We employ a single rule when our drop-in-bucket allocation of “Les Quartz” arrives each year: Ignore the label’s appellation and instead devote all of your attention to the luxurious red wine in the glass. I’ll explain. The walled vineyard from which today’s Southern Rhône powerhouse is sourced is flanked by prime Châteauneuf-du-Pape real estate and was only excluded from the designation because Clos du Caillou infamously declined the invitation in 1937. If they hadn’t, today’s outrageously delicious Côtes du Rhône (in name only), would be classified as a top-performing Châteauneuf-du-Pape fetching $60, $70, even $80. I’m always as blunt as can be when a bottle of Caillou’s “Quartz” lands on the table, and that won’t be changing today: Yes, we offer a generous amount of southern Rhône reds from numerous top-flight producers but as far as (my) value for dollar is concerned, this is one of the very few that towers above the rest.
All this, and I’ve still failed to mention the vintage at hand: 2018! This is a year that delivered wines of superb silkiness, depth, and length, and despite its youth, is already drawing comparison to legendary 2007—which stands as The Wine Advocate’s highest-rated CdP vintage of the last 50 years. I know the search for an extraordinary, perfectly balanced, value-shattering Southern Rhône can be daunting, weary even, so snag a six-pack 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, directly next to “Les Cassanets,” the chosen vineyard for their CdP bottling. Biodynamics have been implemented for 15 years and Caillou has been certified organic for the past eight. That means, of course, that vineyard work is incredibly laborious: plowing, crop thinning, the use of organic compost, and hand harvesting. The grapes for “Les Quartz” are de-stemmed and transferred into cement vessels for an all-natural fermentation. Thirteen months of aging occurred in oak barrels of various sizes before the Grenache (80%) and Syrah (20%) were blended together. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Caillou’s 2018 “Les Quartz” reveals a dark, opaque crimson core with intense concentration. While the ‘16 and ‘17s were extremely opulent and intoxicating beasts, this is a return to harmony, balance, and moderation. Don’t get me wrong, this is still a richly textured powerhouse filled with berry liqueurs, spiced plum, and licorice, but it carries itself extremely well. Give it 30 minutes of air, and the hallmark Southern Rhône notes of dried garrigue, pepper, pungent rose petal, and a hint of cacao come wafting out. The palate is both full-bodied and dense, but high-toned notes and fresh waves of acidity keep the wine from saturating your tongue. It’s this buoyancy and vibrancy that always makes “Les Quartz” such an enticing wine—there’s no jamminess or alcoholic ‘heat’ that can be felt on quite a number of high-end Châteauneufs. I expect its peak performance to come sometime around its fourth or fifth birthday, so don’t drain all your bottles in one go! Cheers!
