Click on each petal to learn more about Palate Character or sign in, join the taste56 community and let your palate do the talking!
Tasting Notes
Full bodied with plus acidity that balances the viscosity of the wine, the Caillou Garrigues express up front pear fruit, with a slight citrus pithiness, then more subtle mandarin and mango notes, followed by more pronounced honeysuckle and mineral aromas and flavors that extend into the finish.
Body is the impression of a wines weight, density, or its ‘mouth-feel’. Some wines feel weighty, or full bodied, while others feel light bodied. Wine runs the gamut from light to full, with most falling somewhere in between.
ACIDITY
Low
Moderate
Balanced
Crisp
High
Acidity is a foundational component in wine. In fact, low acidity, or ‘flabby’ wine (as the term suggests) is a negative. You can sense acidity mainly on the sides of your tongue. Acidity generally ranges from balanced to high. Crisp acidity adds freshness, making your mouth water. Acidity is a necessary element and helps to balance other components.
SWEETNESS
Dry
Off Dry
Medium Dry
Medium Sweet
Very Sweet
Most wines are characterized as dry to off-dry, but there are some grape varietals, like Riesling, that run the gamut from dry to sweet. The tip of the tongue mainly detects sweetness, which is why it is often the primary characteristic detected. Sweetness is derived from residual sugar that did not ferment into alcohol.
ALCOHOL
13.5%
Alcohol is the by-product of fermentation. Differing grape varieties have differing potential alcohol levels, but regardless warmer areas result in riper grapes resulting in higher alcohol. Alcohol level is an objective number, but its affect on its palate impression is largely determined with how well integrated and balanced it is with other components.
Rhône wines must deftly straddle power and finesse - Caillou's Garrigues hits the mark
GRAPE VARIETAL(S)
Clairette
Clay-RET
Clairette has a long history in Southern France and a reputation for producing fairly straightforward but crisp, sometimes mineral tinged white wines. It is actually best suited as a blending partner in the southern Rhône like Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc or Côtes du Rhône Blance, adding freshness and acidity.
Roussanne
Roo-SAN
Rousanne is a high quality, aromatic, white Rhone varietal often blended with Marsanne in Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, and St. Joseph. Rousanne is more aromatic than Marsanne, often with a refreshing floral, and slightly herbal perfume, and has higher acidity that provides it better ability to age gracefully.
Grenache Blanc
Gre-NASH BLON
In warm areas, Grenache Blanc makes rich wines, and is often blended with more crisp varietals for balance. That said, it is at its best when grown at higher elevations, keeping the acid and sugar and balancing roundness with fresh acidity and minerality.
Viognier
Vyo-NYAY
Viognier almost went extinct in the 1960s, but has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity. Although grown around the word, it is most famous for the full bodied intensely aromatic floral white wines with a sometimes oily texture grown on granite terraces in Condrieu, and small amount to Syrah in Côte Rôtie, just north of Condrieu, adding aromatic complexity.
Bourboulenc
Boor-boo-LENK
White wine grape varietal principally found in Southern France, often blended with other grape varietals adding good acidity, smoke, and/or citrus flavor components to the wine.
Clos du Caillou was founded in 1895 as a hunting preserve. It was not until 1955 that Paul Poizin purchased the estate and removed some of the woods to plant vineyards. It remains in the family and is run by his daughter Sylvie Vacheron.
The estate’s terroir is defined by various soils, including sand, stone with clay subsoils, and safre, a more dense, compact sand that adds finesse and minerality. The vineyards are hand-plowed and biodynamically farmed.
The wines of Clos du Caillou have a complex, perfumed nose of intense fruit, spice, and minerality that is followed by densely packed flavors and a long finish.
Pear
Honeysuckle
Mineral
Organic
