Three Loire Rosés

Three Loire rosés from a closing-down sale

• Guy Saget, part of Saget La Perrière Estates: Saget la Perrière — Loire valley wine producer — Loire valley vineyards
• La Seigneurie: Home — La Seigneurie
• **Loire Wines**

A chance internet trawl last year turned up a closing-down sale for Wines of The Loire. I immediately bought several mixed cases of heavily discounted mature reds, whites and stickies from good-to-great appellations which, when I tasted them, were sufficiently impressive for me to go back and hoover up the remainder — by then mostly mature rosés selling for about a 75% off the list price.

Where Provence or Provence-style rosés are typically pale and delicate, often tending towards blandness, these Loire rosés are darker, fuller and more substantial.

The appellations

Sancerre rosé is a rare style — made from Pinot Noir, just 1% of Sancerre is pink.

Cabernet d’Anjou is a somewhat unusual appellation — it is specifically reserved for rosés grown in Anjou from Cabernets Sauvignon and / or Franc. Unlike pale, delicate, slightly insipid Provence rosés, this Loire is dark, complex, savoury and off-dry with balanced acidity and good tannic structure making it more age-worthy than Rosé d’Anjou .

Saumur rosé is likewise made from Cabernet Sauvignon and / or Franc grown around Anjou.

The wineries

La Seigneurie

They say:

La Seigneurie is a winery perched on the highest slopes that make a look to the Saumur region. The family history, full of passion for wine, continues today through Alban Foucher, artisan winemaker, who has inherited the know-how passed down from father to son. Since 2005, when Alban took over the reins of the family estate, he continues today to perpetuate the traditions of the region, produce excellent wine worthy of the great French tables. Our vineyard is in organic cultivation farming since 2023.

Guy Saget / Saget La Perrière

They say:

Saget La Perrière’s wine estates have been acquired gradually over the years and encapsulate the diversity and nuance found in the Loire wine regions terroirs. Dotted along the river from East to West, the different vineyards are farmed with utmost care, producing wines with strong identities which express the unique characteristics of their terroirs.

The wines

Guy Saget Sancerre Rosé 2019 (£4.99 bin-end sale, Wines of The Loire)

Fresh, complex Loire rosé; lots going on, if not quite fully knitted together.

13%

100% Pinot Noir

translucent crimson with orange tints; delicate crunchy red berries with marzipan, dried herbs and white pepper; fresh and saline with soft red fruits, lemon-and-lime citrus, candied strawberry, cool mint and toasty, creamy-oatmealy cashew and macadamia. Savoury and persistent, but somehow lacks harmoniousness.

Thoroughly pleasant+.

Drinks nicely on first pouring. At a peak, but can be cellared further.

Match with savoury dishes, such as goat’s cheese and red onion tart, butcher’s herby sausages with red onion chutney or smoked salmon quiche.

La Seigneurie, Mademoiselle Saumur, Rosé 2019 (€9 cellar door / £15.99, Wines of The Loire, Absolute Organic Wine)

Savoury, saline, mature food-friendly rose

100% Cabernet franc

13.5%

deep salmon pink; cranberry, redcurrant and pastry shop; delicate soft red-berry fruits, cashew, macadamia and leesy, oatmealy complexity with a touch of herbaceous mint. Saline and savoury.

Good.

Drinks nicely on first pouring; opens up with aeration. At a peak but can be cellared further for greater complexity.

Match with savoury dishes, such as salmon en croute, quiche or cold cuts.

Guy Saget Cabernet D’Anjou Rosé 2019 (£5.99 bin-end sale, Wines of The Loire)

Off-dry, easy-drinking darker rosé

I say:

11.5%

crimson with a slight orange tint; delicate redcurrant, raspberry and cranberry; fresh and lively with candied soft red-berry fruits, savoury-saline concentration and long acidity; some RS but finishes dry.

Thoroughly pleasant+.

Drinks nicely on first pouring. At a peak, but can be cellared further.

Match with savoury dishes, such as goat’s cheese and red onion tart, butcher’s herby sausages with red onion chutney or smoked salmon quiche.