Producer: Clos Rougeard 
Region: Saumur, Loire Valley, France  
Varietal: Chenin Blanc    
Year: 2017  

Vinous, 94 Points 

"The phrase ‘ripe yet precise’ encapsulates the 2017 Brézé, Clos Rougeard’s single and singular, dry white wine.  It has two different fruit spectrums - there’s citrus fruit from the north-facing vines and a later picked, riper, almost tropical, cooked pineapple character.  Fermented in barrel, there are oak-derived vanilla flavors that join the fruit while a whiff of match stick indicates a lightly reductive character that needs air.  It is round yet retains a bright, racy freshness that you often see in Brézé whites.  Focused and fine, this has the substance and line to evolve gracefully." 

Decanter, 90 Points 

"The nose is relatively restrained, while the palate balances between fruity and savoury with a lively sense of acidity, and shows the general tightness of the vintage. At the moment this is showing a tendency towards the sourness Chenin Blanc can express in leaner years, and it seems the least successful of the trio from 2019 to 2017. A faint overlay of minerality is less obvious than in 2019."  

Alcohol: 13% 

Biodynamic farming. 

*Discounts do not apply to items like this one in the Fine & Rare category. Price and availability in store may vary.