Saumur Surprise
2011 Chateau du Hureau Saumur-Champigny Lisagathe
In any conversation about Loire red wines, Clos Rougeard looms over everything.
We love these wines, but today we want to enlarge the conversation and introduce someone far removed from this idiom.
We’re happy to present Hureau’s 2011 Saumur-Champigny Lisagathe. If Rougeard turns out wines that are grand, regal and densely structured, Hureau works on humbler territory. That said, it’s impossible not to be deeply impressed by what Hureau pulls off.
We’d forgotten about these wines for a few years. That was until recently when the Lisagathe was one of the standouts in a tasting of over twenty wines. It was easily one of the biggest surprises of our tastings this year.
 |
What we found so compelling about the Lisagathe was simply its honesty. Lisagathe is Hureau’s top wine. And when we speak of honesty, we’re not talking about a rustic edge or some uncomplicated quaffer. It’s referring more to an unmediated expression and clear sense that it was made without an excess of artifice.
What it does offer is one of the most blatantly mineral expressions of Cab Franc around. It’s a profoundly textural and gripping minerality. The area around Saumur is famous for tuffeau soils. Tuffeau is a chalky limestone soil. The person who poured the wine for us said that it was "like sucking on tuffeau." It’s hard to argue with that.
Tasting it, you sense the inherent refinement of Lisegathe’s structure. Above all, everything is pure and precise. The notes of spice, sandalwood and dark red fruits subtly meld into one another.
We’re always on the lookout for wines like Hureau’s Lisagathe. This is a wine that will shine at the table (you'll find yourself returning to it) and all the elements are in place for it to age beautifully.
To order, please email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits