Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Within Clos Rougeard's trio of red wines, Les Poyeux best emphasizes the elegant, silky house style. The nose is nimble and focused, showing notes of old leather, dried herbs, potter's clay and red plums. The mid-weight palate is simultaneously refined, sleek and dusty, with dried cherry and crushed gravel flavors. In recent years, Rougeard has ascended from its former place of relative secrecy, but I'm surprised by its often-overlooked place in Cabernet Franc conversations that usually center around blue-chip Right Bank Bordeaux châteaux. Rougeard is every bit their equal.
Cabernet Franc, a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon, is the subtler and more delicate of the Cabernets. Today Cabernet Franc produces outstanding single varietal wines across the wine-producing world. Somm Secret—One of California's best-kept secrets is the Happy Canyon appellation of Santa Barbara. Here Cabernet Franc shines as a single varietal wine or in blends, expressing sumptuous fruit, savory aromas and polished tannins.
Marked by great châteaux built with the same tuffeau limestone that is also responsible for the excavation of so many of the famed Loire caves, Saumur is famous for its Chenin blanc based sparkling wines. Inside the Saumur region, Saumur-Champigny creates some of the Loire’s greatest Cabernet Francs.
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