Le Clos du Caillou Côtes du Rhône ROUGE Le Bouquet des Garrigues 2020

75 % Grenache Noir, 15 % Syrah, 10 % in total of Mourvèdre, Carignan and Counoise from 50 year-old vines, yielding only 30 hl/ha. Hand-picked and hand-sorted, then natural-yeast fermented in a mix of concrete and stainless steel tanks, with 5 % whole bunches included. Cuvaison lasts 30 days with extraction via pumpover and delestage (rack and return). Matured for 14 months in 50 % old foudres (1000 L) and demi-muids (600 L) and 50 % concrete tanks.

'Still maturing in a mix of foudres and wooden cuves at the time of my visit, the 2020 Cotes du Rhone Le Bouquet des Garrigues—a blend of 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah and the rest Cinsault, Counoise and Mourvèdre—boasts vibrant aromas of lavender and ripe red raspberries. Medium to full-bodied, smooth, silky and complex, it's a beauty that should retail for less than $30. Drink 2022-2030.' (90-93) points, Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate, May 2022.

Le Clos du Caillou

The Vacheron family at Le Clos du Caillou turn out a long list of stellar wines in almost every vintage. Their several Côtes du Rhône bottlings often rival or surpass lesser producer's Châteauneufs, and those wines (and the family’s Châteauneufs) authentically reflect their various terroirs, making the domaine’s cellars a learning experience every visit.

Clos du Caillou’s Chateauneuf vineyards are producing some of the most highly regarded and rated Chateauneuf du Papes today including the Quartz and La Reserve cuvees which come from vineyards adjoining the 'Clos' of Clos du Caillou where much of their best Côtes du Rhône originates from. The Chateauneuf lieu-dits that the estate owns vines in are all very close to the estate and winery: Pignan, Guigasse, Les Bedines, Les Cassanets and Coudoulet.

“They produce poised and silky wines of supreme finesse.”
Matt Walls, Wine of the Rhone, 2021.

These are all lieu-dits with higher elevation than most and more trees and wood lands surrounding.

Organic viticulture began in the 1950s and the estate was certified in 2009. Now much of the estate has been farmed biodynamically for almost 20 years. The vines planted in the 1950s and 1960s now have excellent age and the children of Sylvie are in the process of taking over the running of the estate, working with Bruno Gaspard who has been overseeing the winemaking since 2002. The cellars are deep and very cool and enable perfect ageing in an assortment of large foudres, demi-muids and some clay amphoras for 15-18 months for the best cuvees.