Sagesse des Sols ‘Une Bouteille À La Mare’ Rosé de Loire 2023
Location: France, Loire, Anjou
Winemaker: Cathy & Fred Róger
Grapes: Grolleau Noir, Grolleau Gris, Pineau d’Aunis
Soil: Clay, sand, schist
Winemaking: Organic farming. Direct-pressed and short-maceration. Fermentation with indigenous yeast. Aged in stainless steel. No fining or filtering. Minimal sulfur added.
From the Importer Super Glou: The road to Sagesse des Sols is dotted with small townships, intermittently spread amongst large swaths of emerald green farmland. This winter season has been a wet one, so the grasses (and in the case of Cathy and Fred, the cover crop that lines their rows of vines) are especially bright and vibrant today. The clay in the soils beneath us, as well, pillowy soft and permeating the air with unmistakable freshness. It’s somewhat flat here in Anjou, so this Oz-like expanse stretches beyond the horizon, glistening under a now-setting amber sun.
We’re walked through the thickets of Oz by the wizards themselves, Cathy and Fred Róger. Though Fred first moved to Anjou when he was four years old (with the current estate being in the family since 2007), the pair met in Alsace, where both were working for other vignerons. Cathy and Fred returned to Anjou and took over Fred’s family estate in 2020. The deal was, so long as the yields remained consistent, they were allowed to do what they pleased as far as the viticulture. For the two, there was no question that the necessary path was one of minimal-intervention, to allow the “Wisdom of the Soils” to express themselves fully and uninhibited.
Thus, they undertook a swift conversion (and certification) to organic viticulture, firmly evident when you set foot amongst the vines. Fred, typically a bit reserved, begins to beam with joy discussing the newest plantings of cereals, herbs, clovers, flowers, and other vegetation between the rows, acting both as nitrogen re-distributors and conduits for a variety of microbial life in the soils. It’s evident looking at some of these gnarled, older vines next to the parcels that belong to others, that Cathy and Fred have completely rejuvenated their pockets of Anjou.
As we return to the cellar and taste through the wines, accompanied by a bouquet of hyper-local oysters, their mission is clear. The wines are picture-perfect expressions of Anjou, pure and approachable, yet teeming with energy and brilliance.
Location: France, Loire, Anjou
Winemaker: Cathy & Fred Róger
Grapes: Grolleau Noir, Grolleau Gris, Pineau d’Aunis
Soil: Clay, sand, schist
Winemaking: Organic farming. Direct-pressed and short-maceration. Fermentation with indigenous yeast. Aged in stainless steel. No fining or filtering. Minimal sulfur added.
From the Importer Super Glou: The road to Sagesse des Sols is dotted with small townships, intermittently spread amongst large swaths of emerald green farmland. This winter season has been a wet one, so the grasses (and in the case of Cathy and Fred, the cover crop that lines their rows of vines) are especially bright and vibrant today. The clay in the soils beneath us, as well, pillowy soft and permeating the air with unmistakable freshness. It’s somewhat flat here in Anjou, so this Oz-like expanse stretches beyond the horizon, glistening under a now-setting amber sun.
We’re walked through the thickets of Oz by the wizards themselves, Cathy and Fred Róger. Though Fred first moved to Anjou when he was four years old (with the current estate being in the family since 2007), the pair met in Alsace, where both were working for other vignerons. Cathy and Fred returned to Anjou and took over Fred’s family estate in 2020. The deal was, so long as the yields remained consistent, they were allowed to do what they pleased as far as the viticulture. For the two, there was no question that the necessary path was one of minimal-intervention, to allow the “Wisdom of the Soils” to express themselves fully and uninhibited.
Thus, they undertook a swift conversion (and certification) to organic viticulture, firmly evident when you set foot amongst the vines. Fred, typically a bit reserved, begins to beam with joy discussing the newest plantings of cereals, herbs, clovers, flowers, and other vegetation between the rows, acting both as nitrogen re-distributors and conduits for a variety of microbial life in the soils. It’s evident looking at some of these gnarled, older vines next to the parcels that belong to others, that Cathy and Fred have completely rejuvenated their pockets of Anjou.
As we return to the cellar and taste through the wines, accompanied by a bouquet of hyper-local oysters, their mission is clear. The wines are picture-perfect expressions of Anjou, pure and approachable, yet teeming with energy and brilliance.
Location: France, Loire, Anjou
Winemaker: Cathy & Fred Róger
Grapes: Grolleau Noir, Grolleau Gris, Pineau d’Aunis
Soil: Clay, sand, schist
Winemaking: Organic farming. Direct-pressed and short-maceration. Fermentation with indigenous yeast. Aged in stainless steel. No fining or filtering. Minimal sulfur added.
From the Importer Super Glou: The road to Sagesse des Sols is dotted with small townships, intermittently spread amongst large swaths of emerald green farmland. This winter season has been a wet one, so the grasses (and in the case of Cathy and Fred, the cover crop that lines their rows of vines) are especially bright and vibrant today. The clay in the soils beneath us, as well, pillowy soft and permeating the air with unmistakable freshness. It’s somewhat flat here in Anjou, so this Oz-like expanse stretches beyond the horizon, glistening under a now-setting amber sun.
We’re walked through the thickets of Oz by the wizards themselves, Cathy and Fred Róger. Though Fred first moved to Anjou when he was four years old (with the current estate being in the family since 2007), the pair met in Alsace, where both were working for other vignerons. Cathy and Fred returned to Anjou and took over Fred’s family estate in 2020. The deal was, so long as the yields remained consistent, they were allowed to do what they pleased as far as the viticulture. For the two, there was no question that the necessary path was one of minimal-intervention, to allow the “Wisdom of the Soils” to express themselves fully and uninhibited.
Thus, they undertook a swift conversion (and certification) to organic viticulture, firmly evident when you set foot amongst the vines. Fred, typically a bit reserved, begins to beam with joy discussing the newest plantings of cereals, herbs, clovers, flowers, and other vegetation between the rows, acting both as nitrogen re-distributors and conduits for a variety of microbial life in the soils. It’s evident looking at some of these gnarled, older vines next to the parcels that belong to others, that Cathy and Fred have completely rejuvenated their pockets of Anjou.
As we return to the cellar and taste through the wines, accompanied by a bouquet of hyper-local oysters, their mission is clear. The wines are picture-perfect expressions of Anjou, pure and approachable, yet teeming with energy and brilliance.