2015 Les Cailloux Chateauneuf-Du-Pape Cuvee Centenaire
2015 Les Cailloux Chateauneuf-Du-Pape Cuvee Centenaire A rich and expressive nose with notes of blackcurrants and blackberries. There are complex and dominant aromas of undergrowth and leather. This 2015 wine has is powerful with roundness in the mouth. An impressively long finish in the mouth. The tannins are perfectly mellow.
Pair with red meat, game or enjoy quite simply alone for the sheer pleasure of drinking a great wine.
95 Jeb Dunnuck: The flagship 2015 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Centenaire comes from very old Grenache vines (planted in 1889) located in the northern part of the appellation. It includes a touch of younger vine Mourvèdre and Syrah and is brought up mostly in tank. It offers more black fruits, smoked earth, licorice and meaty, beefy notes to go with a full-bodied, concentrated, layered style on the palate. Possessing terrific complexity, a layered, multidimensional texture, ripe tannin and a great finish, it’s not in the same league as previous great vintages (1990, 1998, and to a lesser extent the 2001, 2005 and 2010) of this cuvée, yet it’s still a terrific wine. This beauty is going to last for two decades.
94 Robert Parker: Unlike many luxury cuvées, Les Cailloux’s 2015 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Centenaire is not simply an example of taking the best fruit from the estate and throwing new oak at it. It is from the estate’s oldest Grenache vines, with a small dose of Syrah added for complexity and aging potential, but it’s not forced or overextracted in any way, showing beautiful notes of cherries, stone fruit and a touch of stem inclusion. It’s full-bodied and creamy, but with a fresh, silky finish that echoes with cranberries. Although a powerful wine, it’s more about elegance than sheer brawn.
Domaine les Cailloux
Our family has been in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape region since the 17th century and has been fully committed to making wine for five generations.
As of the 17th century, the wine-making activity of our family was testified by the purchase of a vineyard plot from the Bishop of Avignon to the north of the appellation.
Numerous generations followed on, all working in the vineyards but it was only in 1954 that Lucien Brunel created the name “Les Cailloux” to develop the business and promote the Domaine’s wine qualities and special characteristics. From that time one, it was referred to as the Domaine Les Cailloux.
In 1971, André Brunel took over the reins of the Domaine. His endless motivation resulted in a rapid growth for the Domaine: repurchasing of Côtes du Rhône and Vins de Pays vines, and launch of the infamous Centenary Cuvée in 1989. He also made some considerable changes in the vine management process by being one of the first people in Châteauneuf-du-Pape to use the ground covering method and to proceed with a non-chemical approach to wine-farming.
In 2012, his son, Fabrice Brunel, joined the team so the family history can continue.