Rougeard night

Organised a Rougeard dinner which underscored this producer's remarkable consistency - once again vintage variation was marginal as cooler years didn't have much greenness and warmer years retained finesse and didn't have excess heat. I thought Poyeux was the more reliable of the two cuvees with impeccable balance across most cuvees. The Bourgs tended to have greater richness and power, with higher highs at its best. Most notably it was the '05 Bourg that stole my heart and edged out the consistently great '03 Poyeux as my WOTN with the '02 and '06 Poyeux not far behind.

• 2002 Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur-Champigny Les Poyeux 94 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur-Champigny

  This went neck and neck with the outstanding ’03 before briefly fading, but finished very strongly. Same pretty red fruit and silky texture as the '03 but with slightly more pyrazine on the nose and more acid-driven profile. A pleasant surprise.

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• 2003 Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur-Champigny Les Poyeux 95 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur-Champigny

  Second time having this within two months, this showed that the previous showing was clearly no fluke. Beautifully aromatic with a distinctly Burgundian profile of delicate red fruit. I went back and forth between this and the ’05 Bourg as my favourite of the night.

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• 2004 Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur-Champigny Les Poyeux 92 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur-Champigny

  Didn't quite reach the heights of the previous bottle. Rounder and fuller in profile than the rest of the line-up, showed more like a Bordeaux Cab Franc than a Rougeard. Tannins a little too prominent and missing some of the usual Rougeard elegance.

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• 2006 Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur-Champigny Les Poyeux 94 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur-Champigny

  My contribution. Elegant but initially quite muted and lacking the fireworks of the later flights. Improved tremendously with time as it gained weight, eventually showed quite similarly to the ’03. A lovely mocha nose slowly unfurled and the palate became more velvety; by the end of the evening this bottle was truly singing.

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• 2008 Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur-Champigny Les Poyeux 93 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur-Champigny

  By far the most primary wine of the line-up and also the most concentrated of the Poyeux. Still too young at this stage, with slightly candied fruit dominating the profile.

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• 1995 Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur-Champigny Le Bourg 93 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur-Champigny

  Showed like an ’80s Bordeaux at first, elegant with autumnal, slightly faded fruit. Gained weight and clarity with air and also became more seamless. Thought the younger Rougeards were better with greater red-fruit intensity, but this was still very pleasurable.

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• 2005 Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur-Champigny Le Bourg 96 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur-Champigny

  So deep and seductive on the nose; the palate was equally rich and concentrated yet remarkably silky. Probably the only Bourg that stood head and shoulders above the Poyeux (other than the ’03) with its imposing presence and length. Beautiful purity of fruit and so complete, eventually chose this as my favourite over the ’03 Poyeux. This wine has a long way to go. Think this was my best ever Rougeard.

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• 2007 Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur-Champigny Le Bourg 93 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur-Champigny

  The first Bourg served and while it showed greater power, the acidity was too prominent relative to the structure and slightly sweet dark cherry fruit, making it slightly unbalanced for me. But preferred the elegance of this to the richer '08.

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• 2008 Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur-Champigny Le Bourg

  France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur-Champigny

  Slightly cloudy in colour unlike the brilliant ruby of the other bottles from the '00s. It was more expressive and richer at the outset, but lacked the delineation and precision of the other bottles. Probably not the cleanest example.

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• NV Alexandre Filaine Champagne Cuvée DMY 93 Points

  France, Champagne

  Brought as an aperitif. As usual with this producer, it showed ripe, hedonistic red fruit layered with complexity and character. A perfect balance between grower and house, a clear crowd favourite.

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• 2014 Domaine du Collier Saumur La Charpentrie Rouge 92 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur

  My extra bottle to compare against the Rougeards. Some brett on the first pour, which became less perceptible with air as the wine became more fruit-forward and slightly sweeter. A touch more natural-leaning compared to the more classic Rougeards. Enjoyable, but with less depth.

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• 1991 Domaine Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet Rouge 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet

  Initially guessed ’70s Rhône, with savoury, meaty notes and a touch of old-school funk. Developed sweeter fruit with surprisingly excellent structure for a '35 year old village. Holding up very well and made for an interesting side-by-side with the '95 Bourg with the similar autumnal fruit profile.

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• 2012 El Enemigo Cabernet Franc Gran Enemigo Gualtallary 90 Points

  Argentina, Mendoza, Valle de Uco, Gualtallary

  Guessed Italian because of the sweet fruit and oaky frame. Quite international and somewhat anonymous but the additional age made it less offensive as my last bottle in 2022.

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