Le Clos du Caillou : Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Safres Blanc 2025

Tasting notes and serving recommendations for the Châteauneuf-du-Pape "Les Safres" Blanc 2025 from Clos du Caillou

Tasting

Appearance
This wine reveals a beautiful pale yellow hue, enhanced by delicate golden highlights.

Nose
The aromatic bouquet opens with floral scents reminiscent of jasmine, linden, and white flowers. These are followed by more indulgent notes of Williams pear, roasted pineapple, and a delicate hint of honey.

Palate
The attack offers a superb balance between tension and roundness. The palate is energized by citrus flavors, notably bitter orange zest and clementine, supported by a fine mineral and savory backbone. The whole is underscored by elegant oak, leading to a harmonious, precise, and persistent finish.

Food and wine pairings
This cuvée pairs beautifully with seared scallops, a creamy chanterelle and white truffle risotto, or a veal rump served with a reduced jus and lemon brown butter. For cheese, an Alpine Beaufort is ideal, while an almond financier will perfectly round off the meal.

Serving and cellaring
To fully enjoy this Châteauneuf-du-Pape "Les Safres" Blanc 2025, it is recommended to serve it between 8 and 12 °C.

The elegance and freshness of a great white Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine

The estate
Founded as a wine estate in 1955 by the Pouizin family, Le Clos du Caillou is located in Courthézon, in the Rhône Valley. Today, Sylvie Vacheron is the owner and manager of this outstanding estate. The domaine stands out for its strong environmental commitment, with certified organic and biodynamic practices. A true hallmark of the estate, its constant pursuit of excellence has elevated its wines among the most renowned in the region, skillfully combining family tradition and technical innovation.

The vineyard
The vines used for this Châteauneuf-du-Pape cuvée are around 50 years old. They thrive on the specific terroirs of the lieux-dits Les Bédines and Pignan. These plots are characterized by soils composed of sand and safres, a geological particularity that imparts remarkable finesse, freshness, and elegance to the grapes.

The vintage
The year 2025 was marked by an early growing cycle. The vines withstood summer heat episodes thanks to excellent water reserves accumulated during winter and spring. Finally, rainfall at the beginning of September helped perfectly balance ripeness before the harvest.

Winemaking and aging
The creation of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape "Les Safres" Blanc 2025 begins with meticulous manual harvesting, followed by double sorting in the vineyard and at the winery. Whole clusters undergo gentle pneumatic pressing. The must is then cold-settled at 10 °C overnight. Fermentation takes place in barrels, as does the aging, which lasts 5 months. The latter is carried out with 20% new oak barrels and 80% barrels that have previously held between 6 and 10 wines.

Grape varieties
This white wine from the Rhône Valley is made from 40% Grenache Blanc, 30% Roussanne, and 30% Clairette.