Clos Rougeard le Bourg 2006 Frères Foucault (magnum, 1.5 L)

Clos Rougeard Le Bourg 2006 — Foucault Brothers

This Clos Rougeard Le Bourg 2006 from the Foucault Brothers, offered here in magnum 1.5 L, embodies one of the most mythical, profound and refined expressions of Loire Cabernet Franc. An emblematic cuvée from an exceptional terroir in Saumur-Champigny, Le Bourg combines fruit nobility, limestone precision and remarkable ageing capacity: cassis, blackberry, black raspberry, black cherry, violet, peony, graphite, pencil lead, fine pepper, blond tobacco, noble leather, liquorice, delicate forest floor, fresh earth and a long mineral finish.

Clos Rougeard, under the legendary signature of the Foucault Brothers, holds a unique place in the history of great Loire wines. Le Bourg is the estate’s most structured, profound and elongated cuvée, renowned for its aromatic purity, silky texture, limestone tension and exceptional aptitude for ageing. The 2006 vintage, now in a beautiful phase of evolution, reveals an elegant, complex and perfectly balanced expression. The magnum format encourages slower maturation, better preservation of freshness and a particularly sought-after collector dimension.

Terroir: Le Bourg, tuffeau, Cabernet Franc and Loire grandeur

The terroir of Saumur-Champigny rests on tuffeau, the soft limestone emblematic of the Loire, which gives Cabernet Franc its singular freshness, great aromatic finesse and persistent mineral tension. The Loire climate allows the grape variety to express profiles that are floral, spicy, fruity and profoundly elegant.

The Le Bourg parcel is one of Clos Rougeard’s great historic terroirs. It produces a Cabernet Franc that is denser, more structured and more profound, while preserving remarkable textural finesse. In 2006, evolution is beginning to soften the tannins and reveal nuances of graphite, noble leather, blond tobacco, forest floor, fine spices and fresh earth, without losing the limestone freshness that defines the estate’s greatest wines.

Tasting notes

Appearance: deep garnet with dark ruby reflections, slowly evolving towards more brick-toned nuances depending on storage, bright and still sustained. In magnum, evolution is generally slower, allowing the wine to preserve freshness, brightness and depth for many years.

Nose: deep, pure and highly expressive, with cassis, blackberry, black raspberry, black cherry, time-polished red and black fruits, violet, peony, graphite, pencil lead, fine pepper, liquorice and blond tobacco. With aeration, nuances of noble leather, delicate forest floor, fresh earth, fine herbs, light cocoa, sweet spices, light truffle and smoky notes may appear.

Palate: broad, silky, fresh and admirably structured, with precise fruit carried by very clear limestone tension. Flavours of cassis, blackberry, black cherry, black raspberry, violet, graphite, tobacco, liquorice, fine pepper, noble leather and fresh earth unfold with depth and elegance. The finish is very long, saline, mineral and lightly spicy, with an impression of purity, nobility and great Loire persistence.

Expression of the 2006 vintage

The 2006 vintage in the Loire produced wines of character, often marked by fine freshness, precise structure and gradual evolution towards elegant tertiary nuances. For a cuvée as profound as Le Bourg, this year now offers an appealing balance between time-polished fruit, mineral freshness, softened texture and aromatic complexity.

Today, this Clos Rougeard Le Bourg 2006 in magnum is entering a phase of great complexity, while retaining remarkable vitality thanks to the large format. Measured aeration reveals its nuances of cassis, violet, graphite, blond tobacco, noble leather, fine pepper, fresh earth, delicate forest floor and light truffle, while preserving its finesse and limestone tension.