Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Mulled black cherries, roasted garrigue, spice, and hints of fresh cut flowers and rose define the 2023 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Quartz, which is based on 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah from 50% galets roulés and 50% sandy Safre soils in les Cassanets lieu-dit, fully destemmed and aged in 80% demi-muids and 20% neutral barrels. It's medium to full-bodied and elegant, with ultra-fine tannins, a seamless, layered, elegant mouthfeel, and fine tannins. It's impeccably made, very clean, and pure, with beautiful length on the finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Quartz is another standout, bursting with aromas of peonies, lilac, dark cherries, fresh thyme and exotic spices. Medium- to full-bodied, layered and enveloping, it offers a deeper, more powerful mid-palate than La Réserve, framed by velvety tannins that carry through to a long, penetrating and seemingly endless finish. A blend of 80% Grenache Noir and 20% Syrah, matured entirely in large and used barrels, this is the most mineral expression in the Vacheron cellar this year.
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Wine Spectator
Fluid ripeness is nicely contrasted with a meaty, gutsy edge in this flattering version. Cherry and black plum are flecked with apple wood smoke, ganache and bacon lard. Salty, savory grip holds firm, fleshed out with red tea tannins that rein in the broad, plush finish. Grenache and Syrah.
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Decanter
The Syrah component makes a bit difference here, bringing spice and black fruits. Good acidity, very fine tannins and quite voluminous, if not terribly concentrated. This has length and persistence, despite the fairly gentle concentration. A fresh and cleansing, well-balanced if quite compact style of Châteauneuf.
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James Suckling
A vivid, focused and vibrant red with currants, grilled meat, dry earth and warm spices on the nose. It’s full-bodied with finely grained tannins. Driven, with a silky center palate, a gentle berry character and touches of spices and dried herbs in the intense finish. Drink or hold.
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Vinous
Cardamom, wild strawberry, dried herbs and a dash of licorice highlight the spicy 2023 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Quartz. A smoothly structured, full-bodied Le Clos du Caillou, it closes with a zesty blood orange kick on the juicy finish. The 2023 is totally delicious.
Barrel Sample: 91-93
—Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate
From robust Côtes-du-Rhône to memorable Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Clos du Caillou wines arguably represent some of the finest values in all of France. Proprietor Sylvie Vacheron and winemaker Bruno Gaspard are keeping the great work of the late Jean-Denis Vacheron alive with wines that are heady, robust and mouth-wateringly lush.
Caillou tends wonderfully old Grenache vines, some of which are 70 to 100 years old. With older Syrah and Mourvèdre added to the mix, it’s no wonder that Caillou wines are across the board impressive for their power, extract and deep minerality. The estate’s Chateauneuf terroir borders the impressive domaines of Chateau Rayas and Beaucastel.
Yet many of the Vacheron-Pouizin family's old vines are classified, by a quirk of 1923 politics, Côtes-du-Rhône and Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages. It’s why our Côtes-du-Rhône barrel selections show surprisingly like its kin in Chateauneuf-du-Pape.
In 1996 Jean-Denis Vacheron took full control of the viticulture and élévage at this estate. Under his stewardship, the wines of Caillou steadily gained stature, and today are benchmarks for the appellation. He understood that temperature-controlled fermentation and a cool, clean cellar are necessary to craft wines with refinement and true complexity.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
Famous for its full-bodied, seductive and spicy reds with flavor and aroma characteristics reminiscent of black cherry, baked raspberry, garrigue, olive tapenade, lavender and baking spice, Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the leading sub-appellation of the southern Rhône River Valley. Large pebbles resembling river rocks, called "galets" in French, dominate most of the terrain. The stones hold heat and reflect it back up to the low-lying gobelet-trained vines. Though the galets are typical, they are not prominent in every vineyard. Chateau Rayas is the most obvious deviation with very sandy soil.
According to law, eighteen grape varieties are allowed in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and most wines are blends of some mix of these. For reds, Grenache is the star player with Mourvedre and Syrah coming typically second. Others used include Cinsault, Counoise and occasionally Muscardin, Vaccarèse, Picquepoul Noir and Terret Noir.
Only about 6-7% of wine from Châteauneuf-du-Pape is white wine. Blends and single-varietal bottlings are typically based on the soft and floral Grenache Blanc but Clairette, Bourboulenc and Roussanne are grown with some significance.
The wine of Chateauneuf-du-Pape takes its name from the relocation of the papal court to Avignon. The lore says that after moving in 1309, Pope Clément V (after whom Chateau Pape-Clément in Pessac-Léognan is named) ordered that vines were planted. But it was actually his successor, John XXII, who established the vineyards. The name however, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, translated as "the pope's new castle," didn’t really stick until the 19th century.