Domaine du Caillou

Domaine du Caillou History

The 4000 ha appellation of Cahors, which has been an AOC since 1971, is one of the oldest in France. Already King Francis I and the Tsar's court enjoyed Cahors wines. Clos du Caillau is situated in a sheltered south-west position on alluvial terraces in the narrow, winding Lot Valley. The vineyards are covered with river pebbles, hence the name Clos du Caillau. The vineyards are planted on hills of calcareous rock above the Lot River and on alluvial land at the bottom of the valley.
Château du Caillau, is located in the village of Vire-sur-Lot in the Cahors region. Wines from this region are made from the indigenous Malbec grape. Because of their red-black color, they were nicknamed "black wine" by the English in the Middle Ages. The winery is owned by Philippe Bernède, whose family has been making the wine for six generations.

Domaine du Caillou Vineyards

The vineyard covers 100 hectares and is spread over three main plots (clay-gravel, clay-limestone and thick clay). The vines are on average 25 years old. At harvest, the grapes are harvested at low yields and each plot is vinified in separate tanks. The wine is aged for 12 months in stainless steel tanks and oak before being bottled. Own cultivation and bottling with the respect of ecological practices.

Domaine du Caillou and Clos La Coutale

Philippe is the current owner and winemaker of Château du Caillau. He also has a successful corkscrew brand and recently designed his own "pigeur" to help with winemaking. Philippe Bernède now owns 2 wineries in the Cahors appellation. These are Clos La Coutale with 50 hectares of vineyards and Domaine du Caillou, which he acquired in 1993, with 10 hectares of vineyards. The Bernède family is one of the few winemaking families to have played a decisive role in shaping the Cahors growing region since the 19th century.

Domaine du Caillou the three approved grape varieties are:

• Malbec
• Merlot
• Tannat