Les Hauts de Bourreau Saumur Champigny
Awards
Produced in very limited quantities, this Saumur Champigny aged in a stoneware egg is not entered in competitions.
Description
An elegant and well-balanced Saumur Champigny, aged in a Limoges stoneware egg
AOP
Cépage
Localisation
On the Côte de Parnay, on the Loire riverbank, from the Les Hauts de Bourreau plot.
Terroir
Les Hauts de Bourreau benefits from a terroir shaped by the ocean millions of years ago. The old Cabernet Franc vines, around forty years old, are rooted in sandy, silty limestone soils from the Middle Turonian.
This well-drained terroir encourages the vines to develop deep roots and allows the grapes to ripen slowly and evenly. Flint and mica store the heat of the day and release it during the night.
The result is a highly distinguished Cabernet Franc that expresses the distinctive character of the Saumur-Champigny hillside terroirs with remarkable precision.
Vine management and harvesting
Since its first harvest in 2005, Rocheville’s vineyard has been farmed using environmentally responsible practices. The estate obtained Terra Vitis certification in 2011 and began its conversion to organic farming in 2016.
This approach includes maintaining natural grass cover between the vines, paying particular attention to biodiversity, working the soils mechanically and carefully limiting interventions in the vineyard. Short pruning helps naturally control yields and encourages greater concentration in the grapes.
The grapes are hand-harvested at full ripeness. With a deliberately limited yield of 35 hl/ha, Les Hauts de Bourreau Saumur Champigny is produced at a yield well below the appellation average.
Vinification and ageing
When the grapes arrive at the winery, they are destemmed and carefully hand-sorted on a vibrating sorting table. The berries are then transferred to tanks, where they undergo natural pressing through gravity. Fermentation takes place at a low temperature.
Depending on the vintage, Les Hauts de Bourreau is aged for 12 to 18 months in a Limoges stoneware egg, allowing the wine to develop greater finesse, fruit expression and complexity.
Storage
Elegant from an early age, Les Hauts de Bourreau can be enjoyed for 3 to 5 years when properly stored.
Sensory discovery
Appearance
Ruby-red in colour, the wine is bright and vibrant, revealing elegance and intensity from the very first glance.
Bouquet
The intense and expressive nose hints at a full-bodied, structured wine. Notes of blackberry and blackcurrant, typical of Cabernet Franc, mingle with spicy and subtly toasted aromas, revealing the complexity brought by ageing in a stoneware egg.
Palate
On the palate, Les Hauts de Bourreau reveals a dense and voluptuous texture, where richness and subtle sweetness come together harmoniously. Its style recalls the finesse and elegance of a great Burgundy, with silky, finely textured tannins and an enveloping mouthfeel. The finish is fresh and subtly mouth-watering, with delicate peppery notes.
Wine and food pairing advice from the winegrower
Les Hauts de Bourreau is a wonderful match for poultry fricassee with ceps, a savoury mushroom pie with chanterelles, rack of lamb or roast veal served with winter vegetables. Roast poultry and white meats served with a delicate or lightly creamy sauce — such as quail with grapes and roasted figs or guinea fowl with cabbage — will beautifully complement its silky tannins.
For cheese, it pairs particularly well with Brie de Melun, Ossau-Iraty, farmhouse Saint-Nectaire and young cow’s milk cheeses. Their freshness and delicate flavours highlight the wine’s freshness on the finish and its elegant texture.
Serve between 14°C and 16°C.
You can also discover, in the Cabernet Franc family...
Le Prince
Le Fou du Roi
Le Roi
Le Troubadour
