It was popped and poured yet this beauty already blossomed with red fruit, bell pepper, barnyard and charcoal right out of the gate. Palate was so elegant and expressive with weightless power. It was a wine with tension and class. Just phenomenal.
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This pours medium ruby, almost a touch cloudy. The nose is pure and elegant, classically Loire Cab Franc yet about as elegant as one gets. Aromas are of gravel, blueberry, celery, blackberry, rose petal, burlap, charcoal, and a touch of dark cherry. The palate is silky with abundant red fruit, bright medium plus acid, medium tannin and a long finish replaying gravel, celery and a touch of grapefruit pith. Just great stuff that demonstrates why Rougeard is the king while staying true to the region.
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Beautiful and classic cabernet franc nose. Not too green. Palate is super harmonious and refined with super a long finale that leaves you with a savoury after taste for 1 minute. Compared to other Clos Rougeard I could have maybe hope for more punch but honestly this is still superb.
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WOTN. We drank it alongside the 2012. At first the 2012, was the more interesting one, but after an hour of this one blossomed into a , Rich, balanced, and elegant wine. Still primary fruit, but the beginnings of some secondary aromas as well. At a beautiful spot, certainly will hold another decade or more. Love the 12.5% alcohol as well.
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Matched what I was looking to order - green pepper and red fruit acidity with a lean, pinot-like body. A touch of Brett. Tannins are light and hardly noticeable.
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The best showing yet for this beautiful monster. Today the 14 Clos Rougeard was all class. Weighty and polished, minimal green notes. Oak was suave and judicious. This had that wow factor and while it would benefit from further aging (obviously), I cannot think of another Loire cab franc I’ve had that comes close.
Un Rougeard très classique et tellement bon ! Du fruits mure, de la minéralité, cette touche végétal tellement élégante et typique d'un bon Rougeard, la finale est longue et savoureuse, tout en finesse. Grand vin, pour moi Rougeard c'est absolument magnifique et unique.
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Beautiful nose here with red fruit, bell pepper, discrete earthy tones. Elegant and refined. Still very young though, needs coaxing. Best after 2026. 94-95
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2nd time to try this wine, this time from magnum. Fresh and red fruited, a little lactic at times, with creamy, yogurt like texture that leaves a slight pucker. High acidity and hopefully the stuffing for a long age.
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Nez classique, végétal noble, les poivrons, des mûres, expressif et envoûtant. Je suis fasciné par cette complexité, pour un vin si jeune. La bouche est bien juteuse, avec une texture aérienne, les tanins semblent absents, le vin est étonnamment accessible sur ce millésime. Juteux et tellement savoureux, avec une belle complexité et une finale toute en finesse.
Superbe vin, beaucoup plus ouvert que les millésimes précédents. Je n’ai pas souvenir d’un millésime si précoce au domaine. Un grand charmeur. 93 pts
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No formal notes. Oh so elegant and just the slightest amount of pryazine that keeps me interested. Could this age a bit? Sure, but I'm not getting any younger so why not. A friend was totally confused having served this blind and said initially Burg. Just a pretty wine.
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nose- beautiful barnyard. the Savoyard called it boudron , though i'm not sure on the spelling. you know - dane cook, dookie. chicken manure mouth - ah nice but falls a bit short in the mouth. The '15 has more stuffing. in short this was a wine for sniffing.
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Side by side w ‘15. Clearly not as built for the long haul as t th e ‘15. Still beautiful, peaked after about 2 hours. At its peak - floral, pretty, clear why it’s the benchmark for Loire cab franc.
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This evolved throughout the evening, started as slightly reticent with green peppers, under-ripe strawberries and freshly cut grass, but evolved over the evening into a classic Loire cab franc with green vegetables, ripe strawberries and hints of sweet candied perfume and fresh minty herbs. After a couple hours of air this wine composed itself into a more harmonious composition of fresh red fruit, green vegetables and hints of freshly rained earth. Still young but was still quite a good drink, not heavy at all and finish was medium to medium long. Overall a really good showing, looking forward to my other 7 bottles :)
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Dinner with the wine group (Zazie's, San Francisco): Medium-minus ruby, lighter color than expected; incredibly intense aromatics, white pepper, capsicum, red fruit, cherry, strawberry, primary; palate is medium bodied, medium tannin, low-medium alcohol 12.5%, great primary fruit, medium but approachable youthful tannins; medium-plus finish. A great wine, as expected from Clos Rougeard, maybe lacking a bit in length but otherwise stellar in complexity. 94 Over the course of 2-3 hours: Aromatics melded together slightly but still very intense, tannins more moderated and integrated. A wine of purpose and place, and plenty of room to improve in the cellar. Probably my favorite vintage of this base bottling so far. 94+
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Au Filet Étonnamment ouvert et accessible après à peine 30 minutes. Nez sur le poivron mûr, framboises au début qui s’étiolent. Moins concentré que prévu, plus aérien, c’est fin et très élégant. Un délice en l’état, bien qu’il tiendrait aisément longtemps. 92 pts
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Étonnamment ouvert et accessible après à peine 30 minutes. Nez sur le poivron mûr, framboises au début qui s’étiolent. Moins concentré que prévu, plus aérien, c’est fin et très élégant. Un délice en l’état, bien qu’il tiendrait aisément longtemps. 92 pts
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Double decanted. Really expressive nose here with spice, pepper, earth and green bell pepper. The palate is very silky and energetic, making it extremely drinkable. In a night that included 2018 Palmer, 2017 Mouton, 2014 Cheval Blanc, 2005 Ducru-Beaucaillou and many other great wines (many of which, admittedly, were far too young), this was probably my wine of the night as it was just so interesting/engaging (and flat out delicious). Many at the table had never had a Rougeard, and I got the impression they were all quite surprised at how much they liked it. Drinking well now but has the stuffing and balance to age.
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medium red color, spicy nose with plums and a bit of sauvage already, on the palate a lovely gamey red fruit profile, good depth with structure to balance out the playful side of the fruit, with time forest notes begin to develop and a very attractive succulent cherry flavor takes center stage on the palate, my first encounter with this wine and hopefully not my last, very attractive and a good harmonious accompaniment to a meal.
**(**), 2025-2035+
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Consumed next to an 82 Cheval Blanc. A good day for cab franc.
Initially really savory, even a little musty. Quite a bit of pyrazine on the nose, specifically jalapeño. It improves and softens with air over a few hours. Raspberry and bell pepper up front and red cherry follows on the palate. Tannins are polished and the wine is clearly enjoyable now but all is in balance and should age well. Excited to have one more for my son.
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Another Sunday service at Jade Court (Chicago, IL): Of course this is Rougeard, so it's a fantastically high level of cabernet franc, but then I see what the price of these wines are on the secondary market these days, and I get a lot less enthused. This is a great version of the Clos though, with a classic cabernet franc nose showing moderate pyrazines married with a complex mix of red and black fruit. The palate is surprisingly silky and feels very approachable already.
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Intense cherries and florals on the nose all framed by Cab Franc spice. Perfectly balanced and gentle tannins and acidity. There is no harm in opening a bottle today for the primary fruit and sheer energy, but the wine is monolithic and needs to expand. 94+ potential
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Tuesday Dinner - Raveneau & Clos Rougeard (Rustico - Thousand Oaks, CA): Drank alongside the 2013. The 2013 was noticeably more lush/textured, but this had more earthly notes which i liked. Palate was characterized by cranberries and pomegranates. Good underbrush/tobacco notes, too. Should age really well.
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Tasted blind. Gorgeous nose of pepper, lots of red fruit (and a hint of dark fruit), bell pepper, and some leather. Medium+ tannins with good acidity and flavors of tart fruit and red berries on the palate. Long finish. This was really delicious and drinking quite well. 94+
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Probably too young to open the 2014 vintage, but this lacked any real red fruit. The 13 was a lot better. I thought it was a bit green for a Rougeard (the Somm disagreed and said its what to expect from a cab franc, but then again I wouldn't pay this for a 'normal' cab franc). A positive was that it was silky. Did not evolve much over the course of 2 hours
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Pretty red fruit, with cherry and raspberry on the nose. Initially some steaminess and oak shows, but with air that mellows out and the gripping tannins is quite lovely. Acidity well balanced. Great wine!
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A savoury wine of no artifice. Briary brambly fruits coupled with some pine needle and other plant matter notes. There's some musky/meaty funky things playing in the background., It is complex and engaging, with all sorts of interesting nuance. The finish is crisp and expansive.
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4/6/2024 - B Paul wrote:
Similar to the bottle from late 2021. Very enjoyable, still very youthful.
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12/14/2023 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 94 Points
It was popped and poured yet this beauty already blossomed with red fruit, bell pepper, barnyard and charcoal right out of the gate. Palate was so elegant and expressive with weightless power. It was a wine with tension and class. Just phenomenal.
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7/5/2023 - Wine Canuck wrote: 95 Points
This pours medium ruby, almost a touch cloudy. The nose is pure and elegant, classically Loire Cab Franc yet about as elegant as one gets. Aromas are of gravel, blueberry, celery, blackberry, rose petal, burlap, charcoal, and a touch of dark cherry. The palate is silky with abundant red fruit, bright medium plus acid, medium tannin and a long finish replaying gravel, celery and a touch of grapefruit pith. Just great stuff that demonstrates why Rougeard is the king while staying true to the region.
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6/22/2023 - MasterWis Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautiful and classic cabernet franc nose. Not too green. Palate is super harmonious and refined with super a long finale that leaves you with a savoury after taste for 1 minute.
Compared to other Clos Rougeard I could have maybe hope for more punch but honestly this is still superb.
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4/29/2023 - ccn Likes this wine: 93 Points
WOTN. We drank it alongside the 2012. At first the 2012, was the more interesting one, but after an hour of this one blossomed into a , Rich, balanced, and elegant wine. Still primary fruit, but the beginnings of some secondary aromas as well. At a beautiful spot, certainly will hold another decade or more. Love the 12.5% alcohol as well.
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4/18/2023 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 91 Points
Matched what I was looking to order - green pepper and red fruit acidity with a lean, pinot-like body. A touch of Brett. Tannins are light and hardly noticeable.
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1/28/2023 - jviz wrote: 95 Points
The best showing yet for this beautiful monster. Today the 14 Clos Rougeard was all class. Weighty and polished, minimal green notes. Oak was suave and judicious. This had that wow factor and while it would benefit from further aging (obviously), I cannot think of another Loire cab franc I’ve had that comes close.
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11/2/2022 - Goodwine4ever wrote: 95 Points
Un Rougeard très classique et tellement bon ! Du fruits mure, de la minéralité, cette touche végétal tellement élégante et typique d'un bon Rougeard, la finale est longue et savoureuse, tout en finesse. Grand vin, pour moi Rougeard c'est absolument magnifique et unique.
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8/1/2022 - Collector1855 wrote: 95 Points
Beautiful nose here with red fruit, bell pepper, discrete earthy tones. Elegant and refined. Still very young though, needs coaxing. Best after 2026. 94-95
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6/10/2022 - d'Artagnan wrote:
Excellent, mais plus tannique sur cette bouteille. Gagnerait sans doute à vieillir quelques années, quoiqu'on se fasse plaisir dès maintenant.
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2/12/2022 - Mazy Likes this wine: 90 Points
Très bon. Peut-être pas tout à fait assez aéré. Des notes un peu brettées. Beaucoup de cerises avec des tannins modérées et des notes de poivron.
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1/17/2022 - jviz Likes this wine: 93 Points
2nd time to try this wine, this time from magnum. Fresh and red fruited, a little lactic at times, with creamy, yogurt like texture that leaves a slight pucker. High acidity and hopefully the stuffing for a long age.
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12/12/2021 - d'Artagnan wrote: 93 Points
Nez classique, végétal noble, les poivrons, des mûres, expressif et envoûtant. Je suis fasciné par cette complexité, pour un vin si jeune.
La bouche est bien juteuse, avec une texture aérienne, les tanins semblent absents, le vin est étonnamment accessible sur ce millésime. Juteux et tellement savoureux, avec une belle complexité et une finale toute en finesse.
Superbe vin, beaucoup plus ouvert que les millésimes précédents. Je n’ai pas souvenir d’un millésime si précoce au domaine. Un grand charmeur. 93 pts
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11/21/2021 - etc Likes this wine:
No formal notes. Oh so elegant and just the slightest amount of pryazine that keeps me interested. Could this age a bit? Sure, but I'm not getting any younger so why not.
A friend was totally confused having served this blind and said initially Burg. Just a pretty wine.
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11/12/2021 - soyhead wrote:
nose- beautiful barnyard. the Savoyard called it boudron , though i'm not sure on the spelling. you know - dane cook, dookie.
chicken manure
mouth - ah nice but falls a bit short in the mouth. The '15 has more stuffing. in short this was a wine for sniffing.
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11/5/2021 - ChiBurgDoc Likes this wine: 94 Points
Side by side w ‘15. Clearly not as built for the long haul as t th e ‘15. Still beautiful, peaked after about 2 hours. At its peak - floral, pretty, clear why it’s the benchmark for Loire cab franc.
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10/26/2021 - angryphoton Likes this wine: 93 Points
This evolved throughout the evening, started as slightly reticent with green peppers, under-ripe strawberries and freshly cut grass, but evolved over the evening into a classic Loire cab franc with green vegetables, ripe strawberries and hints of sweet candied perfume and fresh minty herbs. After a couple hours of air this wine composed itself into a more harmonious composition of fresh red fruit, green vegetables and hints of freshly rained earth. Still young but was still quite a good drink, not heavy at all and finish was medium to medium long. Overall a really good showing, looking forward to my other 7 bottles :)
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10/26/2021 - aagrawal wrote: 94 Points
Dinner with the wine group (Zazie's, San Francisco): Medium-minus ruby, lighter color than expected; incredibly intense aromatics, white pepper, capsicum, red fruit, cherry, strawberry, primary; palate is medium bodied, medium tannin, low-medium alcohol 12.5%, great primary fruit, medium but approachable youthful tannins; medium-plus finish. A great wine, as expected from Clos Rougeard, maybe lacking a bit in length but otherwise stellar in complexity. 94
Over the course of 2-3 hours: Aromatics melded together slightly but still very intense, tannins more moderated and integrated. A wine of purpose and place, and plenty of room to improve in the cellar. Probably my favorite vintage of this base bottling so far. 94+
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10/14/2021 - d'Artagnan wrote: 92 Points
Au Filet
Étonnamment ouvert et accessible après à peine 30 minutes. Nez sur le poivron mûr, framboises au début qui s’étiolent. Moins concentré que prévu, plus aérien, c’est fin et très élégant. Un délice en l’état, bien qu’il tiendrait aisément longtemps. 92 pts
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10/14/2021 - d'Artagnan wrote: 92 Points
Étonnamment ouvert et accessible après à peine 30 minutes. Nez sur le poivron mûr, framboises au début qui s’étiolent. Moins concentré que prévu, plus aérien, c’est fin et très élégant. Un délice en l’état, bien qu’il tiendrait aisément longtemps. 92 pts
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9/19/2021 - B Paul wrote:
Double decanted. Really expressive nose here with spice, pepper, earth and green bell pepper. The palate is very silky and energetic, making it extremely drinkable. In a night that included 2018 Palmer, 2017 Mouton, 2014 Cheval Blanc, 2005 Ducru-Beaucaillou and many other great wines (many of which, admittedly, were far too young), this was probably my wine of the night as it was just so interesting/engaging (and flat out delicious). Many at the table had never had a Rougeard, and I got the impression they were all quite surprised at how much they liked it. Drinking well now but has the stuffing and balance to age.
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9/17/2021 - Elpaninaro Likes this wine:
medium red color, spicy nose with plums and a bit of sauvage already, on the palate a lovely gamey red fruit profile, good depth with structure to balance out the playful side of the fruit, with time forest notes begin to develop and a very attractive succulent cherry flavor takes center stage on the palate, my first encounter with this wine and hopefully not my last, very attractive and a good harmonious accompaniment to a meal.
**(**), 2025-2035+
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6/25/2021 - jviz wrote: 94 Points
Consumed next to an 82 Cheval Blanc. A good day for cab franc.
Initially really savory, even a little musty. Quite a bit of pyrazine on the nose, specifically jalapeño. It improves and softens with air over a few hours. Raspberry and bell pepper up front and red cherry follows on the palate. Tannins are polished and the wine is clearly enjoyable now but all is in balance and should age well. Excited to have one more for my son.
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6/20/2021 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
Another Sunday service at Jade Court (Chicago, IL): Of course this is Rougeard, so it's a fantastically high level of cabernet franc, but then I see what the price of these wines are on the secondary market these days, and I get a lot less enthused. This is a great version of the Clos though, with a classic cabernet franc nose showing moderate pyrazines married with a complex mix of red and black fruit. The palate is surprisingly silky and feels very approachable already.
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3/30/2021 - blacktruffle Likes this wine: 93 Points
Intense cherries and florals on the nose all framed by Cab Franc spice. Perfectly balanced and gentle tannins and acidity. There is no harm in opening a bottle today for the primary fruit and sheer energy, but the wine is monolithic and needs to expand. 94+ potential
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2/18/2021 - bubbachumps wrote: 93 Points
Glenn Basser's under $200 Rando's (Basser's Abode): Crazy nose with some funk. Burnt bandaid, iodine and red cherry on the nose. Smooth seamless finish with nice lift, but runs a bit short.
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2/15/2021 - Vas19 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Surprisingly approachable. Stood out among other top producers 2014 cab francs.
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2/9/2021 - tooch wrote: 91 Points
Tuesday Dinner - Raveneau & Clos Rougeard (Rustico - Thousand Oaks, CA): Drank alongside the 2013. The 2013 was noticeably more lush/textured, but this had more earthly notes which i liked. Palate was characterized by cranberries and pomegranates. Good underbrush/tobacco notes, too. Should age really well.
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12/7/2020 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tasted blind. Gorgeous nose of pepper, lots of red fruit (and a hint of dark fruit), bell pepper, and some leather. Medium+ tannins with good acidity and flavors of tart fruit and red berries on the palate. Long finish. This was really delicious and drinking quite well. 94+
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10/24/2020 - burgconvert wrote: 87 Points
Probably too young to open the 2014 vintage, but this lacked any real red fruit. The 13 was a lot better. I thought it was a bit green for a Rougeard (the Somm disagreed and said its what to expect from a cab franc, but then again I wouldn't pay this for a 'normal' cab franc). A positive was that it was silky. Did not evolve much over the course of 2 hours
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9/19/2020 - mye wrote:
Pretty red fruit, with cherry and raspberry on the nose. Initially some steaminess and oak shows, but with air that mellows out and the gripping tannins is quite lovely. Acidity well balanced. Great wine!
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4/20/2020 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
A savoury wine of no artifice. Briary brambly fruits coupled with some pine needle and other plant matter notes. There's some musky/meaty funky things playing in the background., It is complex and engaging, with all sorts of interesting nuance. The finish is crisp and expansive.
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