Brandon Boesch

9.7

Wow! This is amazing. Great nose of dried flowers, red fruit, dried fruit, leather. Palate is more of the same. Prunes, flower, cherries, leather. Such a long finish. Maybe best CA Nebbiolo. Will 100 percent seek out more. — 4 months ago

AEL

9.0

So this is basically impossible to dislike. The young woman on the label has it right: grill up a steak and dig in. Those seeking finesse and subtlety, seek elsewhere - that's not what this is for. A juicy, dense, spicy, over-extracted wine (15.6% ABV). Go big or go home. — 3 years ago

Jay Kline

9.1

I don’t hide the fact that I’m a massive fan of Brovia and their Freisa which they produce in a dry, still style is among my favorite values in all of Piedmont. The grapes for this wine come from the Villero cru and are aged exclusively in stainless steel. Production is extremely minuscule with under 1000 bottles made per year however, tracking some down is well worth the effort. The 2017 version has aromas of dark blackberries, roses, and tar while the palate is packed with strawberries, mulberries, blueberries and dried herbs. Impressive structure with mouth-drying tannins and snappy acidity leading to a long, tongue-smacking finish. Capable of aging? Yes, and probably would be an interesting one to follow over the next five to ten years. That being said, these are really meant to be consumed on the younger side while we wait for the Barolo’s to mature 😉. This bottle was paired with the “kamikaze” lasagna we got last night from Au Courant which, as it happens, was also my source for this bottle. — 5 years ago

Ira Schwartz

9.3

Consumed over several hours and this was all about “a point in time”. The rotation of red and green flavors reminded me of a roulette wheel. Olives and red fruits played a game of hide and seek, occasionally teaming up with tobacco and darker fruits. Intense yet so seductive. Would have liked a longer finish. A wine that I can see being very polarizing due to the assertiveness of its many components.. — 6 months ago

Ian Hamel

9.1

2020 summer. I remember the few Luigi Pira wines I had in the past as being done but not the the type of thing to seek out. However, this basic bottling is great in 2015 - it has all the classic elements for a very fair price — 4 years ago

Jay Kline

9.1

Popped and poured. Bright ruby in the glass. Fresh cherries, dried herbs and leather on the nose. Bright cherries, black tea and leather on the palate. Light and lean but impeccably polished. Definitely more on the elegant side of BdM. My first Padelletti and I’m sufficiently intrigued to seek out more. — 5 years ago

Matt

9.5

Mature and drinking great. Sauvage, savory, with more alluring fruit and savory complexity gaining with air. Hung meat, beef blood, clove, animal hide, stewed plum, ash, dried shiitakes, something briny in there. Loving how beautiful this rustic soul is drinking tonight — 2 years ago

LM Segal

9.5

Rich but mineral-driven, with a nose haunted by an old Yquem. Incredibly expressive and multidimensional, with light tropical fruit, shellfish and neat salinity. Seek this out. — 4 years ago

Brendan Baker

9.3

Cassis, graphite, firm tannin, not at all polished (I believe this saw no new wood at all), but still elegant. I need to seek more of this out 😍 — 5 years ago

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.
— 5 years ago