This wine is a southern Rhône benchmark and an absolute knockout in the celebrated 2015 vintage—which, as you know, was an ultra-ripe, ultra-powerful year across most of Europe. The story of this 2015 Côtes du Rhône from Le Clos du Caillou, however, is one of superb balance above all else.
This wine is effectively a Châteauneuf-du-Pape—a place where many wines skew ultra- (and over-) ripe in even “lesser” vintages—and while it is indeed dark and luscious, it is also fragrant, well-framed by acidity, and thus not even hinting at the syrupy, ‘cooked fruit’ qualities that doom many southern Rhône reds. When we offered the 2014 vintage of this wine last year, we went deep into its backstory as well, because it helps to explain why a wine of such immense pleasure and evident breed only costs $25. There’s a sea of anonymous “Côtes du Rhône” out there, and, to put it mildly, this wine is not one of those. As we’ve noted before, this is a Châteauneuf-du-Pape in everything but name—sourced from a vineyard in striking distance of Château Rayas—and a spectacular one at that. Do not miss the 2015 version; it’s the best one we’ve ever tried!

Whereas the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation contains about 3,200 hectares of vineyards in that village and a few of its neighboring communes, the Côtes-du-Rhône designation extends over a much broader (and by implication less prestigious) area of the southern Rhône Valley. Lots of wines labeled Côtes du Rhône, particularly those with village-specific designations like Vacqueyras or Gigondas, are tagged by in-the-know drinkers as ‘baby Châteauneufs,’ but Le Clos de Caillou is another story entirely.

First established as a hunting lodge in the late-1800s, Le Clos du Caillou is headquartered in Courthézon, one of the villages within the Châteauneuf AOC’s boundaries. But back in 1923, when the creators of the AOC approached Caillou’s then-owner with the intention of including the property in the designation, they were unceremoniously thrown off the property! This act of surliness, insularity—whatever it was—created what continues to be an anomalous, ‘unclassified’ chunk of land in what is otherwise some of the most prized vineyard land in the AOC (Chateau Rayas, the standard-bearer of great Châteauneuf-du-Pape, is 2 kilometers away). Check out the “Le Caillou” vineyard in this link for an even better look at how close it is to some of Châteauneuf’s greatest sites.

So you get the picture: you’re paying $25 for a bottle of Châteauneuf, about half of what is typical simply because the label says ‘Côtes du Rhône.’ Driven by Grenache grown in the pebbly, sandy soils of the zone, this wine is a special selection, called “Cuvée Unique,” created each year by Le Clos du Caillou’s importer from the best old-vine lots. The 2015 is a blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 20% Carignan aged for one year in a mix of old oak foudre (large casks) and stainless steel tank.

As we’ve come to expect from 2015 reds, this “Cuvée Unique” is uniquely deep and dark in color, an opaque ruby-purple leaning towards black. The aromatics are an explosive mix of black cherry, black raspberry, licorice, dried herbs, lavender, cacao nibs, and roasted meat, sensations which carry over to the full-bodied palate. For all of its concentration, there’s also incredible freshness that keeps it lifted and dry—it’s a big, palate-coating red that finishes on a mineral, savory note, without any lingering sweetness or, amazingly, alcohol heat (there’s enough acidity to carry the alcohol with ease). This is a decadent, seductive wine to drink now, needing only about 30 minutes in a decanter to open up and wrap you in its buxom embrace. You could lay it down for a few years and develop its savory, floral side further, but either way, serve it at a cool-ish 60 degrees in large Bordeaux stems. The spice mix in the attached lamb stew recipe should bring out even more in this wine. It’s a deeply impressive, straightforwardly delicious bottle and well-worth purchasing in quantity at this price.