Stefan Dolhain

9.0

2010 vintage. This was before the estate was sold to Sylvie Cases. Fully mature, a bit more evolved than expected. — a month ago

Billy L.

9.3

Excellent! Domaine Rene/Francois Leclerc Gevrey-Chambertin from the René Leclerc estate are a blend of Percelles Sylvie, Billard, Carougeot, Pressonnier, Les Crais, En Champs, Croix des Champs, Creux Brouillards and La Justice Estate Vineyards.
Cheers 🍇🍷 — 4 years ago

Richard Alfred

9.0

Drank with Lynn, Philippe & Sylvie at dinner at L'Hotel Bellebreze, Rasteau. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

This is an insiders wine. You have study, focus and taste a lot wine to know how special this wine can drink. Especially, at its QPR.

There are a lot of people that covet SQN, Caycuse, Horsepower and No Girls. For my palate, these wines either burn the palate with ABV or choke off the fruit with way too much bacon fat and or deeply marinaded grilled meats. Yes, you are drinking expensive, flashy producers but, I would humbly disagree they are better wines than this 2011 Le Clos Du Caillou Vielles Vignes Cuvée Unique. Those other wines should aspire to be everything this 2011 shows and delivers.

This Le Clos Du Caillou has the balance the above wines lack and at a fraction of the price point. I would drink this 2011 over any of the other fore mentioned wines. While this Le Clos Du Caillou is a shade hot, it is not nearly as hot as SQN etc.. Hot ABV alcohol that burns the palate & back of the throat will forever be a fatal flaw in a wine.

The nose reveals, ripe; blackberries, dark cherries, blue & purple fruit mix, poached & back strawberries, black raspberries and both plums. Dark, sweet tarriness, dry, crushed rocks, steeped teas, anise stretching to black licorice, hint of dry herbs with bay leaf leading the way, dry brush, black, dry earth, savory, grilled meats, medium, dark spice, understated baking spices; clove, nutmeg, vanilla and a touch of clove, dark & mid red fruit cola, just a whiff of incense with candied, fresh and withering red & dark florals.

The body is rich and mid full. Tannins just 50% resolved with round, dark tarry teethiness. The structure, tension, length and balance are harmonious...just before their peak. Ripe; blackberries, dark cherries, blue & purple fruit mix, raspberries that haut the center palate on the long set, poached & back strawberries, black raspberries and both plums. Dark, sweet tarriness, dry, crushed rocks, limestone minerals, steeped teas, anise stretching to black licorice, hint of dry herbs with bay leaf leading the way, dry brush, dry black earth, dry stone wrapped in moist clay, savory, grilled meats, some bacon fat, medium, dark spice, understated baking spices; clove, nutmeg, vanilla and a touch of clove, Mix of caramel & mocha powder, dark & mid red fruit cola, just a whiff of incense with candied, fresh and withering red & dark florals. The acidity is phenomenal. The long, ripe, well balanced & textured, elegant finish is memorable and is persistent for several minutes.

Wine paired perfectly with our marinated Tri-tip.

If you are over paying for the above lesser wines mentioned above, you owe it to yourself to seek out and cellar this wine appropriately.

Photos of; Le Clos Du. Caillou, their barrel room, Owners-Sylvie Vacheron & Bruno Gaspard and one of their vineyards. It’s amazing they can grow anything in that stone soil structure.
— 7 years ago

Andrew Lohse

8.9

Floral, aromatic. Acid doesn’t dominate the attack. Steely. Citrus, green apple. Solid length. — 8 years ago

Kevin Arndt

Specialist Grand Vin Colorado

9.1

Alsace Pinot is starting to shine and the 2020 is complex and lingers on the palate — 5 months ago

Erik Longabardi

9.2

Quite good — 10 months ago

Stephanie Swannack

9.8

Birthday dinner At Brasserie Four in walla walla with Daniel Isabella angela Jamie and Sylvie. From the region of Sylvie’s dad — 5 years ago

Fredybeans

9.2

Robe rubis foncée
Nez épicé léger boisé pointe animale de réduction
Bouche fraîche de petits rouge finale délicate tonique aux tanins fins
Très bien pour le millesime
— 7 years ago

Fredybeans

9.0

Couleur jaune claire
Nez frais et vanillée raisin mûr
Bouche fraîche et ample à la fois finale sur des notes florales et d épices
— 7 years ago

Joshua Fisher

9.4

Cherie Melka and her GM of the estate , sylvie — 7 years ago

Fredybeans

8.9

Jaune clair
Arôme pamplemousse et pointe épicée
Bouche ample fraîche tendue avec une certaine amertume beau grain fin — 8 years ago

Pooneet K

9.2

Very nice at 15 years of age. Still rich for sure, but clearly Riesling with a good balance of floral fruit, depth, and acid. — 10 months ago

ESF

9.0

See previous note: this was the last of a case that had ton of sentimental value… — 4 years ago

Kevin Barry

9.1

Like this on. Clean finish. — 6 years ago

Carly

8.9

Delish! Had with Bua Loy post pool. Easy drinking — 6 years ago

Rob Junge

9.7

Lil funk and everything else is in balance. Great bottle. — 7 years ago

Ruby Yao

9.3

Love it. Complex and fragrant. Absolutely delightful — 7 years ago

Ted

9.3

I like it. — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

On the nose; bright cherries, ripe strawberry & cranberry reduction, black raspberries, raspberries, watermelon near the rhine, mixed orange citrus, oyster shells, baguette crust, understated volcanic minerals, chalk, saline, fresh pink roses and florals. The body is full and a shade gluey. The fruits are ripe, rich and candied/gummy in style. Bright cherries, black cherries ripe strawberry & cranberry reduction, black raspberries, raspberries, watermelon near the rhine, mixed orange citrus spray, saline, seashells, soft grey volcanic minerals, lots of grippy powdery razor sharp chalkiness, baguette crust, fresh pink roses & florals, acidity that is round and well done, understated delicate micro bubbles and a long, well balanced, rich finish. The reason why I prefer the Billecart Salmon, Ruinart & Laurent Perrier over the Bollinger is it’s a little too sweet for me. Photos of; the House of Bollinger, cellar, headstone that marks one of their vineyards and their harvest staff picking perfectly manicured rows. Producer notes and history...Bollinger has roots dating back to 1585 when the Hennequins, one of the Bollinger founding families, owned land in Cramant. Before the Bollinger house was founded in the 18th century, the Villermont family practised wine making, though not under their family name. In 1750, Villermont settled at 16 rue Jules Lobet, which would eventually become the head office for Bollinger. In 1803 Jacques Joseph Placide Bollinger was born in Ellwangen, in the kingdom of Württemberg. In 1822, he moved to Champagne and found work at the house of Muller Ruinart, which no longer exists. Many other Germans came to settle in the Champagne region, including Johann-Josef Krug and the Heidsiecks, who founded a house that would become; Charles Heidsieck, Piper Heidsieck, Veuve Clicquot and others. The Champagne house Renaudin Bollinger was founded in 1829 in Aÿ by Hennequin de Villermont, Paul Levieux Renaudin and Jacques Bollinger. The partners agreed that the Villermont name would not be used on the labels, hence the house name Renaudin Bollinger. Starting when Jacques Bollinger married Charlotte de Villermont, the house has been managed by the Bollinger family. Even though Paul Renaudin passed without an heir to his name, the label did not become solely Bollinger until the 1960s. Founder Jacques Joseph Bollinger married Charlotte de Villermont. The had a daughter, who had two sons Joseph and Georges. These sons took over the company in 1885 and began expanding the family estate by purchasing vineyards in nearby villages. The sons also developed the image of the brand, such as when Bollinger became the official supplier to the British court and received a Royal Warrant in 1884 from Queen Victoria. In 1918, Jacques Bollinger, the son of Georges, took over the company and married Emily Law de Lauriston Boubers, known as "Lily". Jacques expanded the facilities by building new cellars, purchasing the Tauxières vineyards, and acquiring the assets of another Champagne house on Boulevard du Maréchal de Lattre de Tassign, where Bollinger's offices are presently located. When Jacques Bollinger died in 1941, Lily Bollinger took over. Lilly expanded production with the purchase of even more vineyards, but is best known for traveling the world to market the brand. Bollinger was modernized under the Claude d'Hautefeuille, who acquired additional vineyards and further developed the brand internationally. Following Claude, his cousin Christian Bizot took over the Bollinger house and expanded world distribution. Their Winemaker also used several James Bond film movies to market the brand. Bollinger is fermented in oak barrels. At harvest, only the first pressing is used in the cuvée, unless the vintage is of particularly high quality, when a second pressing of Chardonnay will be used. Bollinger sells the second pressing, the tailles. Bollinger utilizes two pressing houses (Louvois and Mareuil sur Aÿ) to ensure a short distance between harvest location and pressing. When possible, grapes purchased from growers are pressed by the house. When the pressed wine arrives, the Bollinger cellar master analyzes the musts for quality, discarding and selling off those that do not meet the house standards. The first fermentation is done cru by cru, variety by variety, preserving many of the unique characteristics of the vines location. Bollinger is one of the few Champagne houses to do some first fermentation in oak barrels. Wines that will not hold up to first fermentation in wood are vinified in vats. Bollinger Champagnes usually undergo malolactic fermentation. The Grande Année 1995 did not undergo malolactic fermentation. Bollinger uses only traditional yeast. They’ve decided that new generations of yeasts (agglomerated yeasts and encapsulated yeasts) do not produce satisfactory Champagne. Vintage wine, including all wine to be used in a Grande Année, is fermented in small oak barrels, sorted according to origin and variety. Both oak and stainless steel are used for non-vintage wine. Bollinger also has the last Cooperage in Champagne. The oak barrels are all at least four years old, avoiding the transfer of tannins to the wine. The wines are only lightly filtered. All Bollinger Champagne spends a long time on its lees, contributing to the complex flavour of the wine. Though appellation d'origine contrôlée rules only require 12 months on lees for non-vintage Champagne and for vintage (NV wines, 15 months from tirage to release and vintage wines must be kept for 36 months from tirage to release), Bollinger ages their non-vintage wines three years, and the vintage wines from five to eight years. The Grande Année and R.D. Champagnes are riddled by hand. At disgorgement, Bollinger wines are given a low dosage, to maintain the balance and flavor of the wine. The company uses 6-9 grams of sugar per liter for the Special Cuvée and La Grande Année. The extra-brut R.D. is dosed between 4 and 5 grams. After dosage, the wines are aged an additional several months, resting for a minimum of three months before shipping. Bollinger owns nearly 160 hectares of vines, producing more than 60% of its supply. The vines are largely Pinot Noir, specifically clone 386. Bollinger believes this clone ensures good quality as well as highlighting characteristics of the various terroirs. The vineyards also include some rare ungrafted French vines from before the phylloxera. Bollinger owns vines all over Champagne, including the crus of Aÿ, Bouzy and Verzenay. — 8 years ago