Clos Rougeard

Legendary Saumur-Champigny estate crafting some of the world’s most refined Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc

snapshot

Region: Saumur-Champigny & Saumur, Loire Valley, France
Style: Organic, minimalist Cabernet Franc reds and powerful Chenin Blanc
VineyardS: ~10–15 ha across ~25 plots (many old vines) on clay–limestone soils
Farming vibe: Organic farming since the 1970s (natural viticulture, no synthetic chemicals)
Winemaking: Natural yeast fermentation, long ageing in oak & bottle, minimal intervention
Signature: Cult tension, precision & age-worthy expression (Le Clos, Les Poyeux, Le Bourg, Brézé)

 

“The only revolution at Clos Rougeard is that we have not changed anything!”

NADY FOUCAULT
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  • Clos Rougeard - Saumur Champigny 2011
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    Clos Rougeard - Saumur Champigny 2011

    Clos Rougeard - Saumur Champigny 2011
    €320,00 EUR

HOW THEY GOT HERE

Clos Rougeard’s story begins in 1664 in Chacé, just outside Saumur, where vines were planted on rich clay–limestone soils. Over the centuries, the estate passed through generations until the most famous stewards — brothers Jean-Louis “Charly” and Bernard “Nady” Foucault — took the reins in 1969 as the eighth generation of their family.

From the 1970s onward, the Foucaults eschewed chemical agriculture long before it was fashionable, committing to organic farming, low yields, and meticulous, minimalist cellar practices. Their approach was quietly radical in its consistency: work with nature, respect old vines, and let the wines evolve slowly and gracefully.

A defining moment came in 1993, when a 1990 vintage Le Bourg triumphantly outperformed even top Bordeaux icons in a blind tasting, vaulting the domaine into global legend.

After Charly’s passing in 2015, and the sale of the estate to the Bouygues family in 2017, Clos Rougeard continued its traditions with deep respect for the estate’s DNA, while new custodians and winemakers carry forward the Foucault legacy with the same reverence for place and quality.

Where The Wine Is Born

Clos Rougeard’s vineyards lie in Saumur-Champigny and the nearby Brézé plateau, a terroir famed for gravelly clay and limestone soils rich in microflora — ideal for both Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc.

Many parcels are planted to very old vines (some exceeding 80–100 years), giving the wines exceptional concentration and depth. The cool continental climate, moderated by the Loire river, preserves acid balance and freshness, while long underground tuffeau cellars allow wines to age slowly and develop complexity.

This terroir — rigorous yet expressive — is part of why Clos Rougeard’s wines have unparalleled depth, focus, and finesse among Loire producers.

Saumur
Champigny

How the wine feels

Precise Cabernet Franc

Tension and pure varietal energy with sculpted structure.

Age-worthy Depth

Slow élevage and time in bottle reveal layered nuance.

Mineral Clarity

Clay–limestone soils translate to salinity, spice, and clarity.
Clos Rougeard - Saumur Champigny 2011
Sold out

Clos Rougeard - Saumur Champigny 2011

Clos Rougeard - Saumur Champigny 2011
€320,00 EUR
FOR THE NERDS

Clos Rougeard’s wines are crafted from about 10–15 hectares of biodynamically farmed vineyards, many on clay and limestone soils that bring natural acidity, minerality, and age-worthy structure to the wines.
Under the Foucaults, the estate championed organic viticulture long before it was widely adopted — refusing synthetic inputs, maintaining old vines, and harvesting by hand, often at very low yields.

Winemaking is characteristically minimal: native yeasts initiate fermentation, cuvées age for 18–24 months in oak barrels (with variable new oak usage depending on the wine), and the wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered.

The red wines — Le Clos, Les Poyeux, and Le Bourg — are 100 % Cabernet Franc, each expressing distinctive soil parcels. Meanwhile, the rare Brézé ($White$) comes from century-old Chenin Blanc vineyards on limestone clay.

Clos Rougeard’s wines are known for long ageing potential, layered aromatic complexity, and an enduring focus that rivals the greatest Cabernet Franc expressions globally — a testament to centuries of care and minimal intervention.

“Leave the wine in peace so it can express its own identity.”