Le Clos du Caillou, the French wine brand, was established in 1895 by Elie Dussaud. When the old cellar was created this early, it led to a lot of political turmoil. As a result, Le Clos du Caillou was excluded from the Appellation of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Until 1955, this land was nothing but a hunting reserve. It was only in this year that the woods were cleared because Paul Poulzin realised the vine-value of the land beneath the woods.
The vineyards were also designed very unusually as Claude Poulzin set aside 9 hectares in Chateauneuf du Pape and 45 hectares in Cotes du Rhone for cultivating vines. Blessed with a good amount of rainfall and abundant exposure to the sun, these vineyards are ideal for cultivating high-quality and unique red varietals such as Syrah, Cinsault, Carignan, Mourvedre and Counoise.
Some of the unique white wine varietals grown here are Viognier, Roussanne, Clairette and Bourboulenc. The native varietal of Grenache is also grown here in large numbers. Since 2010, organic farming has been followed rigorously in the vineyards of Le Clos du Caillou.
The vinification process is carried out with the sole objective to retain the character and flavour of the grapes. For the reds, cold maceration precedes the vinification process. The alcoholic maceration is done naturally with the help of wild and indigenous yeasts.
For red wine vinification, wooden and cement tanks are used at the winery, whereas for the whites and rose wines, stainless steel tanks are used. The temperature-controlled underground cellar has oak barrels where the red wines are aged for a minimum of 12 months.
The wines created by Le Clos du Caillou have distinct flavours depending on the nature of the terroirs and soil types found in different vineyards. You will find sandy soil-rich terroir and quartz pebbles –rich terroir at different layers here, lending the much-needed intensity to the wines.
https://www.closducaillou.com
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