2005 Saumur Champigny Breze
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Tasting notes
The Foucaults generally bottle only one white, from vines of forty years’ average age, planted in a clay-rich site on a retardant root stock that promotes harvesting Chenin after Cabernet, and this wine completely transcends other wines of Saumur appellation. (Occasionally – in years of truly widespread and noble rot – there is a sweet Coteaux Saumur from this small parcel instead.) Their 2005 Saumur Breze – tasted from new barrels – offered aromas and flavors of luscious peach, apple and honeydew melon splashed with sea spray and sprinkled with toasted almonds. With a remarkable combination of palpable mineral density, creaminess of texture, and satisfyingly succulent fruit juiciness, it finishes with gorgeous polish and length. (Lest one imagine that the Foucaults can do no wrong in my nostrils, I was quite underwhelmed with their 2001 white. For notes on the domaine’s reds, please consult the coverage of Cabernet Franc elsewhere in this report.) Importer: Louis/Dressner Selections, New York, NY; tel. (212) 334-8191
Critic scores
Neal Martin
David Schildknecht, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The 2005 Saumur Blanc Bréze has just about a perfect, Coche-like reduction on the nose that imparts tension and energy. Grilled walnuts manifest with modest aeration. The palate is beautifully balanced with stem ginger and nutmeg notes. Impressively weighted, there is tangible grip towards the finish of this superb mature white Loire. Wonderful. Tasted at the Clos Rougeard retrospective at Noble Rot, London.
About the producer
Clos Rougeard is one of the Loire Valley’s most famous producers. Based in Saumur-Champigny, it produces fine Cabernet Franc in tiny volumes – wines that are almost impossible to source.