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.
— 7 years ago

Clive McNish

9.4

A rare journey into the damned 2011 vintage and what a great surprise. This is excellent, very Bordeaux like, with a wonderful nose of cherries, violet, cedar, mushroom and menthol. The palate is very smooth without the spicy tannins of the neighbouring sunnier vintages. There is some delicate fruit, blueberry and plums with a creamy but relatively short finish. I really like this and will seek out some more and also challenge the ‘11 curse particularly from higher elevation producers. — 7 years ago

J. Kim

9.0

Authentic aroma, acidities and tannins. As good as some of the most traditional producers in Barolo and Barbaresco. Can't escape the feeling that the structure is somewhat simple. — 8 years ago

Kirk F

9.0

Nice stony minerality here. Had only had their Pinots until now but I would seek this out again. — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.8

I can’t pour enough praise on Dan and his talents. I don’t give many wines near perfect scores, but this merits one. The nose is a beautifully balanced mix of floral fruits, earth and spice. Blackberries, huckleberries, boysenberries, black plum, black raspberries, plum, black raspberries, poached strawberries, dark moist soils, loamy dry soil/clay, raspberry cola, smoked meats, medium dark spice, vanilla, clove, nutmeg, lilacs, violets and lavender. The balance is incredible...one of the most balanced wines I’ve had. The structure, tension and length are so close to perfect. It’s in the OMG realm. The tannins are nicely resolved but still have teeth. It’s gorgeously lush and rich. Blackberries, huckleberries, boysenberries, black plum, black raspberries, plum, black raspberries, poached strawberries, hues of blue fruits haunt the palate, dark moist soils, loamy dry soil/clay, raspberry cola, black licorice, touch herbaceous, smoked meats, medium dark spice, vanilla, clove, nutmeg, black & white pepper, dry crushed rocks, stones, lilacs, violets and lavender. The finish is heaven all the way around. To borrow Bordeaux terminology, this is First Growth Shiraz. If you don’t seek out Dan’s wines on the secondary market, you are missing something special. Not at all meant to be enjoyed young. This wine is in a very good spot and has another 10 years of life going forward. — 9 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

This is a young wine that I opened last weekend and enjoyed but, had to seal it up and put back into storage until tonight. It’s a touch faded (10%) but, like all young wine, resilient.

The nose reveals, ripe & candied; blackberries, dark cherries, plum, well extracted pomegranate, the blue fruits he does so well and I love in Pinot, dry cranberries, poached strawberries, raspberries, beautiful layered baking spices, medium intensity dark spices, steeped fruit tea, red fruit cola, hints of dry crushed rocks, limestone, dark, blue, purple flowers with hints of lavender.

The body is full with a fair amount of tannin presence. Nicely knitted structure, tension, length and balance for such a young Pinot. Ripe & candied; blackberries, dark cherries, plum, well extracted pomegranate, the blue fruits he does so well and I love in Pinot, dry cranberries, poached strawberries, touch of cooked rhubarb, raspberries, beautiful layered baking spices, medium intensity dark spice with shades of palate heat, steeped fruit tea, red fruit cola, saline notes, dry herbs, menthol, eucalyptus, hints of dry crushed rocks, volcanic minerals, dry & moist clay, limestone, leathery, wood staves, amazing dark, blue, purple flowers with hints of lavender. The acidity is excellent. The ripe, elegant, balanced, polished finish is delicious and persists nicely for minutes.

Paul makes beautiful expressions of Pinot, Rhône styles & Chardonnay. If you have not had them, well worth your time & investment to seek out.

Photos of; his Sierra Madre Vineyard...netted to keep the birds from eating his fruit, fruit near harvest time, my picture meeting Paul for the first time last week weekend at a “Matter of Taste” in Napa last weekend and their barrel room. — 7 years ago

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.0

14.1%. Soft. Some dark berry but mostly cherry 🍒. Teanotes. Really well made. Too agreeable for me but well worth to seek out. — 7 years ago

TheSkip

9.0

Reminds me of other John Duvall wines not named Grange. It’s ok. Nothing I would seek out. Can’t say I’ve been impressed by the Long Shadows collection. — 7 years ago

Justin Farrar

9.1

This is great, would seek out again. Peachy — 8 years ago

Danny Martinez

9.1

First New Zealand Pinot Noir for us.. Good minerality and versatile wine. Will seek out again! — 8 years ago

LaShondra Berman

8.9

Delicious cherry and dark plums!! — 9 years ago

Tom Inners

9.4

Yum. Bought this bottle on 'Evacu-cation' during our escape from Calistoga wildfires to sunny Ojai. One of a few library wines scored from the Ojai Vineyard tasting room. Great example of California Chardonnay at its best. Shows restraint and reserve with invigorating acidity. Tasting great at this age. — 9 years ago

Antoinette

9.2

Very good on it's own or take a bottle of this Leonard Oakes Escape Rose and Leonard Oakes Frontrnac and dump into a pitcher. Tastes just like sangria. Very good! — 9 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

This was a fascinating Italian White from Piemonte. This is 100% Timorasso a varietal that was rescued from near obscurity by Walter Massa. It’s native and unique to the Colli Tortonesi. In the past many growers were ripping out Timorosso and planting the more prolific and boring Cortese (Gavi). Thank God for Massa once you taste this. Mid Gold in colour. Rich and textural with notes of fruit salad and honey. Apparently aged versions show petrol like aged Riesling. Amazingly zero new oak. On the palate an absolute fruit salad of flavours with a note of guava. Medium Acid. A flat out delicious wine which I will definitely seek out in the future. Could keep this in the short term but irresistible now. Bought at Roscioli in Rome @Ceccherini Cristiano - your old haunt as a sommelier. One of the 1001 Wines. — 7 years ago

ESF

9.2

What a beauty! Discovered this little winery in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mtns and they make really outstanding wines... drank thru entire lineup & was struck by consistent balance, purity & density of fruit. This is a blend with beautiful structure, tons of fruit, smoke / spice / some Earth, lingering finish. Seek them out if you can! — 7 years ago

Sam Agami

10

Wow, old school perfection! California wine from a forgotten age. Pure Italian-American greatness. Reminds me of the wine my childhood landlord would make from the vines that grew behind our house just upstate from NYC. Dark fruits abundant, soft acidity and tanins, nice touch of oak, without obscuring the graps as so many California wineries are obsessed with doing for some reason these days. Found this at a random liquor store on a road trip, will seek it out now. Even better than the Cribari Chianti or Coppola Rosso, which were my previous favorite in this genre, the wonderfully underappreciated "backyard" wine... — 7 years ago

Michael H

9.3

48% each Cab and Merlot.... balanced, long silky finish, perfect acidity and dark fruits... would seek out — 8 years ago

Shay A

9.3

This was a surprise of the day. When I got in to drinking fine wine, I naturally passed over Silver Oak. No real reason, but I just wanted to seek out the smaller, more boutique producers. This was great today! Absolutely smooth. Cherry liqueur, teakwood, milk chocolate, and very little tannic bite. I’d drink up if you have ‘em. — 9 years ago

with Dan

Ariel Hammond

9.5

Wine escape NYC — 9 years ago

Steve Martinelli

9.2

Just a really delicious and easy drinking wine on a hot June day. Bright acidity, loads of citrus with a hint of wet stone. One of the few Napa SBs I really seek out. — 9 years ago