Clos Rougeard Saumur Champigny 2011

by Edouard Bourgeois
July 1, 2022

A friend of mine once told me that the smell of Cabernet Franc sometimes reminded him of a pizza box, steaming with bell peppers. I always think of the analogy when I taste these delicious wines from the Loire. When kept in check, the vegetal aromas of Cabernet Franc can be really charming indeed.

I opened a memorable bottle of Saumur Champagny from one of the most respected producers in the region, Clos Rougeard. Of course, I nostalgically ordered a pizza from my favorite local joint to go with it.

A few words about Clos Rougeard are needed.

Charles Joguet, the great winemaker of Chinon, once said: “There are two suns. One shines outside for everybody. The second shines in the Foucaults’ cellar.”

Brothers Charlie et Nady Foucault took over the family domaine as the 8th generation. A mere 10 hectares of vineyards planted on soils composed of sand (silica) and the typical limestone locally called Tuffeau. If the wines today can easily fetch $500 per bottle, it is because of the incredible consistency of the quality, even in challenging vintages.

While the synthetic chemicals were the norm in the 60’s and 70’s, the Foucault family kept everything the same and they have been organic forever. Back then also, while their neighbors were buying modern stainless steel vats, the brothers kept buying oak barriques.

In a video I strongly recommend to watch here, Nady explains the anecdote of the 1970 vintage. That year, the summer promised a generous harvest, so Clos Rougeard decided to remove some grapes to control the yields. Back then, such practice was not exactly fashionable and producing more meant selling more, leading to better business, but inevitably less interesting wines. The Foucaults would then bury these cut off grapes so the locals wouldn’t gossip behind their back. It is rather amusing to see, as Nady points out in the video, that today, not only almost everyone limit the yields in July, but they also ostentatiously expose the cut off grapes in the vineyard for everyone to see…

The revolution at Clos Rougeard was to change nothing, always striving for concentration and finesse.

After the death of Charlie Foucault in 2015, the estate was briefly ran by Nady Foucault and his nephew Antoine (who also produces the excellent Domaine du Collier wines).

In 2017, Nady chose to sell the estate to Martin Bouyges, owner of many French wineries, most notably Château Montrose in Bordeaux. Under the direction of Jacques-Antoine Toublanc, the new ownership has vowed to keep things exactly the same in the vines and the cellar.

No bell pepper on that pizza but great pairing nonetheless.