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Andre Brunel
The Winery
Andre Brunel—Domaine Les Cailloux
“Brunel, who is one of the most articulate spokespersons of Chateauneuf du Pape, continues to fine tune his winemaking, always trying to enhance the fruit and texture. That has been apparent over recent vintages, although some of the old classics are not to be missed.”
–Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate
Located in the Rhône Valley in Southern France, Domaine Les Cailloux is a producer known for their vast range of white and red wines under the Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Côtes du Rhône appellations as well as the Vaucluse IGP designation. The Cailloux flagship is their Châteauneuf-du-Pape Grenache blend with smaller quantities of Mourvedre, Syrah, and Cinsaut, and made from the some of the oldest vines in the entire region. The producer gets its name from cailloux roules, which is French for the large rocks sprinkled around the terroir of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and they have been producing wine commercially since 1950.
Vintages to look out for: 1989, 1990, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016
Tasting Notes
- WS96
- Rich, but amazingly silky and elegant, this is layered with blackberry, raspberry and fig fruit and stitched with incense, black tea and warm plum sauce notes, all of it staying remarkably lithe and suave. The superlong finish shows weight and precision as only Grenache can. Tempting now, but should put on weight in the cellar. Drink now through 2030.
- WA96
- Two brilliant successes are Brunel’s cuvees of 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape. His limited cuvee of approximately 500 cases of the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Centenaire (made from 80% Grenache aged in foudre, and the balance Syrah and Mourvedre aged in one- to three-year-old small barrels) comes primarily from a parcel of 120-year-old vines in the northern part of the appellation in the lieu-dit known as Farguerol. This cuvee has only been made in vintages such as 1989, 1990, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, and now 2007. Deep ruby/purple in color, the wine exhibits very up-front, precocious, sexy plum, black currant, and sweet cherry notes intermixed with some floral hints, licorice, and garrigue. It is dense, full-bodied, much more supple and silky-textured than the 2005 or 2001, but seemingly more concentrated than the 2000 version of this wine. It is a brilliant, full-throttle, seamless Chateauneuf du Pape capable of lasting for up to two decades, although few people will be able to resist its exuberant youthfulness.
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