Description
Calluna Vineyards, “CVC” Bordeaux Blend
If the fine wine industry has taught me anything, it’s that a California label discussed with the same reverence as Togni, Corison, Forman, Ridge, and Mount Eden must surely be the bluest of blue chips, priced no lower than $100, with a devout audience that could sell out Wembley many times over. Unless, however, Calluna Vineyards’ “CVC” has snuck in through the back door.
If your ear is close enough to the ground, you’re likely aware that every critic worth their salt has fallen deeply in love with this stunningly affordable Cabernet-Merlot fusion. John Gilman has even gone so far as to label it “one of California’s finest values in the world of Bordeaux blends,” and that today’s sensational 2018 is “the most complete vintage yet.” Jeb Dunnuck, too, joined the trumpet call by exclaiming it was the “finest vintage of CVC” he’d tasted, one that would bring “20 years or more of prime drinking.” Twenty years. Think about that: A Bordeaux blend from the famous Mayacamas range, that delivers more longevity (and likely enjoyability) than many of the elite châteaux from which it is inspired. And it’s only $35. That’s it! I’ve tasted a sizable collection of Calluna’s wines over the years now, and it bears repeating that, for the price, few labels—if any—are more serious and age-worthy than today’s 2018 CVC.
Chalk Hill AVA. You may have heard it in passing, but most probably aren’t familiar with this hidden gem of an appellation nestled on the western (Sonoma) side of the Mayacamas range. Calluna’s picturesque vineyards have the highest elevation in the entire AVA, which results in excellent sun exposure, cooler overall temperatures, and greater acid retention. This delivers wines with impeccable balance, far different than those that lie on the valley floor.
Before David Jeffrey founded Calluna Estate in this unique appellation, he obtained a degree in enology and viticulture and spent a season learning under Bordeaux icon Dr. Alain Raynaud in the early 2000s. Back at that time, Raynaud was the proud owner of Château Quinault and a wine consultant to many others, including Second Growth Lascombes in Margaux and Napa Valley’s Colgin. Upon returning to the States, David was equipped with a vision to craft Bordeaux-style wines in a cooler locale than his neighbors. Today, Calluna’s wines are expertly crafted with balance and sense of place as a top priority, and the result is an undeniably pleasurable bottle of wine; Old World elegance with a Californian accent. This has not gone unnoticed by the critics: Calluna’s praise reaches far and wide, and the demand for their exquisite reds rises with each passing year.
Although many producers in Napa and Sonoma craft wines from Bordeaux varieties, the majority shoot for longer hang time and jammy fruit, aging their wines in an abundance of new oak which inevitably masks the varietal purity and voice of terroir. Jeffrey chooses to do things the old-school way—as in Bordeaux—and the critics have come calling with enthusiasm just the same. Coming from sustainably farmed estate vines, today’s 2018 CVC is led by Merlot with nearly equal parts Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc. Malbec and Petit Verdot round out the final 15% of the blend. The hand-harvested fruit is manually sorted and fermented in open-top tanks with a routine pump-over regimen for three weeks. The wine then ages for over 20 months in French oak barrels, 20% new. It is bottled unfiltered.
This 2018 “Calluna Vineyards Cuvée” exhibits an opaque ruby-purple core and spills out a variety of serious, Bordeaux-like aromas: blackcurrant, boysenberry preserves, cacao nibs, leather, black raspberry liqueur, licorice, green peppercorn, tobacco, graphite, and beautifully integrated baking spices. The full, concentrated palate is simultaneously soft and firm, consisting of pure dark fruits and a mineral savor similar to the renowned “Left Bank,” the greatest Cabernet terroir on earth. It finishes long and lifted with a desirable hint of glossy oak flavors. I advise you to grab a case, uncork a bottle every year, and keep a brief log to track the glorious evolution that’s bound to come.
