The curious incident of the hole in the Chateauneuf-du-Pape map…

In the late 19th and early 20th Century, the French wine industry was in disarray. The vineyards had been decimated by the phylloxera louse, a bug that destroyed over 6 million acres of vines, and winemakers were trying to rebuild their livelihoods… not all of them scrupulously!

Chateauneuf-du-Pape, in particular, was rife with fraud and the adulteration of its wines, which led to Pierre le Roy of Chateau Fortia asking for cooperation from other local growers for a set of rules that would govern such things as minimum alcohol levels, limits on yields and the types of grapes that could be grown in which area. Little did he know it at the time, but this was the beginning of the Appellation d’Origine Controlée system, which we know today.

An essential component of this new code of conduct would be a map detailing the vineyards whose quality merited inclusion in the Chateauneuf-du-Pape appellation. The task began and in October 1936, a group of officials arrived at Clos du Caillou to take measurements for mapping out the estate for inclusion in the new map. However, the irascible owner didn’t appreciate their presence one bit and shooed them off his property with a shotgun. Disinclined to return, the cartographer had no option but to leave a hole in the map where the Clos du Caillou vineyards should be and it is still there to this day! The domaine has expanded since then, to include ‘official’ Chateauneuf-du-Pape vineyards, but any wine made from grapes within the original Clos du Caillou estate, such as this one, their ‘La Reserve’ 2022, can only be classified as a ‘Cotes du Rhone’ despite being a Chateauneuf-du-Pape in every aspect other than its name.

We tasted it recently at a Rhone 2022 ‘en primeur’ tasting and it stood out a mile amidst all of the Cotes du Rhones, as it rightly should, but it also outshone a good many of the Chateauneuf-du-Papes in the room, despite being a fraction of the price. In a great vintage such as 2022, where Clos du Caillou’s ‘real’ Chateauneuf-du-Pape ‘La Reserve’ hit the magical 100 points, it brings the value of this wine into really sharp focus. It’s extremely limited, as it is very much an insider’s wine and they didn’t produce it in 2021, due to frost, so the scales of supply and demand are even more adversely weighted than usual! We only have a few cases available.

Press reviews:

The Wine Advocate: “There was no 2021 made, but the 2022 Cotes du Rhone ‘La Reserve’, tasted as a blend drawn from the seven demi-muids (one new), is a terrific wine. A co-fermented blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Mourvèdre, it delivers lush black cherries, refreshing, complex garrigue notes and just a hint of cedar. Full-bodied and rich, it's plush and velvety in feel, with a lingering finish.” (92-94) points

Jeb Dunnuck: “While this cuvée wasn't made in 2021 due to the frosts, the 2022 Cotes Du Rhone La Reserve should make up for it – it’s a brilliant Cotes Du Rhone that readers will love. Bing cherries, red plums, blackberries, black liquorice, and sappy flower notes are just some of its nuances, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a deep, layered mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It's going to be one of the finest Cotes Du Rhone out there.” (93-95) points