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Rousseau Frères Touraine Noble Joué 2022

I don’t give enough time to rosé on Winedoctor, even though I am aware that the style is increasingly popular these days. The last time I featured a rosé as my Weekend Wine was close to a year ago, in August 2023, although being honest it was more the vintage than the hue which drew me to the 1944 Rosé de Cabernet from René Daviau. And given that it shimmered with a gloriously golden toasted hue which was rather more reminiscent of an amontillado than Ligérian apéro, I am not sure anyone who tasted it blind would have thought of it as a rosé anyway.

The time before that was the 2020 Reuilly Rosé Les Châtillons, from Denis Jamain, back in July 2022. A ‘proper’ rosé. So, really, almost two years have passed. Time to put that right today.

The rosés of Reuilly are made with Pinot Beurot (or Pinot Gris, if you prefer), a fact I touched upon in my recent report on the 2020 Malvoisie du Comte Odart from Rousseau Frères. So this week we are sticking with Pinot Gris (and friends), and we are also sticking with Rousseau Frères, as I dive into Touraine Noble Joué, a little-known rosé-only appellation located just south of the city of Tours which burst onto the world wine stage (perhaps that is putting it a little strong) when the appellation was signed off in 2001.

The Touraine Noble Joué appellation comprises a collection of parcels scattered across five communes, four of which are tucked close into the city of Tours, while the fifth sits just to the south-east. This places the appellation between two of the Loire’s major tributaries, the Cher (which flows though Tours alongside the Loire) and the Indre.

Rousseau Frères Touraine Noble Joué 2022

The name of the appellation is unusual, and has two origins; Joué is a nod to Joué-lès-Tours, one of five communes eligible for the appellation, while Noble reflects the noble status of the three eligible varieties, all of which are members of the Pinot family. The principal grape variety is Pinot Meunier, accompanied by complementary varieties Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. These ‘noble’ varieties were introduced to the Touraine region from vineyards further east, and were first planted in Saint-Avertin – another of the five communes eligible for the modern-day appellation – during the 12th century. By the 15th century court documents describe the wines of the region being poured at the table of King Louis XI (1423 – 1463) when he was resident at Château de Plessis-lèz-Tours, a once-imposing royal château west of Tours (although today it is encircled by suburban housing).

An eligible blend must include all three varieties, with Pinot Meunier dominant, and Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir both also contributing. At Rousseau Frères the fruit comes from vines grown on silty clay soils, with each variety pressed and vinified separately in thermoregulated stainless steel cuves. After fermentation by indigenous yeasts the new wine is left on the lees for three months with a little bâtonnage to add some weight, after which it is blended and bottled. In the glass the 2022 Touraine Noble Joué displays a peachy salmon pink (much paler than the image above suggests – a trick of the Ligérian light), while the nose is filled with layers of peach, tangerine, raspberry and a thready wrapping of fresh and lightly smoky reduction. The palate follows on with the same charming flavour profile, with a light thread of acidity running though its heart, working to offset – as best it can – the generous substance of the vintage. Packed with flavour and presence, this is a lovely rosé which trades on freshness of flavour, texture and energy. Very ‘noble’ indeed. The alcohol on the label is 13%. 93/100 (24/6/24)

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