Wine Advisor
Le Clos du Caillou, Chateauneuf Du Pape La Reserve 2016
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Joe Czerwinski
The potentially perfect 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape La Reserve shows incredible depth and richness. A cavalcade of cherries and berries, dustings of dried spices and layers and layers of silky tannins flow and expand across the palate, suffusing it entirely. Breathtaking!
Reviewed by: Joe Czerwinski
A 60-40 blend of Grenache and Mourvèdre from the lieux-dits of La Guigasse and Pignan, I'm happy to say the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape La Reserve has come in at the top end of my expectations for it. They produced 6,136 bottles of this elixir, which offers magical aromas of mixed berries, roses and exotic spices. It's full-bodied and weightless at the same time, boasting waves of silky, caressing, seductive tannins and an incredibly long finish. Despite its light touch, it seems assured of evolving over a couple of decades. Sheer gossamer perfection!
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Some sexy, smoky complexity across ripe, dark-cherry, blueberry and dark-plum aromas. This is seductive. Tannins engulf the ample, fleshy, ripe, dark plums and cherries with sleek, silky, caressing style. Thrilling Châteauneuf! From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.
Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds
Full bright-rimmed ruby. Ripe red and dark berries, incense, Moroccan spices and candied flowers on the expansive, seductively perfumed nose; a smoky mineral accent adds vivacity. Sappy, alluringly sweet and penetrating on the palate, offering pure, deeply concentrated cherry, Chambord, cola and spicecake flavors that become more energetic as the wine opens up. Densely packed and seamless in texture, finishing with remarkable power, resonating spiciness and building but discreet tannins. As is the case with its Quartz stablemate, this wine is among the standouts of this exceptional vintage.
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.
