Anjou wines are an ode to joie de vivre, finesse and elegance. Within this glorious region, the Saumur appellation stands out. Its status has grown over many decades thanks to the genius Charly Foucault, who has work hard along with his son Nady to take Clos Rougeard’s wines to the top.
Nowadays, the entire world wants to get their hands on a bottle from this excellent domain which has become an emblem of Cabernets from Saumur-Champigny, Chenins from Saumur, and generally, the Val de Loire.
Collectors are parting with more and more money when buying older vintages. An example from our most recent auctions includes a Le Bourg from 1989, which sold for €1178 on 26 October. Other vintages of this cuvée also went under the hammer in October’s auctions; the 1996 went for €646, the 2010 was bought for €632 and the 2009 sold for €448. The Séléction de Grains Nobles Coteau-de-Saumur Brézé from 1995, which is much rarer and very hard to find, was auctioned off for €893 (+36%).
In Clos Rougeard’s wake, you’ll find Domaine du Collier, which is run by Charly Foucault’s son, Antoine Foucault along with his partner Caroline Boireau. The wines reveal the winemaker’s beautiful touch after having spent a long time ageing in barrels continuing the family tradition. Bottles of the Chenin La Charpentrie from the 2014 and 2015 vintage were bought for €149 at auction last month. The red Saumur-Champigny Ripaille 2014 remains just as sought-after as it used to be, but its price is shooting up (€75, +54%).
Another of Foucault’s pupils, Thierry Germain manages a plot of Poyeux (although it is not mentioned on the label) and he uses the grapes from this parcel in his Terres Chaudes cuvée. The prices for Roches Neuves wines remain incredibly low for what they are worth. One wine lover picked up a bottle of La Marginale 2010, a beautiful Cabernet grown on clay soil, for € 44. A bottle of the white 2016 Saumur l’Echelier from a Turonian limestone soil, was also snapped up for € 44.
Antoine Sanzay’s Saumur-Champigny has gained some ground with his 2014 going under the hammer for €89 last month (+41%). Other domains to note include Château Yvonne (€51 for a white Saumur 2009), Porte Saint-Jean (a Saumur les Cormiers 2019 went for 41€, +11%), Château de Fosse-Sèche and Domaine des Closiers. This region really is a gold mine!
See the entire auction report for October 2022 on the iDealwine site.
Ask for a price estimate of your cellar
Learn more about selling your wines through iDealwine