Jacques Rouzé, 2018 Update
Last year I set aside some time to explore the appellation of Quincy which, aside perhaps from the Coteaux de Giennois, is surely the least well-known of all the Sauvignon-based appellations of the Central Vineyards. On reflection, I am glad that I was able to do so. Being familiar with Sancerre, from the very top end to the very bottom, I am acutely aware of the very broad spectrum of quality that this latter appellation provides. It is almost as if at the very bottom end some vignerons are trading on the reputation of the appellation, rather than the quality of what is in the bottle. Heaven forbid, what an imagination I must have! And what is more, these bottom-end bottles don’t come cheap either. Wines with Sancerre on the label command a certain price.
No such accusations could be thrown at the vignerons of Quincy, who can neither trade on the reputation of their appellation nor get away with charging a premium price, at least not without real justification. Here it is all about the quality of what goes into the bottle, and while many of the wines have a rather punchy, varietal, thiol- or pyrazine-tinged style, these wines can still wipe the floor with many of their ‘bargain-basement’ peers from Sancerre. I should know, I have tasted enough of them.
One family with which I was glad to become acquainted during my vinous explorations of Quincy were the Rouzé clan. The daughter, Adèle Rouzé, has set up on her own, taking on a small slice of the family vineyard. Most of the family’s vines, though, have been passed to his Jacques Rouzé’s son, Côme Rouzé (pictured above). And with the family having expanded their interests beyond their ‘home’ appellation in recent years, he now has vineyards not just in Quincy but also Reuilly and Châteaumeillant to care for.
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