Clos Rougeard - Le Bourg 2020
Clos Rougeard is one of the most emblematic estates in the Loire Valley, located in Chacé, in the heart of Saumurois, within the Saumur-Champigny appellation area. Founded in 1664, the estate has passed through generations, building a rare identity long embodied by the Foucault brothers, Charly and Nady. Since 2017, the Bouygues family has continued this story with the desire to preserve the spirit of the place and the depth of the wines. The vineyard covers 15 hectares spread over 25 plots, mainly on clay and limestone soils, in contact with the Saumur tuffeau. Clos Rougeard claims an old organic farming approach, without synthetic products in the vineyard, in an approach where time and precision play a central role. Among the great red cuvées of the estate, Le Bourg holds a special position due to its natural power, density, and aging potential. Clos Rougeard Le Bourg 2020 thus expresses one of the deepest and most structured interpretations of Ligérien Cabernet Franc.
The Le Bourg 2020 cuvée comes from a plot located in the heart of the village of Chacé, planted with very old vines on a predominantly limestone terroir. The shallow clayey silts provide the wine with a serious foundation, dense matter, and a fleshy expression, while maintaining the characteristic freshness of great Saumur-Champigny wines. The 2020 vintage, marked by generous ripeness, gives here a Cabernet Franc of breadth, but whose balance remains guided by the limestone tension and the depth of the terroir. Le Bourg traditionally distinguishes itself from the more airy finesse of Poyeux by a more supported structure, a firmer presence, and a particularly important aging capacity. The long barrel aging, indicated by the estate as exceeding two years for its wines, supports this architecture without seeking to dominate the fruit expression. The wine is built in a register of controlled concentration, where texture, length, and precision count more than exuberance. This 2020 cuvée appears as a great aging Saumur-Champigny, still young but already bearing the deep signature of Clos Rougeard.
On tasting, Clos Rougeard Le Bourg 2020 offers a dark and luminous red robe, announcing a wine of density and maturity. The nose may evoke black cherry, blackberry, fresh blackcurrant, violet, fine pepper, graphite, and subtle smoky notes. On the palate, the matter shows depth, fleshiness, and structure, with tight but very fine tannins. The freshness of Cabernet Franc maintains the vintage's balance and brings tension that avoids any heaviness. The finish is long, mineral, and spicy, marked by an impression of seriousness, persistence, and great nobility. This wine will ideally accompany roasted lamb, pigeon, aged ribeye, duck with mild spices, or a dish of noble mushrooms. Its aging potential is considerable, and the 2020 vintage will benefit from being kept for several more years to reveal all its complexity.
Grape variety: 100% Cabernet Franc
This item is limited to 3 units per customer.
