Clos Rougeard : Le Bourg 2018

Tasting notes and serving suggestions for Le Bourg 2018 from Clos Rougeard

Tasting

Color

The color shows a deep garnet hue. The wine appears sculpted in the glass, revealing remarkable concentration and opacity that speak to the richness of the fruit and extended aging in new oak barrels.

Nose

The nose initially reveals a complex bouquet dominated by dark fruits, notably blackcurrant and black cherry, accompanied by secondary notes of earth and minerality. With aeration, additional aromatic dimensions emerge: roasted meat character, subtle animal nuances, tobacco, cedar shavings, and graphite pencil lead. Intriguing touches of saffron and juniper create a fascinating juxtaposition between spice and savory notes.

Palate

The attack is composed and concentrated, with dark-fruit flavors that evoke black cherry skins and blackcurrant more than softer red fruits. The acidity, remarkably vibrant and architectural, brings definition and length while refreshing the palate. The mid-palate unfolds with additional layers of flavor: pencil shavings, thyme, black tea, and a persistent minerality. The tannic structure is defined by fine-grained, lingering tannins, seamlessly integrated thanks to the extended aging, supporting the concentration without creating any unpleasant astringency. The finish, strikingly long and mineral, lingers on impressions of iron-rich stone and cold pipe smoke, without heaviness or artifice, revealing muscle, tension, and perfectly measured oak that envelops the structure.

Food and wine pairings

This Saumur-Champigny Cabernet Franc pairs beautifully with rich, savory dishes. A rosemary-and-garlic roasted lamb shoulder makes an ideal match, the caramelized edges of the meat echoing the wine’s smoky, mineral notes. Beef bourguignon is also an excellent choice, the wine’s acidity refreshing the palate between bites of braised, glazed meat. Game meats, particularly duck with a pomegranate reduction or venison loin with juniper and wild mushrooms, create remarkable harmonies. For more vegetable-forward pairings, a mushroom Wellington with porcini, chestnuts, and spinach in puff pastry offers a distinctive alchemy, while a truffled potato gratin allows the acidity to cut elegantly through the creamy richness. For cheese, opt for aged, full-flavored selections such as aged Comté or Cantal, whose complexity and mineral notes complement the wine’s structure and minerality.

Serving and cellaring

Le Bourg 2018 should be approached with patience, ideally allowing it several more years of aging before tasting. This wine should remain compelling through around 2052, depending on storage conditions.

A Loire Cabernet Franc combining power and mineral elegance on the Saumur-Champigny terroir

The estate

Founded in 1664 in Chacé, near Saumur in the Loire Valley, Clos Rougeard represents more than three and a half centuries of continuous winegrowing refinement. Acquired by the Foucault family in 1894, the estate achieved its legendary status under the leadership of brothers Bernard “Nady” and Jean-Louis “Charly” Foucault from 1969 onward, pioneers of organic viticulture in the region. Spanning 15 hectares across 20 parcels, the estate produces three Cabernet Franc reds and one Chenin Blanc, in extremely limited quantities. Since June 2017, Clos Rougeard has belonged to brothers Martin and Olivier Bouygues, who have entrusted the estate’s management to Cyril Chirouze since 2023, under the supervision of Pierre Graffeuille. The new owners have committed to preserving the philosophy and traditional methods established by the Foucault family, while investing in new winemaking facilities inaugurated for the 2020 vintage.

The vineyard

Le Bourg comes from a 3-hectare parcel located in Chacé, at the heart of the Saumur-Champigny appellation. The vines, averaging 75 to 95 years of age, are rooted in soils made up of an approximately 75-centimeter clay-silt top layer resting directly on Turonian tuffeau chalk. This porous limestone rock, formed during the Turonian era and combining sand, marine fossils, and porous stone, gives the wine its signature deep minerality. The limestone acts like a sponge, retaining moisture that keeps the roots hydrated and preserves the wine’s freshness even in the hottest vintages. The Le Bourg parcel corresponds to the location of the historic clos that gave the estate its name. Viticulture follows organic and biodynamic principles established over several generations, without the use of chemicals. The vines are managed with low planting density and severe pruning limited to six clusters per vine, resulting in naturally low yields of around 25 hectoliters per hectare.

The vintage

The 2018 vintage in the Loire Valley represents the first of a trio of warm vintages that transformed the ripening dynamics of Cabernet Franc in this cool-climate region. The year was marked by warm, dry conditions that allowed Cabernet Franc to reach levels of ripeness previously rare in the area, producing wines whose fruit expression can sometimes evoke those of the Rhône Valley. Despite the warmth of the vintage, Le Bourg 2018 showed a remarkable ability to maintain its freshness thanks to the specific characteristics of its limestone terroir.

Winemaking and aging

The grapes for Le Bourg 2018 were destemmed and then fermented with indigenous yeasts in open-top cement vats. The wine was then aged for 18 to 24 months in French oak barrels, 80 to 90% of which were new. After blending, the wine was bottled and then kept in the estate’s tuffeau cellars for five to six years before release in spring 2024, following the traditional extended aging practice established by the Foucault brothers.

Variety

100% Cabernet Franc