Wine Advisor
Le Clos du Caillou, Chateauneuf Du Pape La Reserve 2004
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Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Jeb Dunnuck
More seamless and refined, with a deeper, rich mid-palate and slightly darker fruit, the 2004 Chateauneuf du Pape La Reserve showed more reserved on this occasion than from bottles I’ve had back in the states (which I’ve rated as high as 95). A blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Mourvedre (from the sandy soils of the Les Bedines lieu-dit) and offering up gorgeous notes of blackberry, smoked duck, licorice and chocolate, it is one of the most seamless, elegant efforts in the vintage. Medium to full-bodied, layered and still youthful, it can be consumed anytime over the coming decade. Located on the eastern sector of the appellation, with just under nine hectares of vines situated around the estate, Le Clos du Caillou is owned by Sylvie Vacheron, with Bruno Gaspard and assistant Aude Perche making the wines. In addition, the omnipresent Philippe Cambie also consults here. Their 2004s are solid, with the La Reserve being one of the most youthful and age worthy in the vintage.
Reviewed by: Jeb Dunnuck
In stark contrast, the 2004 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve Le Clos du Caillou was open for business, with a perfumed, layered and balanced profile that was begging to be drunk. Made from 60% Grenache and 40% Mourvedre, it offers plenty of black raspberry, chocolate, spring flowers and spice, full-bodied richness, and a multi-dimensional, layered and seamless style. Drink it over the coming decade. This was a massive tasting with the team at Clos du Caillou and we went through each of their cuvees going back more than a decade. While the domaine has been in the Pouizin family since 1956, with Claude Pouizin running the estate through 1996, most of the production was sold off to negociants until around 1993. In 1995, Claude’s daughter, Sylvie, married Jean-Denis Vacheron, and the couple took over running the estate. Unfortunately, Jean-Denis died in a tragic traffic accident in 2002. Today the estate is run by Sylvie, the wines are made by Bruno Gaspard and consulting advice is from Philippe Cambie. Located on the eastern edge of the appellation, in the Courthezon district, they produce up to three Chateauneufs (Les Safres, Les Quartz and the Cuvee Reserve) in any vintage. In addition, they produce a white Chateauneuf du Pape and a number of smoking Cotes du Rones, which come from vineyards bordering Chateauneuf du Pape (identical terroir, actually) and are top- quality. We started the tasting with their base Chateauneuf du Pape, which comes from Safres (sandstone) soils located around the estate. It’s always based on 50+-year-old Grenache vines (95% or higher) and is aged all in older foudre. While this cuvee is called Les Safres today, it was labeled as their traditional Chateauneuf du Pape up until 2005. Moving to the Les Quartz Cuvee, this was first made in 1999 and comes mostly from the Les Cassanets lieu-dit, yet incorporates a small amount of Syrah from Les Bedines. It’s normally a blend of 85% Grenache and 15% Syrah, with the Grenache aged in a combination of oak tanks and foudre, and the Syrah in new barrels. While the Reserve gets most of the attention, Grenache-lovers need to check out this cuvee as it always offers thrilling fruit and texture, with an exuberant, Grenache-driven style. The top release from the estate, their Reserve release was first made in 1998. It is a blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Mourvedre (this is sometimes a split of Syrah and Mourvedre) that’s aged mostly in 1-2-and 3-year-old, 600-liter demi-muids for 18 months. Where the Les Quartz release is more exuberant and Grenache-dominated (both in style and in the blend), this cuvee, which comes from mostly sandy soils, always has more elegance and polish, as well as rock-star concentration and muscle. In addition, it performs beautifully in more difficult vintages as well. Importers: North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 848-8910; Dionysos Imports, Manassas, VA; tel. (703) 392-7073; Import Wines, Middleton, WI; tel. (608) 833-8622; and Domaine Select Wine Estates, New York, NY; tel. (212) 279-0799
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The top cuvee, the 2004 Le Clos du Caillou Reserve is a blend of 60% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, and 10% Syrah, the latter component aged in a new demi-muid and the Mourvedre aged in older barrels, with the Grenache kept in neutral foudres. The wine is a strong effort very much in the style of the 1999, with crisp acidity, beautiful black currant and blackberry notes with hints of spice, dried herbs, and pepper. As the wine sits in the mouth, more raspberry notes emerge, and the wine exhibits beautiful elegance, full-bodied power, and layers of flavor. This is certainly one of the top wines of the vintage in 2004. After the tragic death of the young proprietor, Jean-Denis Vacheron, following the 2001 harvest, his widow Sylvie, assisted by winemaker Bruno Gaspard as well as renowned oenologist Philippe Cambie, has gone through a transitional period but has finally gotten this estate back to the brilliant heights her husband achieved between 1998 and 2001. 2004 is a strong vintage but is surpassed/eclipsed by the brilliant wines of 2005. This is great news for an estate that had long sold much of its production to negociants and then had a complete renaissance when the late Jean-Denis Vacheron took over control in 1996. Sylvie Vacheron is to be applauded for maintaining his vision of distinctive wines of world-class quality. The 2004s are the strongest vintage since 2001, but even they have to take a backseat to the 2005s. Importers: David Hinkle, North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 848-8910, and a Christopher Cannan Selection, various American importers, including: Michael Skurnik, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300 and Diamond Wine Merchant, Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 567-9897
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 2004 Le Clos du Caillou Reserve (the first vintage made of this flagship cuvee since 2001) is a serious wine, although I wouldn’t put it in the same class as the best vintages of the past – 2001, 2000, and 1998, or even 1999 – but it is close. Deep ruby/purple in color with classic blueberry, floral, and raspberry notes, medium to full body, good acidity, great finesse and purity, and a long, intense finish with moderate tannin, this wine needs 2-3 years of bottle age and should keep well for up to 15 years. Importers: David Hinkle, North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 848-8910, and a Christopher Cannan Selection, various American importers, including: Michael Skurnik, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300 and Diamond Wine Merchant, Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 567-9897
About the Producer
Our vineyard is rich of traditional red variety, such as Mourvèdre, Syrah, Cinsault, Carignan, Counoise and also some white variety: Viognier, Roussanne, Clairette, Bourboulenc, without forgetting the Grenache, native god red and white. Grounds are worked in the respect of the nature, by regular ploughing without weedkiller and without chemical produce, using only phytosanitary treatment of sulfur and copper in a lower quantity. Grapes are picked by hand and sorting at the vineyard. Grape varieties are vinified separately to respect their own character, aromas and originality. The red vinification is usually preceded by a cold maceration during few days. Pomp-over, punch-down and delestage are made during all the maceration (1 month to 40 days depending on the vintage and the cuvee). The alcoholic maceration start naturally by the wild yeast present on the grapes. We use stainless tanks for the vinification of the white and rose wine and wooden and cement tank for the vinification of the red. Red wines are then aged in foudres and in oak barrels during one year and more, in the underground cellar, built in the safres, with a natural temperature (13 to 15°C). Foudres and demi-muids composed the maturing cellar. Natural cultural practices at Le Clos du Caillou have been started with Claude Pouizin in 1950 : regular plough, organic compost. Since the early years of the vineyard, we put all our efforts to work in a natural way. Thats is why, Jean-Denis Vacheron started the organic agriculture when he arrived on the vineyard in 1996. We got the certification on 2010 vintage. To continue our philosophy, we engage in 2007 in biodynamic agriculture. It permits to produce qualitative grapes by improving the fertility of the soils. Today, it is of major importance to give back to the soils their total vitality. These practices permitted to give to our vines a new youth thanks to the use of horn-manure and silica preparations, sprayed in the vines while respecting the rythm of the cosmos and the nature cycle.
