Clos Du Caillou

History

The Clos du Caillou winery was founded in 1895 when Élie Dussaud settled there and created an old cellar. The land was originally used as a hunting preserve and ironically this history led to its exclusion from the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation upon its creation in the 1930’s. When the government experts arrived at the Clos in 1936 to survey the land for its inclusion in the new appellation, they were met with armed caretakers telling them they were not welcome! This is the reason for the seemingly inexplicable blank spot in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation map. Clos du Caillou gives us some of the most spectacular terroir classified as simply Côtes-du-Rhône, and the wines which hail from this clos are anything but simple in their complexity and depth.

In 1955, Paul Pouizin acquired the Clos, quickly realizing the amazing terroir that lay in this forested hunting preserve, he set about clearing portions of the land and planting vines. Today, his daughter, Sylvie Vacheron, manages the estate with her winemaker Bruno Gaspard.

Clos du Caillou Family in Cellar

Farming Philosophy

The land is worked with a respect to nature; undergoing regular plowing without the use of herbicides, pesticides, or chemical fertilizers. The winery was officially certified organic in 2010, and remains so today, however the family has been farming organically since the 2000 vintage.

Vineyard Site

There are different soil types at Clos du Caillou that are responsible for the production of their different cuvées of Côtes-du-Rhône and Châteauneuf-du-Pape. There are vines planted in sandy soils which give elegance and finesse. From the sandy soils come the basic Côtes-du-Rhône and the Reserve as well. There are sandy soils with some stones and clay subsoils that produce the Bouquet des Garrigues cuvées. From the soil referred to locally as “Safres,” a more compact sandy terroir, comes the Safres Châteauneuf-du-Pape and a portion of the Reserve Châteauneuf-du-Pape. This soil imparts an even greater degree of fineness and minerality to the wines. The Châteauneuf-du-Pape Le Quartz, produced on a sandy soil with rounded quartz stones that give weight and richness plus long aging potential to the wine.

Clos Du Caillou Vineyard Map

Producer offerings

Cotes-du-Rhone Le Caillou Blanc

Côtes du Rhône Bouquet des Garrigues Blanc

Chateauneuf-du-Pape Les Safres Blanc

Côtes du Rhône Le Caillou Rosé

Côtes du Rhône Le Caillou Rouge

Côtes du Rhône Le Bouquet des Garrigues

Côtes du Rhône Nature Rouge

Côtes du Rhône Les Quartz

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Tradition

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Safres Rouge

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Quartz Rouge

Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Réserve

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