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- Clos Rougeard
Clos Rougeard
Brézé • France
Introduction
The Loire Valley has changed over the years, although it has always been known primarily for honest wines made by honest people. We now also see some cult producers like Roche Neuves, Domaine Vacheron, Didier Dageuneau, and Guiberteau from the Loire, and that shift started with Clos Rougeard. Considered among some of the greatest wines produced in France, the wines transcend the appellation of Saumur-Champigny and Brézé. Like many other great producers, estate bottling started well over a century ago under the Foucault family, at a time when most of their contemporaries in the Loire were selling their wines in cask to the cafés of Paris.
Honest Wines
The Le clos bottling today is sourced from 50-70 year old vines from across the appellation, while Les Poyeaux comes from a south-facing parcel of 50-year-old vines planted largely on sandstone. The Le Bourg bottling comes from an 80-year-old parcel planted on clay over tuffeau, resulting in a more powerful and exotic wine than the other two reds. The white, Chenin blanc, is planted on limestone and clay soils and come from a 60+ year old parcel in the heart of the appellation, Brézé. Fermentation for the reds is all native yeast and generally takes four to six weeks in open top vats with a gentle extraction. They then spend 18-24 months in small barrels, with le Clos in neutral, 1-year-old barrels for Poyeaux and new barrels for Le Bourg.
“The vineyards in Saumur-Champigny are located on the tuffeau plateau, sitting over a deep bed of limestone.”
Brahm Callahan
The Brézé can range from Sec to Moelleux in style, depending on the vintage. Aged in 20% new barrels, it generally doesn’t finish malolactic fermentation. These are singular wines that speak of dedication to farming and have far exceeded the reputation of the region for decades. Following the 2015 passing of Charly, the domaine sold. Much is up for debate on the future of the estate; the new owners, who purchased it in 2017, have pledged to change nothing–and we certainly hope this is true.
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