Saumur-Champigny
Loire · France · Wine Auction Prices
Saumur-Champigny produces the Loire Valley's most auction-worthy red wines from Cabernet Franc grown on tuffeau limestone south of the Loire between Saumur and Montsoreau. The appellation covers 1,600 hectares but owes almost its entire international reputation to a single estate: Clos Rougeard, farmed by René and Jean-Louis Foucault (and since 2017, the Bouygues family) from old-vine Cabernet Franc on south-facing tuffeau slopes. Clos Rougeard produces three cuvées — Saumur-Champigny (the entry level), Les Poyeux, and Bourg — vinified with extraordinary care: long maceration, aging in old barrels, no fining, no filtration, minimal SO2. Bourg, from the oldest vines on the best parcels, commands $400–600 per bottle at auction. Thierry Germain's Domaine des Roches Neuves and Château du Hureau are serious second-tier producers. The best vintages — 1989, 1995, 2002, 2005, 2014, 2015 — show how Cabernet Franc at its finest rivals Burgundy's Pinot Noir for elegance and longevity.
In the Glass
Saumur-Champigny Cabernet Franc at its best is fine-grained and aromatic: red cassis, violet, pencil shavings, and a distinctive Loire herbal note (poivron) that resolves to forest floor and tobacco with 10–15 years. Clos Rougeard Bourg adds iron and graphite — a structure that rivals Burgundy's finest Pinot Noirs in elegance and longevity despite the tuffeau terroir.
Red Wines
| Wine | Avg Price | Lots Sold |
|---|---|---|
| Clos Rougeard Clos Rougeard, Saumur-Champigny | $279 | 79 |
| Domaine des Sables Verts Glouglou | $45 | 15 |
| Thierry Germain (Roches Neuves) Clos de l'Echelier | $41 | 13 |
| Thierry Germain (Roches Neuves) Memoires | $89 | 12 |
| Thierry Germain (Roches Neuves) Franc Pied | $74 | 9 |
| Thierry Germain (Roches Neuves) Marginales | $34 | 8 |
| Antoine Sanzay Poyeux | $31 | 5 |
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