougeard, Le Bourg Saumur-Champigny 2008 
• Clos Rougeard, Les Poyeux Saumur-Champigny 2009 
• Clos Rougeard, Les Poyeux Saumur-Champigny 2010 
• Clos Rougeard, Les Poyeux Saumur-Champigny 2011 
• Clos Rougeard, Les Poyeux Saumur-Champigny 2012