Wine Advisor
Le Clos du Caillou, Chateauneuf Du Pape Les Safres 2006
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
This has a very ripe nose of blackberry, damson and cassis fruit with just a hint of orange essence. The palate is full-bodied, very supple and plush, perhaps a little too extrovert for this tasted, particularly when compared against Quarts or the Reserve. The finish is quite medicinal, something I find rather off-putting. A good wine, but not necessarily one without flaws. Drink 2010-2018. Tasted November 2008.
Reviewed by: Jeb Dunnuck
Sandwiched between the more hyped 2005 and 2007 vintages, the 2006 vintage produced a bevy of serious wines that show classic profiles. For the most part, the wines have never shut down and have drunk beautifully since release. The 2006 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Safres follows this trend and offers textbook roasted herbs, spice, pan drippings and sweet black cherry and currant-styled fruits that flow to a full-bodied, rich, concentrated and sexy wine that will continue to evolve through 2021. 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 sexy, round, layered 2006 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Safres is atypically plush and forward for the vintage. Smoky black cherry and cassis fruit, along with a Provencal herb character emerge from this sumptuous, full-bodied wine. Enjoy it over the next 10-12 years. Year after year, this estate continues to produce some of the finest Chateauneuf du Papes and Cotes du Rhones. Widow Sylvie Vacheron has done an excellent job carrying on the legacy of her husband, Jean-Denis Vacheron, who was killed in an automobile accident several years ago. Both vintages of Chateauneuf du Pape are performing brilliantly, with the 2006s showing even better from bottle than they did from barrel, and the 2007s are as stunning as one might expect in this historical vintage in the southern Rhone. The Chateauneuf du Pape Les Safres is 100% Grenache aged completely in foudre, the Les Quartz is a blend of 85% Grenache (aged in foudres) and 15% Syrah (aged in small barrels), and the Clos du Caillou Reserve is composed of 60% Grenache and the rest equal parts Syrah and Mourvedre. The Grenache is aged in cement tanks, and the Syrah and Mourvedre are kept in one and two-year-old, 600-liter demi-muids. To reiterate, the 2006s have turned out to be even better from bottle than they were last year from barrel - a common occurrence in Chateauneuf du Pape, and always a sign of high quality, natural winemaking. Along with the Coudoulet of Beaucastel, the limited Cotes du Rhone cuvee from Vieille Julienne, Domaine Janasse, and the Cotes du Rhones made by Alain Dugas at La Nerthe, this estate produces the finest Cotes du Rhones of the appellation. 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: Jeb Dunnuck
Clos du Caillou’s Grenache-dominated 2006 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Safres comes from the sandstone soils of Les Bedines lieu-dit located by the estate. It was completely destemmed and spent 17 months in a mix of foudres and one- to five-year-old barrels. This beautiful, elegant 2006 offers terrific notes of ripe black raspberries, garrigue and licorice in a hedonistic, sexy, seamless package that’s absolutely hard to resist. Drinking right in the middle of its drink window, it should cruise for another 5-7 years.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The dark ruby/purple-tinged 2006 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Safres exhibits abundant amounts of black cherry fruit intermixed with notions of smoke, licorice, spice, and earth. Long and broad with ripe tannin as well as adequate acidity, it should be consumed over the next decade. Kudos to Sylvie Vacheron, who is carrying on the legacy of her husband, Jean-Denis Vacheron, after his untimely death in 2001. Working with noted oenologist, Bruno Gaspard, this estate has rebounded from that tragedy with some brilliant efforts in both their Cotes du Rhone and Chateauneuf du Pape selections. The renowned southern Rhone oenologist, Philippe Cambie, also keeps an eye on things here, so there is quite a brain trust in operation for this estate tucked away in the northeast corner of the appellation, just across the winding road from Beaucastel. 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: Josh Raynolds
Dark purple. Explosively perfumed bouquet of raspberry, blackberry, lavender, rose and cocoa powder; smells like a great Burgundy. Deep, supple and sweet, with sexy red and dark berry preserve flavors, silky tannins and suave floral pastille qualities. Seems to gain in sweetness on the long, sappy finish. This is 100% grenache, raised in foudre Les Safres, the local name for the sandy soils with a compact base that dominate this part of the appellation, is the new name for this property's basic Chateauneuf du Pape.
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.
