le Clos du Caillou, Cotes du Rhone, Vieilles Vignes Unique

Decanted for 3 hours then double-decanted to take to dinner, this needed every minute of air and could have perhaps used even more. Pruny and "hot" from excessive alcohol on opening, this took quite a while to calm down, but when it finally did it was quite impressive, being bested on the night only by an otherworldly 1990 Beaucastel. No danger of near-term decline based on this bottle

2007 vintage

wonderful blend of strong cherry, strawberry and a touch of apricot fruit with solid structure, complexity and depth. Good acidity, long finish. Nose has plenty of pepper and spice.

2020 vintage

Amazing-rich, dark fruit with a smooth, silky finish!

2007 vintage

Stellar wine. Quite the nose. Full of black pepper, black cherry, violet and after reading someone write “hay” I totally get that too. Palate opens with some strawberry preserves with a very well rounded medium body. Pleasant lingering slightly savory finish that leaves you wanting another sip.

2020 vintage

Very, very good. Notes similar to Spendergast's last note. The tannins have softened since my last bottle three years back, and it seems to be in a prime drinking window.

2007 vintage

An excellent CDP that has matured well. Highly concentrated fruit with notes of plum, red currant, blackberry and glycerin with some spice on the mid palate. Well balanced with soft tannins, nice finish. Paired with grilled baby back ribs.

2007 vintage

The third wine we enjoyed througout our holiday trip in Germany and Switzerland. We have taken 12 bottles of good wine with us on the holiday, travelling by car. The first bottle we opened was a Petrolo Galatrona 2010, the second one a Masseto 2010. How would the Clos du Caillou hold in comparison to the others. The cork of the Clos du Caillou was perfect and as we knew of previous bottles, this wine needs a decant of several …

2007 vintage

Terry J

2020 vintage

An elegant blend of Grenache, Syrah, Carignan and Mourvèdre (75/15/5/5%). Transparent dark cherry red in color with light aromas of cherries and raspberries. On the palate, luscious red fruit flavors with a light to medium bodied mouthfeel. Well balanced acidity creates a lasting taste on the palate with a very smooth finish.

2020 vintage

AN hour in decanter was not nearly enough. The last glass after another two and a half hours was terrific. If you don’t have the time to properly decant this for at least two hours, find a different wine.

2007 vintage

Still going strong at 15 years of age. Black raspberry, cola, garrigue and a saline note. Good inner mouth perfume on a red-fruited frame with some clove and exotic spice flavours. Racy intensity across the mid-palate with excellent length on the spicy finish. Excellent, but would recommend drinking now to capture this wine at its best.

2007 vintage

A US export-only cuvée that selects the top barrels for blending. Age has given it a bit of elegance and restraint, even as it's about to start its slow decline. Not as age-worthy as the Chateauneufs but doing well right now. For more please watch below at YouTube channel Pandewine https://youtu.be/RPd1p9nIhpM

2007 vintage

Amazing flavor. Needed more time to breath.

2007 vintage

Elegant wine but I don’t like this flavor profile much anymore. Can last 5-10 yrs

2007 vintage

Delicious CdP, though not quite as complex with the Syrah/Mourvedre notes as other top-notch CdPs. However, after 90 minutes of decanting, the nose and palate blossomed into dark berry and cherry cola notes without being syrupy or cloying. Really round mouthfeel and weight, integrated tannins, excellent finish. If you like dark cherry compote, cola, subtle earth and minerality, this is your wine!

2007 vintage

Black raspberry and pomegranate, earth, sage and a bit of charcoal. Some floral notes on the nose. I'm loving the mouthfeel: for all the intensity and depth of flavor, if feels light, delicate, nearly crisp, for a CNdP, with a strong, energetic line of acid, carrying the flavor intensity throughout a long finish. The tannins became a bit more assertive after some time. Lovely overall. Much better than my last bottle, I should point out; there appears to be bottle …

2007 vintage

All syrupy cherry and not much else. Didn’t mellow out over 3-days. A big step down from my last bottle. Let’s hope the rest are better. Update - one glass left on day 4. Much more balance today. Still lots of cherry, but with some strawberry and raisin . Better, but still disappointing.

2007 vintage

Needs an hour to find its equilibrium. Deep blackish garnet. The nose just pours from the glass with sweet aromas of ultra-ripe raspberries, cherry pastilles, vanilla pound cake, then bare hints of freshly cut hay. Rich and sweet on the palate too, soft texture, almost chewy. I find hints of brett on the back end of the palate, as the sugar fades and a more tangy, tart finish surfaces... here the Brett actually works and brings a bit of complexity. …

2007 vintage

Pnp. Delicious.. Smooth with round mouthfeel. Light cherry vanilla flavor. Really good.

2007 vintage

Surprisingly primary for its age, but impeccably well built. Mostly bright red cherry with a unexpected lack of strawberry. This bottle needs more time to develop its bouquet, but man is it still great in this stage.

2007 vintage

Ready to show it's stuff. PNP and revisited every 15 minutes by the two hour it was humming. Nose: like walking into an oak saw room with organic soil from Rhone and have a basket of dark fruits with some fresh flowers with some open spices container. Unbelievable nose. Very dark Berry color with medium weight. The finish is delicious and long.

2007 vintage

Delicious right now and not sure how they'll be later. Classic Chateauneuf flavors, black current, leather, dusty tannins, clove and tobacco. Excellent wine...still drinking some the next day and holding up well.

2007 vintage

time waits for no man and it won't wait for me.... The cellar keeps depleting as the lock down wears on. Medium ruby in appearance- has lost a bit of color since the last bottle consumed about a year ago. Gorgeous and evolved nose of kirsch liqueur, candied red fruit , melted tar and some sweet spice. Very elegant and precise and not immediately obvious that this is a CDP. Medium bodied with lots of similar favor characteristics on the …

2007 vintage

Beautiful medium ruby appearance. Pronounced, elegant and evolved nose of candied red fruit- almost bright cherry- spice, herbs and even balsamic notes. Medium bodied with plenty of acidity and freshness. This is an elegant 2007 , which contrasts with many of the best (and more extracted) examples from this vintage. The palate has similar flavor characteristics and the finish is medium plus to long. Very well done and shows that different styles can be great in a given vintage and …

2007 vintage

This bottle was more pruney and less fresh than the previous one. Still good, but nowhere near as exhilarating.

2007 vintage

Was great from hour 1-3 and then faded But overall drinking beautifully

2007 vintage

The 2007 Quartz is absolutely a wine for the hedonist, yet we all need to treat ourselves from time to time. The nose was incredible, showing a mature mix of both savory and sweet, leading off with a burst of balsamic-soaked black cherry, crushed blackberry, licorice and brown sugar, as notes of rubbed sage, allspice, plum sauce and dark earth mixed to form a heady yet wonderfully enjoyable bouquet. On the palate, silky textures displaying velvety weight flooded the senses …

2007 vintage

Nose: raisin, prune, cherry, licorice, big, round, deep flavors. Palate: similar flavors, but more ripe fruit and less raisin. Flavors becoming concentrated and then dusty on the finish. Incredible intensity, just delicious.

2007 vintage

PopnPour, tasted over 2 hrs -opaque almost black purple red -raspberry stony licorice caramel mature elements -med acidity, med+ thick focused fading slightly roasted red fruits, slightly bitter heat and med- tannins on moderately long finish -similar to prior bottle, very much an ‘07 S. Rhône but one of the more restrained ones

2007 vintage

Beautiful bottle to help celebrate Barbara's birthday. Rich and hedonistic. Sadly I only have one of these remaining.

2007 vintage

Wow nose of black cherries, very mineral, spicy, very complex, great nose!! Very concentrated complex ripe cherries, very interesting salinity, nice acidity, great wine!!

2007 vintage

Worth the wait. Unfolded gradually Over 90 minutes. A bit of mineral, graphite, stone fruits opening to darker berry. Cannot wait to see about day 2 performance. Drink soon!

2009 vintage

Delicious

2007 vintage

Excellent wine

2007 vintage

bottle was a bit off, probably corked

2009 vintage

An awesome value Rhone.

2009 vintage

The very attractive primary fruit has faded away. At release this was bursting with complex fresh grapes right off the vine. It's integrated now but shows earth, smoke and very subtle summer green leaf aroma. The flavor is similar but ends with attractive soil. It's great in the mouth - silky and even but with good structure. Drink now. Keep cool to contain the alcohol. Still needs 30 minutes in a decanter.

2007 vintage

End of the night wine. It was pretty good if I remember correctly.

2009 vintage

Dark fruit and kirsch. Classically CDP styled. Rich and powerful without going too far. Great value. Ready to drink now or over the next 3 years.

2007 vintage

From a 750, this was better than some recent 375s I've opened. Still hanging in there, but drink soon.

2007 vintage

Had it at the Brasserie Max & Julie. No formal tasting notes, but was impressed by its complexity, intensity and balance for the price. I would hold it for several more years however, because it is still too young and rough for maximum enjoyment. A great value.

2009 vintage

Great wine for the money. As the high alcohol would indicate, it's a big, ripe, fruit forward CdR. The grenache (3/4 of the blend) dominates, giving a cherry cobbler, kirsch, and strawberry profile that jumps out of the glass, and overwhelms on the palate, too. Perhaps a hint of aldehydes peeking from the nose and the back end of the palate, but it was fleeting and didn't detract from my enjoyment of the wine. All in all, an interesting, tasty, …

2009 vintage

Earthy

2009 vintage

Dark ruby, rich nose of blackberry, macerated cherries, cherry bubblegum and hints of garrigue, sweet and syrupy on the palate but followed by buffering acidity, dark grenache and cherry lacquer, finish is long and fruit driven, solid QPR

2009 vintage

Good value, very good strawberry favors

2009 vintage

Similar to my prior experience with this bottle; rich fruit-driven CdR with decent spice and complexity, slightly hot and slightly jammy fruit, but a crowd pleaser.

2007 vintage

I really enjoyed this wine. It's a fantastic value wine that always pleases the palate. I drank it next to an Orin Swift Abstract and this one was clearly the winner, although both were drinking well. This one had some more of that je ne sais quoi.

2007 vintage

I like this because it has the right amount of cdr complexities. I especially like the bright, up-front red fruit. Purrr!

2007 vintage

Nice Cotes du Rhone especially at this price point. Will buy it again.

2009 vintage

This was delicious. I have heard that it was de-appellated CdP fruit, or from just the other side of a stone wall from CDP, but who knows? Still, this had a richness that some of the disappointing CdPs from 2007 have not had. Most of the descriptors listed in earlier notes are pretty good ideas of what you can expect, and the "wild nose" is spot-on. I'm also of the opinion that this is not a long-term ager, but few …

2007 vintage

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le Clos du Caillou, Cotes du Rhone, Vieilles Vignes Unique

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