Clos Rougeard - Les Poyeux 2020
Clos Rougeard is one of the most sought-after estates in the Loire Valley, located in Chacé, in the heart of Saumurois, within the Saumur-Champigny appellation area. Long supported by the Foucault family, the estate has built its legend on a rare interpretation of Cabernet Franc, combining depth, precision, and a mouthfeel of great finesse. Since 2017, the Bouygues family has continued this story, ensuring the preservation of the unique identity of Clos Rougeard. The vineyard is based on predominantly clay-limestone soils, intimately linked to the Saumur tuffeau, which confer the wines a natural freshness and remarkable aging potential. In this confidential universe, each cuvée expresses a particular nuance of the terroir, between Le Clos, Le Bourg, Brézé, and Les Poyeux. The latter holds a major place in the range, as it reveals a particularly delicate, silky, and floral interpretation of Cabernet Franc. Clos Rougeard Les Poyeux 2020 thus continues the legacy of a wine that has become mythical, sought after as much for its rarity as for its elegance.
The Les Poyeux 2020 cuvée comes from a plot of about 3 hectares located opposite the estate, on a gently sloping hill within the Saumur-Champigny appellation. This terroir combines clays and draining wind-blown sands, a combination that favors the finesse of the fruit, the suppleness of the tannins, and an airy expression of Cabernet Franc. The 2020 vintage, sunny and generous in many French regions, produces here a wine of maturity but supported by the structural freshness typical of the great terroirs of Saumur. Clos Rougeard never seeks demonstrative extraction; Les Poyeux is distinguished more by length, discreet depth, and a mouth texture of great nobility. The traditionally long aging at the estate supports this structure without masking the fruit or the transparency of the place. The wine presents itself as a refined and elegant version of Saumur-Champigny, with contained intensity rather than massive power. In the estate's style, Les Poyeux 2020 combines concentration, natural expression, and great aromatic precision.
On tasting, Clos Rougeard Les Poyeux 2020 offers a deep, luminous red robe, with an intensity that announces a Cabernet Franc of fine maturity. The nose may evoke black cherry, ripe raspberry, violet, sweet pepper, fine spices, and a slightly smoky or graphite touch, typical of the beautiful reds of Saumurois. On the palate, the balance rests on a velvety matter, very fine tannins, and freshness that lengthens the wine with great elegance. The texture is one of the great hallmarks of this cuvée, with a silky, almost caressing touch, but always supported by a discreet mineral framework. The finish is long, floral, and spicy, leaving an impression of purity and depth without heaviness. This great Saumur-Champigny will ideally accompany roasted veal chop, pigeon, duck with cherries, a matured beef cut, or noble mushrooms. Its aging potential is significant, and the 2020 vintage still deserves several years in the cellar to reveal all its complexity.
Grape variety: 100% Cabernet Franc
This item is limited to 6 units per customer.
