Always rich yet remarkably smooth—high quality, old-vine, CDP-equivalent Grenache will yield that for you—Le Clos du Caillou’s 2017 “Cuvée Unique” is deep, dense, and powerfully concentrated. Despite its youth, intoxicating aromas funnel out of the glass with flamboyant force, erupting with intense black raspberry and cherry liqueurs, spiced plum, juicy redcurrant, cassis, olive, cracked pepper, perfumed garrigue, lavender, baked earth, and licorice. Rip-roaringly rich and unabashedly full-bodied on the palate, this luxurious tour de force seamlessly blends its polished fruit and savory/spicy/earthy layers without ever weighing down your palate—a magician act all its own. It’s a big, palate-coating wine with fine-grained tannins and a firm structure that tells you this won’t be falling apart in the next two years. So, enjoy this decadent Rhône experience now, in Bordeaux stems at a steady 60 degrees, or match it against some high-dollar CDP labels over the next 3-5 years. You’ll be delighted either way.