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Clos Rougeard
All the signs seem to suggest that Jean-Louis and Bernard (otherwise known as Charlie and Nadi) Foucault, of Clos Rougeard, do not entertain visitors. Their domaine, which may be found on the rue d'Eglise in Chacé, a village roughly to the south of Saumur, hides behind an unassuming and very ordinary gate, tall and solid. Having both driven and walked down this road in the past I know that there is no postbox bearing their name, there is no sign declaring their presence, and in fact there is not even a number for the property. Nevertheless, being eager to visit I penned a letter to the duo which went unanswered, and telephone calls produced nothing more than a recorded voice inviting the caller to leave a message. Duly done, these messages received the same response as my letter. Disheartened I accepted that, this year at least, I would not be crossing the boundary of that tall and mysterious gate.
The Foucault brothers have a long and yet quiet history producing wine under the Saumur-Champigny appellation. I say quiet because, despite the host of opinions given by the likes of Clive Coates, Andrew Jefford, Michel Bettane and others familiar with the estate, who all rank it among the top domaines of the Loire, Clos Rougeard still seems to have a very low profile, and is generally appreciated only by hardened Loire aficionados. Or perhaps Loire wine geeks would be a more appropriate name. Having recently tasted some of the latest releases, and added others to the cellar, I can only add my voice to those singing the praises of the Foucault brothers. Their wines are unique within the appellation, and when considering Cabernet Franc they without doubt deserve to be ranked among France's finest.
Charlie and Nadi took on the responsibility of the estate in 1969, the vineyards having already been in the family for several generations, and they have continued to fashion the wines derived from their 10 hectares of vines using what are perhaps best described as artisanal and certainly organic methods. The leading cuvée of Saumur-Champigny is Le Bourg, which comes from a 1 hectare plot of 70-year-old Cabernet Franc vines planted on soils comprised of a thin layer of clay. These are the vines that lie directly behind the courtyard and its anonymous gateway. There is also Les Poyeux, from a more distant plot of 45-year-old vines on more sandy soils, and finally for the reds there is the domaine Saumur-Champigny which is produced from other plots. If these wines are not sufficiently esoteric there is also a white Saumur named Brèze, made naturally from 100% Chenin Blanc, in miniscule quantities. The brothers have also in the past bottled a sweet Coteau de Saumur, depending on the vagaries of the vintage.
The vineyards are tended without herbicides or fertilisers, with the plough being an important method of weed control. After harvest by hand, the fruit is destemmed and fermented in barrel with the chapeau submerged by foot or by pumping over. The reds undergo malolactic fermentation in barrel, with Le Bourg going into new oak, Les Poyeux in used one-year-old barrels and the domaine wine in older wood again, often acquired from notable Bordeaux estates. There is no fining and no filtration, minimal use of sulphur, and the wine is bottled after 18-24 months in oak. The end result is, particularly in Les Poyeux and Le Bourg, a wine that stands apart from the traditional view of Saumur-Champigny as a light red for quaffing in Parisian bistros. There is a substance to the Rougeard wines that suggests they deserve more than that, but more importantly there is a textural quality to them, a silkiness to the tannins, that demands attention. These are subtle wines, wines that do not assault the palate, but seek to impress on grounds of their elegant composition rather than forceful flavour or aroma. They are, in my limited experience, truly stunning wines. And having tasted in 2008 the domaine wine from the rather lacklustre 1994 vintage - at a casual dinner which was not conducive to the taking of notes, hence there is no comment on the wine below - it seems to me that the Foucault brothers can even turn out an interesting and ageworthy wine in a more difficult vintage. If there is one mark of a truly great domaine, then perhaps that is it.
Presented below are notes on wines from the 2002 and 2003 vintage. Other vintages, perhaps older, perhaps younger, will come with time. And hopefully, one day, I might even visit the property as well. (9/10/08)
Contact details:
Address: 49400 Chacé
Telephone: +33 (0) 2 41 52 92 65
Fax: +33 (0) 2 41 52 98 34
Clos Rougeard - Tasting Notes
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Clos Rougeard Saumur-Champigny 2003: An intense, darkly coloured wine.
On pulling the cork the nose reveals a blast of pure cassis, with a deep,
concentrated character. Later the fruit disappears, leaving a meaty and brooding
style, showing waves of nuances which pass through the arenas of cherry, dark chocolate,
raspberry and white pepper. It is beautifully toned, and on the palate has a
rich, creamy weight but with a little silkiness to the texture. Delicious,
mouth-filling, but with quite a lot of grip behind it. The acidity has a
freshness to it but it is borderline (reflecting the vintage), but it gives a
decent balance. Fine length, where it continues to reveal its grippy nature.
Excellent potential. 17+/20 (October 2008)
Clos Rougeard Saumur-Champigny Les Poyeux 2003: A dark and vibrant hue in the glass, a
red-black core and a cherry-red rim. Slightly leafy at first on the nose,
slightly minty, with a little dark chocolate too. It is all rather understated
and gentle, with minerally, seashell notes and some crunchy black fruit. The
palate is less restrained, however, and is in fact absolutely delicious. It has
a fabulously smooth and silky presence in the mouth, being integrated and broad, with
a svelte and elegant texture. It has dry and very slightly bitter tannins and a
nice purity, although the flavours are not as well defined as I would hope; but
I expect this will change with time in the cellar, during which time the peppery grip will
fade. It has none of the overdone characteristics of the 2003 vintage in other
French regions, which is a welcome relief. 18+/20 (October 2008)
Clos Rougeard Saumur-Champigny Le Bourg 2003: This wine has a lovely colour in
the decanter, not particularly deep, but pure and red. The nose is remarkable,
bordering on breathtaking; it is reminiscent of the great red wines of the Loire
that first drew me to the region. There is dark, restrained, meaty fruit
complexity, with notes of tobacco and subtle aromas of cooked mint. There is
also a little note of rusty iron. The texture on the palate is what really marks
this wine out as being of outstanding quality. Here there is a silky quality, a
divine texture that calls to mind certain great chateaux of Bordeaux, although
it seems inappropriate to compare in any more detail than that. The palate is
broad, gentle but complete, succulent and very, very stylish. There is flavour,
of red fruits, herbs and pepper, and a divinely silky finish to it all. What a
beautifully composed wine. This is very fine, and should be even more delightful
with further bottle age. 19+/20 (October 2008)
Clos Rougeard Saumur-Champigny 2002: A blast of a crispy bacon on opening the bottle,
so this wine starts giving pleasure even before it hits the glass. It
demonstrates a moderate depth of colour, certainly nowhere near opaque, with a
little note of maturity entering at the rim which has a gradually fading
appearance. The nose quickly morphs into one of meaty liquorice and undergrowth, with chalky
fruit overlaid and rather more prominent. A lovely texture on the palate, not
quite silky but very well composed and seamless, elegant and yet with a
pervasive, resinous nature. It has freshness, again with a somewhat chalky
character, good acid structure and a surprising amount of grip and tannin on the
finish. Without a doubt this wine will improve with further time in the cellar.
What a fine character! 16.5+/20 (October 2008)
Clos Rougeard Saumur-Champigny Les Poyeux 2002:
A wall of fruit immediately escapes once this bottle is opened; it has a very
firm character, a melange of red and black fruits, with highlights of coffee,
violets and white pepper. The palate has a very cool style, being dry and
a little austere in structure perhaps, although it has a bright profile of
macerated raspberry and blackberry fruit. It broadens out on the palate and
clearly has a very harmonious style, which is solid but well integrated. I think
this has the potential to be a very beautifully composed and elegant wine with
an appropriate amount of time in the cellar. 17+/20 (October 2008)
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