We all cherish French reds that push the quality of their appellation to the absolute extreme, but Clos du Caillou’s “Les Quartz” is an entirely different breed. Forget shattering or transcending its Côtes du Rhône moniker—today’s wine legitimately deserves, and has long been entitled to, Châteauneuf-du-Pape status. The walled estate vineyard from which today’s luxurious powerhouse is sourced is flanked by supreme Châteauneuf real estate and was only excluded from this renowned designation because Caillou infamously, and forcefully, declined the invitation in 1936.
If they hadn’t, today’s outrageously delicious red would be classified as a category-leading CdP fetching twice the price. In fact, Caillou now bottles another “Les Quartz” from Châteuneuf and its average retail price is $92! Do you see how great of a steal this is? As far as (my) value for dollar is concerned, this is one of the very few that towers above the rest, and that’s before factoring in a vintage that Caillou calls “legendary with perfect balance.” I know the search for an extraordinary lush, high-toned, and value-shattering Southern Rhône can be daunting, so snag up to six bottles and relax—the search is over!
Clos du Caillou is located in Courthézon, a village within the Châteauneuf-du-Pape growing zone, and we love telling their “stay off my lawn” origin story. In 1936, forty years after the property was established as a hunting lodge, France’s AOC governing body approached Caillou’s then-owner with the intention of incorporating it into the ‘new’ Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation. The officials were met with gruff resistance and (literally) raised guns—Caillou’s owner had no desire to join the governing ranks of anything, let alone a wine appellation. This brazen act excluded the estate from the AOC and essentially carved out a chunk of CdP’s border. Today, it continues to be an ‘unclassified’ section in what is otherwise some of the most prized vineyard land in the area.
About 20 years after “the lawn altercation” Clos du Caillou was purchased by the Pouizin family, who stowed the guns, started planting vines, and began making wine. Over the next four decades, Claude Pouizin made Les Clos du Caillou a household name for premier Châteauneuf-du-Pape. In 1996, the youngest of his three daughters, Sylvie, inherited the operations. At the time, she was living in Sancerre with her husband, Jean-Denis Vacheron (the Vacherons make some of Sancerre’s finest wines). After the tragic death of Jean-Denis in 2002, Sylvie pushed forward and maintained the estate’s legacy with the help of lead winemaker Bruno Gaspard.
Le Clos du Caillou makes “Les Quartz” under two labels: Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Côtes du Rhône—both of which are named after the large quartz stones (galets roulés) that lay atop sandy subsoils. Today’s Côtes du Rhône is sourced from 50-year-old vines in the estate’s walled (clos) vineyards, adjacent to “Les Cassanets,” the chosen vineyard for their CdP bottling. Biodynamic practices have been implemented for over 15 years and Caillou has been Certified Organic since 2010. That means, of course, that vineyard work is incredibly laborious: plowing, crop thinning, the use of organic compost, and hand harvesting. Yields are kept very low. The grapes for “Les Quartz” are de-stemmed and transferred into cement vessels for an all-natural fermentation and 42 days of skin contact. Fourteen months of aging occurred in a combination of French barrels and demi-muids before the Grenache (80%) and Syrah (20%) were blended together. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered.
As usual, the new release of Caillou’s “Les Quartz” is a joyous occasion that delivers unabashed opulence, perfume, and depth. Black cherry, black raspberry liqueur, and plum dominate the first wave but with 30 minutes of air, the Southern Rhône firework show begins: garrigue, graphite, cacao nibs, vanilla bean, licorice, rock dust, baked clay, and exotic spices. The palate is full-bodied and edgeless, each layer melding into the next, and the slow-building finish arrives with a core of warm berry fruit and finely crushed minerals. As you’ll discover, this feels and tastes exactly like blue-chip Châteaneuf, and it’ll age like it too: You can enjoy one now but I expect this to hit full stride around 2023 and maintain that pace for 10-15 years. Cheers!
