I met the winemaker Nady Foucault yesterday at the french embassy and tasted the wines for the first time. I read/heard soo much good things about the wines from experienced winefriends I trust. Honestly, I was blown away after the two wines which will arrive soon in Germany.
Despite the fact that the wines are based on 100% Cabernet franc, I have to say they are the best burgundy wines outside from Burgundy. I rarely experienced such a polished texture before. And the aging potential is terrific.
BTW, the best german sommeliers and wine-journalists attended the tasting and everybody praised the wines.
I met the winemaker Nady Foucault yesterday at the french embassy and tasted the wines for the first time. I read/heard soo much good things about the wines from experienced winefriends I trust. Honestly, I was blown away after the two wines which will arrive soon in Germany.
Despite the fact that the wines are based on 100% Cabernet franc, I have to say they are the best burgundy wines outside from Burgundy. I rarely experienced such a polished texture before. And the aging potential is terrific.
BTW, the best german sommeliers and wine-journalists attended the tasting and everybody praised the wines.
Pricewise, Clos Rougeard have always been in their own league within the Loire Valley CF context (or at least for as long as I can remember ). Many people would argue that they have always been in their own league, full stop. Pricewise and otherwise .
(In Europe, the price increase at retail has been cca 30% over the last 4-5 years. It’s getting more and more difficult to keep up, and allocations are becoming tighter and tighter. I’m running a bit short of breath myself, but will continue to buy for as long as I can. Clos Rougeard is not just another very good CF. Should I fall by the wayside, sure, I’ll still have many other excellent CF options, Baudry and a number of others, but stylistically there is just no substitute for Clos Rougeard in my world).
Well of course you’d buy that! The 09 Poyeux is running around $100 here in the states, and I wasn’t even offered any Bourg! I do love the wines, though.
I paid $97 UDS for the Poyeaux and $78 for the Saumur-Champigny base domaine. And they cleared out immediately at that price from Chambers. K&L had them cheaper, but flew out even quicker. These are clearly rare wines, highly allocated. Had an 07 a couple months ago that was fantastic.
I’ll keep an eye out for some, sounds like a wine I will enjoy! Thanks for the post Martin and great follow up with possible sources Robert. Is the 09 a good vintage to look for?
As a reference point, Martin and Rick, I have enjoyed the '09 vintage for Loire reds immensely. I bought all the Baudry cuvees, in fact, popping the Croix Boissee this weekend. Also bought Joguet, Guion, Breton, Plouzeau, Chanteleresurie, and others. Both '09 and '10 were big buys for me (Baudry stood out in '10!), as was 2005 (Joguet rocked '05). Thus, I had no reservations taking a flyer on Rougeard, especially after having been blown away recently by an '07, which is a vintage not on par with '09, IMHO.
I am a also a big fan of Guion and Baudry. Both are well represented in our cellar. Have you tried Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picasses? I have the 89, 90, 2002, 2005 and will be picking up a case of the 2007.
Raffault is what introduced me to the lure of Chinon. I stayed in Loire during my honeymoon in '96. The Chateau de Noizay where we stayed had a deep cellar of mature Chinons from many solid 1980s vintages. I had quite a few Raffaults but the '89es Picasses. Need to grab some new releases
). Many people would argue that they have always been in their own league, full stop. Pricewise and otherwise