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2018 Le Clos du Caillou Chateauneuf du Pape 'Les Quartz'

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2018 Le Clos du Caillou Chateauneuf du Pape 'Les Quartz'

On Sale: $84.94  (was: $94.94)*

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‘Les Quartz’ is a Grenache/Syrah blend from two of the top winemakers in the Southern Rhone (Cambie and Gaspard), and is an “elegant and complete” (Wine Advocate) Châteauneuf du Pape at its core. From the rocky soils of the AOC’s northeastern sector, ‘Les Quartz’ is one of their two flagships that flirt “with perfection in just about every vintage” (Dunnuck). For longtime CdP fans, 2018 has been a welcome break from the more intense and ripe vintages, with plenty of high quality reds in a more elegant, medium weight style (relatively speaking). Making some of “the best wine of the 2018 vintage in Châteauneuf-du-Pape” (Vinous), Clos du Caillou is a serious winner this year, and ‘Les Quartz’ is sure to have a deceptively long aging curve as well.

Clos du Caillou’s success over the past decade has been in no small part thanks to the late great Philipe Cambie, one of the iconic oenologists of the Southern Rhone. He sadly passed away in December, and the outpouring of praise from every corner of the Rhone reminds you of how widespread his influence was across the region’s greatest wineries. Along with chief winemaker Bruno Gaspard, they made Caillou “one of the leading estates in Châteauneuf du Pape” (Wine Advocate) thanks to unwavering devotion to organically farmed, old-vines. Don’t miss this wonderful 2018.

96 points, Decanter: "This is dark, savoury, potent and concentrated. It has great vibrancy of fruit coupled with real depth of integrated structural tannins and all matched with a gently throbbing acidity. It’s very ripe but not oversweet, and the finish is very long indeed. It's very well-tailored, and expertly fashioned, a real essence of Châteauneuf - very silky in style, and clearly a very crafted expression rather than a 'natural' one - but crafted with consummate skill."

95 points, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "Detailed, intricate herbal shadings mark the nose of the 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Quartz, adding extra nuance to the ripe cherry and berry fruit and combining nicely with hints of warm stones and dried spices. Full-bodied and silky, it's elegant and complete, ending with a gentle wash of silky tannins and ample persistence on the finish. Not the most intense or tannic vintage, it's approachable now and should drink well for up to a decade." - Joe Czerwinski

95 points, Vinous: "A deeply perfumed bouquet displays spice- and mineral-accented cherry, blackberry, incense and potpourri scents that expand with air. Sweet and broad in the mouth, offering concentrated cherry liqueur, dark berry, floral pastille and succulent herb flavors sharpened by a suggestion of cracked pepper. Finishes extremely long and smoky, with resonating floral and spice notes and youthfully gripping tannins." - Josh Raynolds

*Offer publication date January 28, 2022. Pricing and availability subject to change.