2014 Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur Blanc Brézé

Clos Rougeard (Foucault) is a legendary Saumur-Champigny estate with a cult following. Three star restaurants in France compete for small allotments of the Clos Rougeard’s Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc, and in the U.S. the wine is rarely available. Clos Rougeard’s 25-acre estate in Chacé has been in the Foucault family for eight generations. It is today run by brothers Charly and Nadi Foucault who took over management when their father retired in 1969. The fact that the AOC of Saumur-Champigny is now considered a hotbed of young winemaking talent owes much to the influence of the Foucaults, who insisted on organic farming, low yields and deeply traditional winemaking during the decades of the 1970s and 1980s when such methods were falling out of fashion. Because of the extraordinary reputation of Clos Rougeard wines, decade in and decade out, the Saumur-Champigny appellation now attracts young winemakers who hope to replicate the Foucaults’ success. Robert M. Parker Jr. is a fan, and has noted that “their remarkable wines indeed demonstrate the heights of vinous complexity and ageability to which Cabernet Franc and its growers can aspire along the Loire…”

The Loire Valley in central France is home to numerous important appellations and sub-appellations. Its 185,000 vineyard acres include 87 appellations in Anjou, Samur, Touraine and Chinon, among other areas. The Loire River, which stretches from Nantes on the Atlantic Coast to Orleans, about 80 miles south of Paris, has been a boon to winemaking in the region ever since the Romans planted vineyards some 2,000 years ago. The river moderates the climate in the Loire Valley, which in the 11th and 12th centuries produced wine that was more prized than the wines of Bordeaux or Burgundy. Today the Loire Valley is best known for its white wines, though it actually produces as much red and white wine. The prestigious white wines of the region are Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, Muscadet and Vouvray. The white grapes most frequently grown are Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Melon de Bourgogne. The best red wines are typically Cabernet Franc or Gamay. Though Loire Valley wines are widely admired in France, outside of the country they suffer from a lack of recognition. In writing about Loire wines, Hugh Johnson has noted that the “classic word for them is charming; the classic mystery that they are not more appreciated outside of France.”

This light-bodied white wine grape has zest and versatility depending on its style. It is grown extensively in South Africa, where wineries produce dry wines. Traditional French Chenin Blancs are sweet. It is closest to Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc.