Clos Rougeard Saumur-Champigny Le Clos 2009

This cult estate has been in the family for several generations. The Foucault brothers (Nadi and Charlie) tend exceptional vineyards, harvest at small yields, vinify in barrel, let the wines bubble for a couple of years in a glacially cold cellar and bottle without filtration. And what you get is the some of the top red wines of the Loire Valley and in the very top of France as a whole. 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.” The rare Chenin Blanc from their vineyards - sometimes sec, demi-sec or even moelleux - has been described by Michel Bettane as “the quintessence of Chenin”. Bettane has tasted the 1921 and listed it as one of the most memorable wines of his life. 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.