2017 Clos du Caillou ‘Les Quartz’, Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rhone Blend

WSI96 WA95-97 Sourced as always from the Les Cassanets lieu-dit, the 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Quartz offers a slightly darker fruit profile than the Les Safres or Le Caillou bottlings. Boysenberry and cherry fruit is subtly influenced by dried spices and cocoa powder in this full-bodied, rich and concentrated wine. It’s another stunning wine from this stellar property. 
JD96 Kirsch, blackberries, crushed flowers, blood orange, and tons of spice all emerge from the 2017 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Quartz. It’s one of the richer, sexier wines in the lineup, which is certainly what this vintage delivers in spades. Full-bodied and concentrated, with a beautiful mid-palate, it’s going to evolve positively for 2-4 years and drink brilliantly for 20 years or more. This is an incredibly fine, elegant version of this wine.
Estate Notes: 75% Grenache and 25% Syrah. Sourced from estate lieu-dit ‘Les Cassanets,’ with sandy subsoils and large quartz stones (galets roulés), which capture the day’s heat to release it slowly overnight. Vines 60 years old. Hand-harvested. Destemmed; fermented on indigenous yeasts, with Grenache in cement tank and Syrah in upright, tapered oak cask. Aged 90% in older demi-muid (600L) and 10% in clay amphorae for 14 months. Unfined and unfiltered.