Le Clos du Caillou

The Clos du Caillou was founded in 1895 when Élie Dussaud settled there and created an old cellar. It started as a hunting preserve and this history ironically led to its exclusion from the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation upon its creation in the 1930's.

When the government experts arrived at the Clos in 1936 to survey the land for its inclusion in the new appellation, they were met with armed caretakers telling them they were not welcome! This is the reason for the seemingly inexplicable blank spot in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation map.

In the early 20th century, Châteauneuf-du-Pape was plagued by wine fraud; various rules for the production of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, drawn up and promulgated in 1923, were the first Appellation Contrôlée rules in France, and provided the prototype for subsequent AOC rules. The original AOC rules allowed ten varieties, and were amended to thirteen in 1936, and eighteen in 2009.Baron Pierre le Roy of Château Fortia was the principal architect of these regulations, which set the minimum alcohol level of the wines and set limits on yields as well as which types of grapes could be grown in which area.Another one of the Baron's requirements was that no vineyards could be planted on land that wasn't arid enough to support plantings of both lavender and thyme.

The experts who wanted to put Le Clos du Caillou area into the delimitation arrived at the domain and were welcomed with a gun! Then, they decided to not put Le Clos du Caillou in the area of Châteauneuf du Pape. That is why, Le Clos du Caillou produce Côtes du Rhône inside the area of Chateauneuf du Pape...

1955 – It’s only in 1955, with the Pouizin family, that the “Caillou island” isolated on his wonderful terroir started to open his doors.

At this period, the estate was composed mainly of woods and it was used as a hunting reserve. The reservoir was used to store the water for the inhabitants of Courthézon.

Sylvie VACHERON father’s, Claude POUIZIN, started to deforest the hunting reserve to value the place. According to him, the terroir of this place was exceptional and could not stay only woods. The potential to make growing vines was huge. Then, he decided to plant vines instead of the woods, which was strongly criticized among the inhabitants of Courthézon at that time…

In 1955, Paul Pouizin realized the amazing terroir that lay in this forested hunting preserve, he set about clearing portions of the land and planting vines. 

Acquisition and planting, and the vineyard was created.

1970 – Interested in the development of the commercialization, Claude Pouizin launched the production of the first bottles in the 1970's. His wife, Colette Pouizin start to trade the bottles and developped the commercialization with rigor and humility. For 26 years, Colette Pouzin developed the French market and particularly the sales at the tasting cellar on the vineyard. She liked to welcome and share its passion for the wines and the magic place of Le Clos du Caillou with people for different place of the world. 

1980 – In 1980, the success of the commercialization of wines from the vineyard attract some importers who decided to start importing the wines of Le Clos du Caillou. Years after years, the exportations increased. Today, the wines of the vineyard are exported all around the world.

1996 – At the age of 61, Claude Pouizin thinks to his inheritance. Father of three daughters, it will be his yougest daughter Sylvie who will continue his work. Living in Sancerre with her young husband, Jean-Denis Vacheron, Marie-Claire and Jean-Louis Vacheron' son, winemakers in Sancerre, the couple decided to leave Sancerre terroirs for a huge challenge : take over the vineyard Le Clos du Caillou and produce great wines. Then, in 1996, they leave Sancerre and set up at Le Clos du Caillou, with their 2-years-old daughter, Marilou and their newborn, Axel. 

Jean-Denis has very high ambition for the vineyard. He is determined to produce wines that suits him, free of any diktat. He like the finesse, the elegance, the Burgundy style. 

Vintage after vintage, Jean-Denis succeed to prove his talents as an impressive winemaker, lead by passion without any limits and visionnary ideas. This great epicurean, is recognized in the press (100/100 in 2001) but also by his colleagues and friends from the wine world, dear friend of winemakers. 

Le Clos du Caillou definitively jumped ahead and in a few years, Le Clos du Caillou competes with the best producer of the appellation.

2002 –  After the tragic Jean-Denis death in 2002, Sylvie carries on the work and remained focus on the perfect quality of her wines with the precious help of the talented winemaker Bruno GASPARD.

This is in 2002, that Bruno continues the long work set up by Jean-Denis. With rare human values and humility, Bruno found his place in the domain, and embraces its talents of winemaker. He found an estate as high as his talents.

2010 – The domain got the organic certification on 2010 vintage. It was the outcome of efforts towards natural practices started by Claude Pouizin in the early 1950's. It lasted 3 years of reconversion. In this same philosophy, since few years, one part of the vineyard is conducted in biodynamic agriculture way, with the goal to swing on the totality of the vineyard.

 2022 – In 2020 April, Le Clos du Caillou takes a major step by buying a new estate : Domaine de Panisse.
This beautiful estate, sold by lack of progeny, is composed of a magnifient old builiding and 33 acres of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, planted on exceptional terroirs of sandy soils.
The vineyard is composed of the traditional grapes of Châteauneuf-du-Pape : Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and also old Cinsault from 1950. Some Grenache were even planted in 1924! We decided to convert to Organic Agriculture the whole estate. We are convinced that the qualitative potential of this estate is immense. 2020 will be our first Vintage, first bottles in 2022...

Sylvie VACHERON father’s, Claude POUIZIN, started to deforest the hunting reserve to value the place. According to him, the terroir of this place was exceptional and could not stay only woods. The potential to make growing vines was huge. Then, he decided to plant vines instead of the woods, which was strongly criticized among the inhabitants of Courthézon at that time…

Acquisition and planting, and the vineyard was created.

Over time, by small touches, Claude POUIZIN draw the domain with an unusual balance (9 ha in Châteauneuf du Pape and 45ha in Côtes du Rhône), mainly on rolled pebbles soil on the hill, who did the Vauclusian legend, but also on some sandy and safres soil, giving a very elegant and fineness wine.

With a good filtering during violent rain, with a lot of sun and cleaned by the wind, this is one of the best terroir of the appellation. Also one of the earliest…

Our vineyard is rich of traditional red variety, such as Mourvèdre, Syrah, Cinsault, Carignan, Counoise and also some white variety: Viognier, Roussanne, Clairette, Bourboulenc, without forgetting the Grenache, native god red and white.

Grounds are worked in the respect of the nature, by regular ploughing without weedkiller and without chemical produce, using only phytosanitary treatment of sulfur and copper in a lower quantity.

The domain was certificated organic wine in 2010 but was working in this way since the vintage 2000. In this same philosophy, since few years, one part of the vineyard is working in biodynamic agriculture way, in the goal to swing on the totality of the vineyard.

TERROIR

The terroirs of Le Clos du Caillou are diversified as vines are growing on a sandy soil with marl in basement, on Quartz pebbles but also on Safres.

The sandy soils are located on the lieux-dits "Les Cailloux" and "Les Cassanets". It is a very interesting terroir because it is very delicate. The grapes are harvested earlier during the harvest, usually 15 days earlier the big pebbles soils. The wines from sandy soils are elegante, very fine, usually more on a Burugundy style. 

The terroirs of big pebbles accumulate the heat during the day and restore back to the grapes during the night, confering to the wines a very delicacy with a lot of softness and elegance.

There are different soil types at Clos du Caillou that are responsible for the production of our different cuvées of Côtes-du-Rhône and Châteauneuf-du-Pape. There are vines planted in sandy soils which give elegance and finesse. From the sandy soils come the Côtes-du-Rhône Le Caillou and the Reserve as well. There are sandy soils with some stones and clay subsoils which produce the Bouquet des Garrigues cuvées. From the soil referred to locally as “Safres”, a more compact sandy terroir, comes the Safres Châteauneuf-du-Pape and a portion of the Reserve Châteauneuf-du-Pape. This soil imparts an even greater degree of fineness and minerality to the wines. There is Quartz, which is a sandy soil with many rounded quartz stones that gives weight and richness plus long ageing potential. From here there is both a Côtes-du-Rhône and a Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Grapes are picked by hand and sorting at the vineyard.

Grape varieties are vinified separately to respect their own character, aromas and originality. The red vinification is usually preceded by a cold maceration during few days. Pomp-over, punch-down and delestage are made during all the maceration (1 month to 40 days depending on the vintage and the cuvee). The alcoholic maceration start naturally by the wild yeast present on the grapes.

We use stainless tanks for the vinification of the white and rose wine and wooden and cement tank for the vinification of the red.

Red wines are then aged in foudres and in oak barrels during one year and more, in the underground cellar, built in the safres, with a natural temperature (13 to 15°C). Foudres and demi-muids composed the maturing cellar.

Natural cultural practices at Le Clos du Caillou have been started with Claude Pouizin in 1950 : regular plough, organic compost. Since the early years of the vineyard, we put all our efforts to work in a natural way. 

Thats is why, Jean-Denis Vacheron started the organic agriculture when he arrived on the vineyard in 1996. We got the certification on 2010 vintage. 

To continue our philosophy, we engage in 2007 in biodynamic agriculture. It permits to produce qualitative grapes by improving the fertility of the soils. Today, it is of major importance to give back to the soils their total vitality.

These practices permitted to give to our vines a new youth thanks to the use of horn-manure and silica preparations, sprayed in the vines while respecting the rythm of the cosmos and the nature cycle. 

This approach takes day after day more and more depth thanks to the involvement of each person of the team.