Calluna Estate, Chalk Hill Cabernet Blend Supply

Calluna Estate, Chalk Hill Cabernet Blend

When David Jeffrey initially released today’s stunning 2012 seven years ago, one of his comments towered above the rest: “this will be a wine for the ages.” To prove it, he did what he does in every vintage by holding back a substantial amount of his scant production instead of making a fast buck. As they tack on age, these special library wines are then quietly re-released in small waves for inquiring (and persistent) minds like ourselves. We are far from alone: Critics and sommeliers have rhapsodized about these extraordinary Cabernet blends without pause, resulting in a complete sellout of Calluna’s 2008-2011s. The same fate is imminent for today’s 2012.

Now at 10 years old, this revered flagship cuvée offers up fathomless depth, rich complexities, and savory detail that’s destined to shatter expectations and live alongside Classified Growth showpieces for decades. Granted, not everything needs to be a comparison, but on the rare occasion a Sonoma Cabernet blend offers such a fanatical degree of elegance and terroir expression, it demands to be pitted against the historic greats. Having said that, allow me to be crystal clear: Calluna isn’t some one-hit-wonder. I’ve been fixated on every release for the majority of my career and have no hesitations about placing them in the top percentile of elite California producers. John Gilman calls them Sonoma County’s “finest Bordeaux Blend specialist” and Wine Enthusiast and Wine Spectator review them right in line—and well beyond in many cases—the luxurious and far-pricier labels of Left Bank Bordeaux. Do I need to spell it out? This is a phenomenal, wonderfully priced cellar collectible! 

NOTE: For those who also want a taste of Calluna’s 2014 release before it, too, is gone forever, you can secure a few bottles here.

Although you may have heard of the Chalk Hill AVA in passing, most aren’t deeply familiar with this hidden gem of an appellation in Sonoma County. Calluna’s picturesque vineyards, perched on the western side of the Mayacamas range, enjoy the highest elevations in the entire appellation. In turn, this delivers excellent sun exposure, minimal frost, cooler overall temperatures, and retained acidity in the grapes for a balance that is closer to Bordeaux than the valleys of Sonoma and Napa. 

Before David Jeffrey founded Calluna Estate in this unique appellation, he obtained a degree in enology and viticulture from Fresno State, then set out to learn at the hands of one of Bordeaux’s masters. He studied under Dr. Alain Raynaud at Chateau Quinault l’Enclos and returned to the States with a vision to craft true Bordeaux-style wines in a cooler locale than his neighbors. As an interesting side note, the owners of Château Cheval Blanc and Château d’Yquem bought land next door—clearly, David is on to something. 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 exquisitely built reds rises with each passing year. 

Although many producers in Napa and Sonoma craft wines from Bordeaux varieties, the majority shoot for (1) longer hang time, (2) sweet, jammy fruit, and (3) an abundance of new oak, which inevitably masks varietal purity and voice of terroir. David chooses to do things the old-school way—like classic Left Bank Bordeaux labels—and the critics have come calling with enthusiasm. Today’s long-aged, perfectly preserved Estate Red is predominantly composed of Cabernet Sauvignon, followed by a quarter of Merlot and a smattering of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. The fruit was hand-harvested over the course of one month and all five meticulously sorted grape varieties fermented separately in open-top tanks with twice-daily pump-overs. The varietal wines aged in French barrels, 40% new, for eight months before David landed on a final blend. The married wine then matured for another 12 months before an unfiltered bottling and further resting in the cellar. In total, three years passed before it was deemed ready for commercial release!

This library parcel, however, has kept slumbering without being disturbed, and, at 10 years old, it has just entered its prime drinking window. Given 30 minutes in a decanter and served at no more than 65 degrees in Bordeaux stems, this delivers some wonderful elegance and a firm savory edge that calls to mind France’s certified classics. The nose greets you with dried black cherry, black raspberry, cassis, spiced plum, humidor, sweet mint, clove, damp violet, and crushed black rock. The explosive palate sports a medium-plus body, suave tannins, and impressive lift that stretches the concentrated core of dark-berry fruit into a long, graceful finish. This 2012 epitomizes the hard-to-master harmony of richness and elegance, and its current state of evolution has just entered Shangri-La. Enjoy with Bordeaux and old-school Napa aficionados now and over the next decade. Cheers!