Chaitanya Yaramada

10

Complex wine with fruity and smoky notes. Apparently the Aglianico only grow in volcanic ash and so basically can only be grown in the southern region of Italy. Need to decant and let it air to get the best experience. — 5 years ago

Jae Cho

9.1

I wasn’t acquainted with the whole gang until now. Ready to grow old together, is all I got to say. — 7 years ago

with Diana

Jody Scharf

9.1

It grows on you. — 7 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.7

The 2006 Comtes de Champagne is striking, especially in the way it brings together elements of ripeness and freshness in a hypothetical blend of the 2002 and 2004. Smooth and creamy on the palate, the 2006 is all about texture. There is a real feeling of density and weight in the 2006, qualities I expect to see grow with time in the bottle. All the elements fall into place effortlessly. The 2006 has been nothing short of magnificent both times I have tasted it. Comtes de Champagne remains the single best value (in relative terms) in tête de cuvée Champagne. I suggest buying a case and following it over the next 20-30 years, which is exactly what I intend to do. There is little doubt the 2006 Comtes de Champagne is a magical Champagne in the making. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, Jul 2015) — 8 years ago

GEORGE SKIPPER

9.0

Lovely fruit taste. Quite refreshing after a tough day of watching the grass grow (from the hammock). — 8 years ago

Kirk F

8.9

Just another Thirsty Thursday. — 9 years ago

with Michael, Mike and 2 others

Skip Smyser

9.3

Marvelous Marvelous young wine.Years to grow in quality🍷 — 9 years ago

Jakub Kalinowski

9.1

Clean & clear as a mountain spring, with salt, crushed rocks, a whiff of herbs and some reductive naphtha. On the palate this is linear & clearcut yet with precision & depth, good pure yellow fruit and lemony acidity following. Finishes off with, again, a salty mineral streak.
I find the Alzinger Rieslings much better than his Veltliners. And they improve immensely with time. This is still a baby and will continue to grow, even though it’s ‘only’ a Federspiel.
Delicious stuff. — 6 years ago

Timothy Lynch

9.1

No longer a puppy but still has room to grow. It will never be sensational but it will get awfully close. Paired it up with Alla Puttanesca. A perfect match. — 7 years ago

Alessandro Dalle Carbonare

9.2

Potential to grow awesomly with some proper ageing 91+ — 7 years ago

Tobin Trevarthen

9.2

Small is anything but. Bold fruit with significant strawberry and raspberry’s. Still room to grow... — 8 years ago

Scott Plambeck

9.6

Opened a Magnum, soft cork — split in half but recovered nicely with no residue falling into the bottle. Decanted for 30min prior to pouring into glass. Beautiful color, light nose and mouth feel initially. Later noticed fine grain tannins on the palate, with no sediment whatsoever , No Brown at the edge of glass or carafe. Light fruit developed over the course of the hour we enjoyed it. Three of us enjoyed this excellent wine with a NY Strip and Filet as main course and a chocolate decadent cake for dessert. This wine still has room to grow. — 8 years ago

Clara Vydyanath

9.0

Gorgeous, strong acid core. Provide structure for everything else to grow on. Bright fruit, but nicely tannic. — 9 years ago

Mike R

9.1

Starter wine - tonight will be a tune up for tomorrow and my little friends and family holiday event for neighborhood - good old faithful Napa cab tonight - easy going but young - I mean crying young - but it will the grow up one day - maybe not to the black labels but rest baby and sorry I am drinking one of your young bottle buddies - I will tell you this 14s and 13s Napa cabs are going to better than 10s and 12s after a little sleep - so starter wine tonight is having a smiling effect on me - it is that Friday night in December in the Carolinas effect I bet but who cares - drink up people — 9 years ago

David Kline

9.2

This is a knife hit of an underripe apricot, smelling almost of good? mildew and plum fingernails in starfruit, white plum, and lemon-pig laundry sheets. Pretty sure I sold this in the late nineties, bulk. Lemony-apricot dries up your palate into pure Cotts canyon, borderline sweet onion in lemongrass oil with light basil. Grow some neck muscles, train with PEDs and dive into this empty pool. Yer da man! — 9 years ago

with Courtney

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

This is an insiders wine. You have study, focus and taste a lot wine to know how special this wine can drink. Especially, at its QPR.

There are a lot of people that covet SQN, Caycuse, Horsepower and No Girls. For my palate, these wines either burn the palate with ABV or choke off the fruit with way too much bacon fat and or deeply marinaded grilled meats. Yes, you are drinking expensive, flashy producers but, I would humbly disagree they are better wines than this 2011 Le Clos Du Caillou Vielles Vignes Cuvée Unique. Those other wines should aspire to be everything this 2011 shows and delivers.

This Le Clos Du Caillou has the balance the above wines lack and at a fraction of the price point. I would drink this 2011 over any of the other fore mentioned wines. While this Le Clos Du Caillou is a shade hot, it is not nearly as hot as SQN etc.. Hot ABV alcohol that burns the palate & back of the throat will forever be a fatal flaw in a wine.

The nose reveals, ripe; blackberries, dark cherries, blue & purple fruit mix, poached & back strawberries, black raspberries and both plums. Dark, sweet tarriness, dry, crushed rocks, steeped teas, anise stretching to black licorice, hint of dry herbs with bay leaf leading the way, dry brush, black, dry earth, savory, grilled meats, medium, dark spice, understated baking spices; clove, nutmeg, vanilla and a touch of clove, dark & mid red fruit cola, just a whiff of incense with candied, fresh and withering red & dark florals.

The body is rich and mid full. Tannins just 50% resolved with round, dark tarry teethiness. The structure, tension, length and balance are harmonious...just before their peak. Ripe; blackberries, dark cherries, blue & purple fruit mix, raspberries that haut the center palate on the long set, poached & back strawberries, black raspberries and both plums. Dark, sweet tarriness, dry, crushed rocks, limestone minerals, steeped teas, anise stretching to black licorice, hint of dry herbs with bay leaf leading the way, dry brush, dry black earth, dry stone wrapped in moist clay, savory, grilled meats, some bacon fat, medium, dark spice, understated baking spices; clove, nutmeg, vanilla and a touch of clove, Mix of caramel & mocha powder, dark & mid red fruit cola, just a whiff of incense with candied, fresh and withering red & dark florals. The acidity is phenomenal. The long, ripe, well balanced & textured, elegant finish is memorable and is persistent for several minutes.

Wine paired perfectly with our marinated Tri-tip.

If you are over paying for the above lesser wines mentioned above, you owe it to yourself to seek out and cellar this wine appropriately.

Photos of; Le Clos Du. Caillou, their barrel room, Owners-Sylvie Vacheron & Bruno Gaspard and one of their vineyards. It’s amazing they can grow anything in that stone soil structure.
— 6 years ago

Severn G

9.4

Call me crazy...Faint petrol, wet slate with smooshed cherry/strawberry! Whaaa where is that note coming from...on Riesling, Rhine!!!???

Update Day No. 8: Red fruits note was still going strong, and confirmed by three others, so my sanity is intact.

'Try to catch snowflakes on your tongue. It's fun. Mm. Needs sugar. It's too early. I never eat December snowflakes. I always wait until January. They sure look ripe to me. You think you're so smart with that blanket. What are you gonna do with it when you grow up? Maybe I'll make it into a sport coat.' — 8 years ago

Rick Zywotko

9.3

Now we're getting serious.....
Wow......fantastic bottle,, but still has room to grow! Had a bunch of tannins yet, and showed lots of earth, exhibiting some wonderful fruits but not fully developed at its open, but a half hour later was just luscious. Have more, and glad I do! — 8 years ago

with Michael

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.1

Deep garnet red. South African funk, like damp leaves, wet clay, sundried tomatoes and red cherries in the finish. Moderate tannins (5.5/10) probably will grow once it airs out. Balanced acidity and semi dry. Broken twigs with red currants and cherries. Needs some time to open up and develop. Medium bodied with a medium plus finish but potential is there. Drink till 2021. — 9 years ago

with India

Ted Corvey

9.3

Balance from nose to finish for a young Barolo, wow. An elegant Barolo, and by elegant I'm talking graceful fruit nicely balanced by brooding characters of the fine. Black Cherry, fresh cut spring flowers, aged leather, black tea, and tobacco. More medium than heavy but notable in depth that I expect to grow exponentially with 5-15 more years. Massive QPR for the great 2010 vintage. — 9 years ago