A 75cl bottle of Clos Rougeard Les Poyeux 2011; label and capsule in excellent condition. Estate-bottled. Shipped via UPS. About the estate In just a few years, Clos Rougeard has established itself as the most iconic and renowned estate in the Loire Valley—and indeed in all of France. While its widespread fame is recent—having long been known only to serious connoisseurs before achieving global success—the same cannot be said for the vineyard itself; Jean-Louis and Bernard ("Charly" and "Nady," or the "Foucault brothers"), who managed the estate from the 1970s until 2017, represented the eighth generation of the family to run the property. Founded in 1664, the estate has remained in the same family ever since. Charly Foucault passed away in 2015, and in 2017, the estate was sold to Martin Bouygues. Bouygues already owned Château Montrose and Château Tronquoy-Lalande in Saint-Estèphe, Domaine Rebourseau in Gevrey-Chambertin, and the La Métairie distillery in Cognac. Today, the estate is managed by Cyril Chirouze, formerly the head of Château des Jacques in Beaujolais. The vineyard is located in Chacé, between Tours and Angers, and spans 15 hectares across the Saumur, Saumur-Champigny, and Saumur-Brézé appellations; the land is divided into approximately 25 plots featuring a wide diversity of soil types. The estate is fortunate to possess very old vines, some over a century old. Cabernet Franc accounts for the majority of the plantings, complemented by a small amount of Chenin Blanc. The incomparable quality of this estate's wines stems largely from its viticultural practices—which have been exceptionally rigorous since at least the 1960s, employing organic farming methods long before they were officially recognized. Yet, the estate has never sought formal organic certification. Consequently, these vines—untouched by chemicals—beautifully express the full complexity of their terroir. Winemaking involves minimal intervention (notably very low sulfur levels), and the wines are aged for at least two years. A new winery facility was inaugurated in 2023, featuring numerous concrete egg-shaped vessels and a gravity-flow system for moving the harvest and juice. The estate produces six cuvées, including two whites. When the vintage allows, it produces three reds, two of which are single-vineyard wines: *Les Poyeux*, a wine of great breadth yet remarkable finesse, boasting a beautiful dark ruby ​​color; and the *Bourg* cuvée, a distinguished, dense wine aged in new oak barrels for 18 to 24 months. Among the whites, the *Brézé* cuvée now ranks as one of the finest white wines in the Loire Valley. Clos Rougeard’s wines are undeniably among the most sought-after in the Loire. While bottles produced prior to the estate's acquisition have naturally become collector's items, more recent vintages have certainly not disappointed the estate's admirers. These are wines of legendary balance, possessing exemplary finesse, freshness, and depth. About the cuvée Aged for 18 to 24 months in barrels that have held one previous vintage, the *Les Poyeux* cuvée displays a beautiful dark ruby ​​color—a hue that stands out from most Saumur-Champigny wines and testifies to the wine's density and richness. With impressive fullness on the palate, the wine also displays great finesse, elegance, and balance.