Wine Advisor
Clos Rougeard, Saumur Breze Blanc 2017
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Yohan Castaing
Smoke, spices, ripe orchard fruits and herbs preface the 2017 Saumur Blanc Brézé, a medium to full-bodied, round and dense wine with bright acids and aromas of ginger and exotic fruits on the finish. This is a very classic Brézé that could age nicely over the next decade and more.
Reviewed by: Jason Wilson
Clos Rougeard’s sole white is a Chenin Blanc from a plot of 100-year-old vines. Delicate and pretty nose of wildflowers, apricot blossoms and pear. Lively and full of juicy fruit on the palate, featuring green apple, melon and white grapefruit, leading to a lovely salty finish. Balanced and fresh. Has great potential but won’t be released for some time. Aged 18 months in oak, three months in bottle.
Reviewed by: Rebecca Gibb
The phrase 'ripe yet precise' encapsulates the 2017 Brézé, Clos Rougeard's single and singular, dry white wine. It has two different fruit spectrums - there's citrus fruit from the north-facing vines and a later picked, riper, almost tropical, cooked pineapple character. Fermented in barrel, there are oak-derived vanilla flavors that join the fruit while a whiff of match stick indicates a lightly reductive character that needs air. It is round yet retains a bright, racy freshness that you often see in Brézé whites. Focused and fine, this has the substance and line to evolve gracefully.
About the Producer
This humble estate located in the heart of the Saumur-Champigny appellation has garnered a cult like following for its texturally enticing, elegant, and understated Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc wines. The Foucault brothers, Nadi and his late brother Charlie, took over the family vineyards in 1969, and are the eighth generation in their family to run this 17th Century estate. They are considered the pioneers of organic and biodynamic viticulture in their region, producing Cabernet Francs of incredible concentration and length that are on par with many left bank Bordeaux château. Le Bourg, which is their top cuvée, is a small one hectare plot with vines almost 80 years in age, producing shockingly low yields of 15 hl/ha that lower than most of the top Burgundian producers. The equally rare Chenin Blanc named Brèze, is quite simply put, the pinnacle of Chenin in Loire coming from a tiny one hectare plot of 40-50 year old vines. These are incredibly pure, lean whites with great power and intensity, as well as excellent freshness.
