This week we bring you a white and a red from our friends at the Le Clos du Caillou Estate, which you may remember reading about in our blog, as we've indeed featured their wines before. Where their vines grow today once lay a vast hunting ground filled with forests and reservoirs which, much to the dismay of the locals, was turned into vineyards after a local winemaker saw the land’s potential. The exceptional soils of this area of the Southern Rhône offer ideal conditions for the production of plush, ripe wines of great concentration. Using organic and biodynamic winemaking practices this team knows how to bring out all this terroir has to offer.
Named after the famous ‘garrigues’ herbs (lavender, rosemary, thyme) that grow in between the vines of many vineyards in southern France, this wine is like taking a nap in a field of wild herbs. A blend of Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Roussanne, and Bourboulenc with just perfect balance and great floral intensity. Fresh notes of peaches, lemon verbena, papaya, and apricots with perfect acidity and rich, yet light character. This is a wine for the sunny afternoon lounging on the patio with some soft jazz playing in the background. If you're hosting friends, serve this along side Raymond Blanc’s chicken and white wine mustard sauce for a delicious summer meal.
Our red this week from Clos du Caillou is named after the large quartz river stones from ancient riverbeds where the vineyards now grow. These large stones support the vines by absorbing heat during the day and releasing it slowly at night. This leads to a soft, concentrated, rich fruit character in the wines as the grapes ripen smoothly and steadily over the season. This spicy and complex wine full of blackberry and boysenberry, made from mostly Grenache and some Syrah, is warm, concentrated, textured and just delicious. For a five star experience, sear up a juicy steak topped with herb butter and pour yourself a glass of this. Decadence.
Want to simplify life this summer? Let us select your wines for you! We're excited to offer a new membership option to help you explore more wines with less effort. Sign up once, and don't think about it again. Use code WFMEMBER23 for 50% off your first case. Learn more here.