2017 Clos Rougeard Saumur-Champigny Les Poyeux

The 2017 Les Poyeux is a silken, elegant wine that's just starting to turn away from its primary fruits and develop some mellow tertiary characters. Very smooth in texture, an abundance of fine, powdery tannins coats the mouth. The 2017 is long, fragrant and sophisticated, with black fruit, woody herbs, Christmas spices and the merest whiff of nectarine, which I commonly find in Les Poyeux, year in, year out. Excellent.

My favourite among the three reds in the 2017 horizontal, so pure in ripe cherry expressions and refined tannin, earthy elegance and subtle notes of truffle and sous bois. A stirring balance between tangy, Indian Tonic freshness and juicy concentration. And what sumptuous palate texture. The French word éclat applies: energy and brightness entice further drinking as does the long finish. Potentially higher score with cellaring, but already grand and ready to enjoy. No new oak for the 24 months ageing, then 4 years in bottle before release.

Set for release in November 2022, the 2017 Les Poyeux is a delightful wine. While waiting for the winemaker, I was left with a glass of this in the chalky cellars and I really struggled to find anything wrong with it. This is a blend of two parcels within the Poyeux vineyard. It's as if you are drinking a cloud of Cabernet Franc, that floats along in your mouth, before the mouthwatering acidity flows forth. This light to mid-weight wine has incredible density despite its delicacy. The purity of fruit is impressive and shows red cherry, black olive, savory and tea leaf-like tannins. Typically a more accessible wine than Le Bourg, you could drink on release but it will go on and on.