Press
2024
July 2024
John Gilman’s View from the Cellar
2023 Calluna Estate Blanc Sauvignon Blanc & Sémillon
“The Calluna Vineyards white wine seems to me to get better and better with each passing vintage. The new 2023 release is composed from a cépages of eighty percent sauvignon blanc and twenty percent sémillon, with both varieties barrel-fermented and then blended for their élevage. The wine comes in at 12.8 percent octane in this vintage and offers up a vibrant bouquet of fresh lime, gooseberry, gentle grassy notes, citrus peel, a lovely base of soil and a whisper of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is zesty, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a lovely chassis of acidity, excellent balance and cut and a long, poised and beautifully balanced finish. Great juice.”
93 Points
2021 Calluna Vineyards Cuvée “CVC” Red Table Wine (Chalk Hill)
“In 2021, the Calluna Vineyards Cuvée from David Jeffrey is crafted from a cépages of thirty-seven percent merlot, twenty-nine percent cabernet sauvignon, nineteen percent cabernet franc, eleven percent petit verdot and four percent malbec. The wine is beautifully refined aromatically, wafting from the glass in a complex blend of sweet dark berries, cassis, coffee bean, cigar wrapper, dark soil tones, a hint of sweet herb tones from the merlot and a gentle framing of nutty oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and impeccably balanced, with a fine core of fruit, a very elegant profile, lovely balance and a long, complex and utterly seamless finish. This wine comes in at 14.1 percent alcohol in this vintage, but seems cooler than that. It is one of the best red wine bargains out there from the great state of California! ”
93 Points
2021 Calluna Vineyards “aux Raynauds” Merlot (Chalk Hill)
“David Jeffrey’s 2021 Merlot “aux Raynauds” comes in at a classic 13.5 percent octane in this vintage and offers up a deep and complex bouquet of cassis, dark berries, cigar ash, a touch of dark chocolate, a lovely base of soil tones, tobacco leaf, gentle herb tones and a deft framing of cedary oak. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a superb core of fruit, fine soil inflection and grip, ripe, buried tannins and impeccable balance on the long and classy finish. The wine includes ten percent cabernet franc in the blend this year and was raised in twenty percent new oak. This will need a bit of bottle age to start to drink with true generosity, but it will be an excellent wine in due course. To my palate, no one in California is making better merlot today than Calluna Vineyards!”
94 Points
2021 Calluna Vineyards “The Colonel’s Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon (Chalk Hill)
“The Colonel’s Vineyard bottling of cabernet sauvignon from Calluna is always David Jeffrey’s biggest and boldest wine, as he allows about two-thirds of the cuvée to undergo malo in new barrels and raises the wine in fifty percent new oak. The 2021 version from the Colonel comes in at 13.7 percent alcohol this year and delivers a lovely aromatic constellation of black cherries, sweet cassis, cigar ash, dark soil tones, sweet tobacco leaf, a whisper of menthol and cedary new oak. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and sappy at the core, with fine soil undertow, ripe, chewy tannins, fine focus and grip and a long, complex and structured finish. This is going to need plenty of hibernation time in the cellar to start to soften up properly, but it is going to be a very long-lived and outstanding wine.”
93 Points
2021 Calluna Vineyards “Calluna Estate” Cabernet Sauvignon (Chalk Hill)
“For many years now, David Jeffrey’s Calluna Estate bottling of cabernet sauvignon has been one of my favorite four or five cabernet-based wines in all of California. The 2021 version is no exception to this, as it is an absolutely brilliant young wine. It comes in at 13.6 percent alcohol in this lovely vintage, is made from a blend of eighty-two percent cabernet sauvignon, eight percent merlot, seven percent cabernet franc, two percent petit verdot and one percent malbec. Clearly David’s training in Bordeaux is quite in evidence in the complex cépages and the wine’s signature elegance. It offers up a gorgeous bouquet of sweet cassis, dark berries, just a hint of mint, cigar smoke, a gorgeous base of soil tones, a discreet framing of cedary oak and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, focused and complex, with great depth of fruit at the core, lovely soil undertow, ripe, well-integrated tannins and superb balance on the long, refined and very, very promising finish. A stunning wine in the making! ”
95 Points
2021 Calluna Vineyards “Skyward Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon (Chalk Hill)
“The Skyward Vineyard single vineyard bottling of cabernet sauvignon from Calluna Vineyards makes its debut in the 2021 vintage. David Jeffrey had thought of making a single vineyard from this vineyard, which sits at the highest point of elevation on his land, since it was planted many years ago. Finally, in 2021, he has made three barrels of the new Skyward Vineyard cuvée. The wine is simply brilliant on both the nose and palate, soaring from the glass in a deep, elegant and sappy blend of cassis, black cherries, violets, cigar wrapper, dark soil tones, currant leaf and a deft foundation of new oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and sappy at the core, with lovely soil inflection, fine-grained, seamless tannins, superb balance and grip and a long, complex and utterly refined finish. Though this is a touch riper than the other 2021s from David in this vintage, coming in at fourteen percent octane, it shares the classic Calluna signature elegance and is a stunning new addition to his lineup. Great juice.”
96 Points
March 2024
Wine Spectator
2022 Calluna Estate Blanc Sauvignon Blanc & Sémillon
“Packs a fresh, mouthwatering core of preserved lemon, Honeycrisp apple and orange blossom elements, with notes of grapefruit, fresh ginger and white pepper lingering alongside hints of beeswax and sea salt on the finish. Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Drink now.”
91 Points
2019 Calluna Vineyards Cuvée
“Tightly focused and slightly taut, with red and black currant flavors that are accented by tobacco and mineral notes as this builds tension toward firm tannins. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Malbec.”
91 Points
Wine Enthusiast
2022 Calluna Estate Blanc Sauvignon Blanc & Sémillon
“Deep, potent grapefruit and pineapple flavors give this lively wine a robust, assertive expression backed by snappy acidity to counter a rather full body. It’s as if a splash of Riesling was added, lending spice and floral accents. But, in fact, it’s a blend of 85% Sauvignon Blanc and 15% Semillon. — Jim Gordon”
90 Points
2019 Calluna Vineyards Cuvée
“Generous, complex and nicely spiced with oak, this rich wine is blended from 45% Merlot and the four other Bordeaux varieties. It opens with black currants, cinnamon and cloves in the nose and deep blueberry and black cherry flavors shaded by cedar and toast. Decant if drinking soon. Best from 2025-2032. — Jim Gordon”
93 Points
2023
September 2023
John Gilman’s View from the Cellar
“…truly great, classically-styled cabernet sauvignons are now produced at only a couple of handful of addresses these days. Those examples of cabernet sauvignon, from estates such as Corison Wines, Ridge Vineyards, Snowden Vineyards, Mount Eden Vineyards, Calluna Vineyards and Andrew Will, are still magnificent wines that are every bit as profound and ageworthy as the great cabernets from the 1970s and 1980s”
2022 Calluna Estate Blanc Sauvignon Blanc & Sémillon (Chalk Hill)
“The 2022 Estate Blanc botting from David Jeffrey at Calluna Vineyards is crafted this year from a blend of eighty-five percent Sauvignon Blanc and fifteen percent Sémillon. David was able to safely navigate around the intense heat spikes that occurred during Labor Day weekend in 2022, as his white grapes had already been harvested before the heat took hold. The wine comes in at 13.3 percent octane in this vintage and delivers a complex aromatic constellation of lime, gooseberry, a gentle touch of cut grass, white soil tones, citrus blossoms and a gentle touch of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is vibrant, full-bodied, nicely ripe and zesty, with fine depth at the core, lovely focus and bounce and a long, well-balanced and complex finish. This is just lovely.”
92 Points
2020 Calluna Vineyards Cuvée “CVC” Red Table Wine (Chalk Hill)
“The 2020 CVC or Calluna Vineyards Cuvée is a touch riper in this vintage than the Merlot, as it comes in at 13.9 percent octane. This is probably a result of the handful of serious heat spikes that occurred during the growing season. The wine’s cépages in ’20 is forty-five percent merlot, thirty-nine percent cabernet sauvignon, nine percent malbec, six percent petit verdot and one percent cabernet franc. The wine offers up fine complexity in its bouquet of cassis, cigar wrapper, dark soil tones, cedar and plenty of cigar smoke in the upper register. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and complex, with a very refined attack, beautiful focus, a lovely core of fruit, excellent soil undertow, ripe, chewy backend tannins and lovely balance on the long and classy finish. The heat spikes have given this a bit more backend chewiness than is the case in most vintages, but the wine is excellent and once it has softened up, it will drink splendidly.”
93 Points
2020 Calluna Vineyards “aux Raynauds” Merlot (Chalk Hill)
“The 2020 Merlot “aux Raynauds” from David Jeffrey’s Calluna Vineyards is a lovely wine and once again, sets the bar for the possibilities of this forgotten varietal when handled in a classical manner! The wine comes in at 13.3 percent octane in this vintage and offers up a beautifully fresh and complex bouquet of sweet dark berries, cassis, espresso, woodsmoke, dark soil tones, violets and a deft framing of cedary oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, focused and suavely structured, with good depth at the core, fine focus and grip, fine-grained, moderate tannins and lovely length and grip on the well-balanced finish. 2020 was the vintage where wildfires wreaked havoc with so many vineyards, but Calluna’s parcels were equidistant between the Walbridge Fire on the Sonoma Coast and the Glass Fire in Napa Valley, so their exposure to smoke was minimal and I cannot sense any but the very faintest suggestion smoke influence in these wines.”
92 Points
2020 Calluna Vineyards “The Colonel’s Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon (Chalk Hill)
“The Colonel’s Vineyard cabernet sauvignon from David Jeffrey is outstanding in 2020. This vineyard is sun-drenched each day until late in the afternoon, so it always has a touch higher octane than the other Calluna bottlings, and this is the case in 2020 as well, as the Colonel comes in at an even fourteen percent octane. The wine’s aromatic constellation is deep and pure, offering up scents of sweet cassis, black cherries, cigar smoke, a fine base of soil tones, a hint of tobacco leaf and a suave framing of cedary oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, focused and sports outstanding depth at the core, with a very refined profile, lovely soil undertow and grip, ripe,
seamless tannins and a long, vibrant and nascently complex finish. The balance on the Colonel seems to get more elegant and seamless with every passing vintage. First class juice!”
94 Points
2020 Calluna Vineyards “Calluna Estate” Cabernet Sauvignon (Chalk Hill)
“David Jeffrey’s flagship bottling of Calluna Estate is the one wine that he submitted several times to labs for analysis of smoke taint, and each time the wine came back with a clean record. The wine is composed this year from a cépages of seventy-six percent cabernet sauvignon, fourteen percent merlot, seven percent malbec, two percent petit verdot and one percent cabernet franc. At 13.6 percent octane, this wine is quite measured in its ripeness (given the heat spikes during the summer) and delivers a superb bouquet of sweet dark berries, cassis, cigar wrapper, a complex base of dark soil tones, coffee bean, cedary oak and a top note of cigar smoke. On the palate the wine is deep, pure and full-bodied, with a rock solid core of fruit, excellent mineral undertow, superb focus and grip, ripe, buried tannins and a very long, seamlessly balanced and vibrant finish. This will be a long distance runner and need plenty of cellaring before it softens up properly, but it is going to be a stunning wine once it is truly ready to drink!”
95 Points
2022
December 2022
John Gilman’s View from the Cellar
2021 Calluna Estate Blanc Sauvignon Blanc & Sémillon (Chalk Hill)
“The 2021 bottling of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon from David Jeffrey at Calluna is composed from a cépages of seventy-two percent of the former and twenty-eight percent of the latter this year. It tips the scales at thirteen percent octane and delivers a very refined bouquet of grapefruit, fresh fig, a touch of beeswax, discreet grassiness, a lovely base of soil and a gentle foundation of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, focused and rock solid at the core, with zesty acids, fine balance and cut and a long, complex finish. This is excellent!”
92+ Points
2019 Calluna Vineyards Cuvée “C-V-C” Red Table Wine (Chalk Hill)
“David Jeffrey’s 2019 version of his Calluna Vineyards Cuvée is composed from a blend of forty-six percent merlot, twenty-four percent cabernet sauvignon, seventeen percent cabernet franc, eight percent malbec and five percent petit verdot. It was raised in twenty percent new oak this year and comes in at 14.3 percent alcohol. The wine delivers a beautifully refined aromatic constellation of cassis, black cherries, cigar wrapper, a complex base of soil, a touch of currant leaf and a discreet foundation of new wood. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, focused and quite elegant in profile, with a lovely core of fruit, excellent balance and grip, ripe tannins and a long, complex and very classy finish. This seems cooler in the mouth than its stated 14.3 percent octane and will age beautifully.”
93 Points
2019 Calluna Vineyards “aux Raynauds” Merlot (Chalk Hill)
“The 2019 vintage of Calluna Vineyards’ “aux Raynauds” Merlot includes a bit of cabernet franc in the blend, as is customary, with the cépages being ninety percent merlot and ten percent cabernet franc. The wine comes in at 14.1 percent octane in this difficult, fire-afflicted vintage and offers up a bright and complex bouquet of plums, black cherries, cigar smoke, a fine base of soil tones, a dollop of fresh herbs and a nice framing of cedary oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, focused and nicely plush on the attack, with a good core of fruit, fine focus and balance, suave tannins and a long, complex and classy finish. Like all of David Jeffrey’s Merlot bottlings, this will need some cellaring to blossom, but it is, once again, an outstanding example of this varietal.”
92+ Points
2019 Calluna Vineyards “The Colonel’s Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon (Chalk Hill)
“David Jeffrey’s cabernet sauvignon bottling from the Colonel’s Vineyard is simply outstanding in 2019. The wine comes in at 13.4 percent octane and offers up a deep and complex nose of red and black cherries, a touch of mint, cigar smoke, a refined base of soil, tobacco leaf and just a touch of new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a fine core of fruit, ripe, buried tannins, lovely balance and grip and a long, classy and very promising finish. This needs a good decade in the cellar to soften up, but it is going to be outstanding.”
94 Points
2019 Calluna Vineyards “Calluna Estate” Cabernet Sauvignon (Chalk Hill)
“The 2019 vintage of the flagship Calluna Estate bottling from David Jeffrey is composed this year from a cépages of eighty-three percent cabernet sauvignon, six percent merlot, seven percent cabernet franc, three percent petit verdot and one percent malbec. It comes in at 14.1 percent alcohol and reveals a beautifully refined aromatic constellation of sweet cassis, black cherries, cigar wrapper, a complex base of soil tones, violets, a whisper of eucalyptus and a deft foundation of new oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a rock solid core of fruit, ripe, well-integrated tannins, excellent balance and grip and a long, suave and extremely promising finish. This is going to need plenty of bottle age for its tannins to soften up properly, but it is going to be brilliant once it is ready to drink!”
95 Points
November 2022
Wine Spectator
2018 Calluna Vineyards Cuvée
“Combines deep structure with a polished texture, offering lively red currant, savory dill and loamy mineral tones that build tension toward medium-grained tannins. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2029. 1,538 cases made.”
92 Points
September 2022
Wine Enthusiast
2019 Merlot Aux Raynauds
“Blended with 10% Cabernet Franc, this is a refined, polished and elegant wine, reductive at first, with a nutty character. Concentrated in structured tannin and dense fruit, it tastes of fresh plum, dark cherry and crushed rock, with a finishing note of herbal earthiness.”
94 Points
2021
October 2021
John Gilman’s View from the Cellar
“I should also take a moment to mention the stunning lineup of 2018s that I tasted for this report from David Jeffrey at Calluna Estate on Chalk Hill in Sonoma County. Readers are certainly familiar by now with how much I like David’s wines, which harken back to the style of cabernet sauvignon that was prevalent back in the 1970s and 1980s and somehow got lost in more recent times of higher-octane, more boysenberry syrup styles of cabernet. His 2018s at Calluna may well represent the finest set of wines that he has yet crafted at his relatively young winery and they are highly, highly recommended for any lovers of old school, age worthy cabernet bottlings on which California made its reputation back in the decade of the 1970s. …there are still a fine couple of handfuls of producers continuing to make cabernets in the style that made California wine famous in the first place, with producers such as Philip Togni, Diamond Creek, Cathy Corison, Ridge, Mount Eden and Calluna all crafting truly stunning and long-lived wines out of this variety.
And, David Jeffrey also fashions the very finest bottling of merlot in all of California these days and his 2018 version really has to be tasted to be believed. It is so superb that the character of Miles in the movie Sideways would have picked on another varietal if he knew just how good merlot could be from Chalk Hill when David Jeffrey is fashioning it! So, if you have not yet had the opportunity to try a bottle of Calluna, try to get a hold of a few of these stellar 2018s and tuck them away in the cellar, as they will age beautifully and will be stunning wines for many decades, once they have blossomed with some proper bottle age.
Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon still remain the private kingdom of Terry and Frances Leighton at Kalin Cellars, at least to my palate, as no one has yet mastered these two varieties with anywhere near the same success as the Leightons, but do find the time to check out the new 2020 vintage release from David Jeffrey at Calluna, as it clearly shows that he is not only a red winemaker!”
2020 Calluna Estate Blanc
“The white wine bottling from David Jeffrey at Calluna Vineyards is composed of seventy-five percent sauvignon blanc and twenty-five percent sémillon. The 2020 comes in at a svelte 12.9 percent octane and delivers a lovely aromatic constellation of lemon, green apple, a touch of fresh fig, white soil tones, citrus peel and a nice touch of fresh-cut grass in the upper register. On the palate the wine is vibrant, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a fine core, lovely acids and grip and a long, well-balanced and zesty finish. This is really a lovely wine!”
93 Points
2018 Calluna Vineyards Cuvée
“The 2018 vintage of CVC is composed from a cépages of forty-one percent merlot, twenty-four percent cabernet sauvignon, twenty percent cabernet franc, nine percent petit verdot and six percent malbec. The wine comes in at 14.1 percent octane this year and offers up a beautifully refined nose of black cherries, cassis, cigar wrapper, dark soil tones, gentle notes of menthol, a bit of cigar ash and a very discreet framing of cedary oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, focused and nicely sappy at the core, with excellent transparency, fine-grained tannins and lovely length and grip on the complex and very refined finish. This has been one of California’s finest values in the world of Bordeaux blends for many years, but the 2018 may well be one of most complete vintages yet for this lovely cuvée.”
94 Points
2018 Merlot “Aux Raynauds”
“David Jeffrey at Calluna makes one of my absolute favorite examples of California merlot and I only wish more winemakers would follow his lead with this varietal. His 2018 Merlot includes twelve percent cabernet franc in the blend this year. It delivers a very refined aromatic constellation of sweet dark berries, plum, tobacco leaf, a lovely base of soil, a touch of La Conseillante-like herb tones, cigar smoke and a deft touch of new oak. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a superb core of fruit, lovely soil undertow and grip, ripe, suave tannins and a long, beautifully balanced and very sophisticated finish. In terms of aesthetic sensibilities, this is so like the 1985 La Conseillante, albeit with completely different terroir. But, it has that same elegant grace and inner intensity, wrapped up in a totally refined package. Beautiful juice.”
94 Points
2018 Cabernet Sauvignon “The Colonel’s Vineyard”
“The 2018 vintage of The Colonel’s Vineyard from Calluna is an excellent bottle of young cabernet sauvignon. It is always the most new oaky of David Jeffrey’s wines, as he barrel ferments this wine in all new casks, prior to racking off half of the cuvée for elevage in older barrels. The 2018 version is outstanding on both the nose and palate, coming in at 13.7 percent alcohol and offering up a superb bouquet of black cherries, sweet dark berries, cigar wrapper, dark soil tones and a lovely framing of cedary new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full bodied, focused and very elegant in personality, with a lovey core of fruit, good soil signature, ripe, buried tannins and impeccable balance on the long, youthfully complex and very elegant finish. This will need plenty of time in the cellar to fully blossom, but it is going to be stunning wine when it is ready to drink.”
94+ Points
2018 Calluna Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (SPRING 2022 RELEASE)
“The flagship bottling of Calluna Estate cabernet sauvignon is an absolute stunner in this vintage. The wine includes six percent cabernet franc, three percent merlot and one percent each of petit verdot and malbec in the cépages this year and comes in at 13.8 percent octane. The cépages this year makes the 2018 Calluna Estate the most dominated by cabernet sauvignon in the history of this bottling. The wine offers up a truly stunning bouquet of sweet black cherries, cassis, Cuban cigar wrapper, a beautifully complex base of soil, a hint of allspice (think of Chalk Hill trying to conjure up Rutherford Dust), a touch of cigar smoke and a beautifully refined framing of cedary new oak. On the palate the wine is pure, refined and full, with a lovely core of fruit, excellent soil signature and grip, fine-grained, seamless tannins and superb length on the complex and perfectly balanced finish. This is not a blockbuster in style, as it is about the weight of a top vintage of Lafite-Rothschild, but it has great intensity of flavor and stunning length on the backend. If you are a fan of Cathy Corison’s beautiful cabernets and are not already buying the wines from Calluna Vineyards, you are making a serious mistake!”
96 Points
July 2021
Jeb Dunnuck
2018 Calluna Vineyards Cuvée
“The 2018 Calluna Vineyards Cuvee offers lots of chalky minerality and assorted dark fruits as well as medium to full body, a pure, balanced, elegant texture, bright acidity, and present yet ripe tannins. It’s beautifully done and just a balanced, young, unevolved beauty that’s going to benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and have 20 years or more of prime drinking. It’s certainly the finest vintage of this cuvée I’ve tasted.”
91+ Points
2018 Calluna Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
“The estate 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Calluna Estate is well worth seeking out and shows the pure, focused, classic style of the estate. Cassis, blueberries, violets, crushed stone, and tobacco are just some of the nuances here, and it has a solid back-end dose of classy oak, medium to full body, building tannins, and the freshness, balance, and concentration to keep for two decades.”
92 Points
2018 Cabernet Sauvignon “The Colonel’s Vineyard”
“The flagship 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon The Colonel’s Vineyard is richer and deeper, yet still has notable freshness as well as minerality. Its dense purple hue is followed by a medium to full-bodied, nicely concentrated Cabernet offering lots of cassis and blackberry fruit, ripe, building yet substantial tannins, a great spine of acidity, beautiful violet, chalky minerality, and floral aromas and flavors. It’s a serious wine yet demands 4-5 years, if not more, of bottle age and should have 20-25 years of overall longevity.”
95 Points
June 2021
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
2018 Calluna Vineyards Cuvée
“The 2018 Calluna Vineyards Cuvée has a medium ruby-purple color and bright aromas of red and black cherries, clay, pencil shavings and a pretty undercurrent of dried herbs and flowers. The palate is full-bodied and pleasantly grainy and fresh, with restrained, mineral-laced flavors and an uplifted finish.”
90 Points
2018 Calluna Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
“Medium ruby-purple in color, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate opens with pencil shavings and cast iron, with a core of black cherries, tar and turned earth. The palate is full-bodied, firm and fresh with restrained, mineral-laced fruits and an uplifted finish.”
91 Points
January 2021
View from the Cellar
2019 Estate Blanc- Calluna Vineyards (Chalk Hill)
Sauvignon Blanc & Sémillon
“This year, David Jeffrey’s white wine is composed of a blend of seventy-four percent sauvignon blanc and twenty-six percent sémillon, with everything barrel-fermented and the wine coming in at a svelte 12.9 percent octane. The bouquet is bright and classy, wafting from the glass in a mix of grapefruit, lemon, fresh-cut grass, a touch of beeswax, a nice base of soil and just a whisper of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is bright, full and complex, with a lovely core, excellent focus and balance, zesty acids and a long, classy finish. This is a lovely example.”
90 Points
2017 Merlot “aux Raynauds”- Calluna Vineyards (Chalk Hill)
“David Jeffrey makes outstanding merlot and his 2017 is one of his finest vintages to date for this varietal. The wine comes in at 14.2 percent octane and offers up a nascently complex and quite classy nose of dark berries, plums, espresso, cigar wrapper, dark soil tones and a deft touch of spicy oak. On the palate the wine is pure, refined and full-bodied, with lovely soil transparency, a fine core of fruit, ripe, buried tannins and a long, tangy and very promising finish. This merlot crafted for grown-ups and starts out life properly structured, as a top flight Pomerol might be and will deserve some cellaring time to start to properly blossom and delivery on its excellent potential. With Terry and Frances Leighton at Kalin Cellars no longer making a merlot bottling, to my palate, Calluna makes the finest example in California today from this grape.”
93+ Points
2017 C.V.C- Calluna Vineyards (Chalk Hill)
“David Jeffrey’s Bordeaux-style blend this year is comprised of fifty-two percent merlot, eighteen percent cabernet sauvignon, seventeen percent cabernet franc, seven percent petit verdot and six percent malbec. The wine was raised in twenty percent new oak and comes in listed at 14.5 percent octane, primarily due to the heat spike at the end of August of 2017. The wine still offers up beautiful purity on the nose, wafting from the glass in a mix of dark berries, black plums, tobacco leaf, a lovely foundation of soil, a discreet framing of new oak and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and nicely sappy at the core, with lovely focus and grip, ripe tannins and just a whisper of backend heat poking out on the long and complex finish. This is a touch riper in style than is customary with David’s wines, due to the fin de saison of 2017, but the wine is still every bit as elegant as one has come to expect from Calluna Vineyards.”
92 Points
2017 Calluna Estate Cabernet Sauvignon- Calluna Vineyards (Chalk Hill)
“The 2017 (Calluna Estate) Cabernet Sauvignon bottling from David Jeffrey at Calluna Vineyards is composed of a blend this year of seventy-eight percent cabernet sauvignon, fourteen percent cabernet franc, four percent merlot and two percent each of petit verdot and malbec. The vineyard weathered the heat spike at the backend of the growing season quite well, so the wine comes in listed at a very respectable 14.2 percent this year, though David comments that “it is a bit riper than ideally I would like.” The nose is beautifully precise, wafting from the glass in a mix of sweet cassis, black cherries, lead pencil, cigar ash, dark soil tones and a discreet foundation of new oak. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and impressively light on its feet for this varietal, with a good core, lovely soil signature and grip, ripe, buried tannins and a long, complex and gently warm finish. This wine will age very gracefully, despite it being a bit riper in personality than most vintages of Calluna cabernet.”
92 Points
2017 Cabernet Sauvignon “Block One”- Calluna Vineyards (Chalk Hill)
“The Block One bottling of cabernet from Calluna Vineyards was bottled on its own, as it was the only parcel that had not been cleared before the wildfires started in September in the region. As the winds carried the smoke away from the grapes, the wine is not smoke tainted at all, but David Jeffrey wanted to bottle it on its own, as it benefited from the drop in temperatures after the heat spike of late August an consequently came in a touch lower in octane from the other cabernet bottling, tipping the scales this year at an even fourteen percent. The wine delivers a lovely aromatic constellation of black cherries, dark berries, cigar smoke, a lovely base of soil tones, a touch of tobacco leaf and a discreet framing of cedary oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and beautifully balanced, with a superb core of fruit, excellent soil undertow, fine-grained tannins and a long, nascently complex and very promising finish. The additional hang time that the Block One was allowed gives the wine a slightly more polished texture to the tannins than the regular cabernet this year. Fine juice.”
93 Points
2020
October 2020
SommSelect
Calluna isn’t some one-hit-wonder. I’ve had my eyes fixated on every release for the majority of my career and have no qualms or hesitations putting them in the highest percentile of elite producers.
– Ian Cauble, Master Sommelier
2016 Calluna Vineyards “CVC” Cuvée
Today’s “CVC” Bordeaux blend is an annual force to be reckoned with. There’s nary a critic or publication that hasn’t fallen madly in love with these stunning Bordeaux-inspired blends, most notably, John Gillman, who exclaims Calluna should be ranked alongside California supernovas Philip Togni, Cathy Corison, Ric Forman, Ridge, [and] Mount Eden.” Obviously, tasting a lineup from this top-dollar, star-studded cast would delight any wine drinker, so just imagine the shock and awe that would come after finding today’s “CVC” in the mix. By infusing all five prominent Bordeaux varietals from high-altitude vines in Chalk Hill, and aging it for over 20 months in classic French barriques, there’s no denying that today’s 2016 has the pedigree and profundity to compete with those heavyweights.
2014 Calluna Estate
Offering impossible depth, complexity, and savory detail, Calluna Estate’s revered, Cabernet-driven 2014 Chalk Hill Red firmly puts luxury Left Bank titans in their place. This is built to shatter expectations—and it’ll continue doing so over the next 10-20 years.
Wine Enthusiast Magazine
2017 Merlot “Aux Raynauds”
“Blended with 14% Cabernet Franc, this is an herbal, classically structured wine, with enduring elegance and class. Tart and tangy red fruit is lifted by underlying acidity and girded in a pushy tannic structure that is still unwinding.” – click to read review
94 Points & Top 100 Cellar Selection of 2020
2019
September 2019
Wine Spectator
2016 Calluna Vineyards “CVC” (Calluna Vineyards Cuvée)
Precise, filled with juicy richness to the dark currant, cherry and dried raspberry flavors that feature minerally elegance. Dried Asian spice notes linger on the firmly tannic finish, with vanilla accents. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. — KM
91 Points
July 2019
View from the Cellar
Calluna Vineyards – Sonoma County’s Finest Bordeaux Blend Specialist
John Gilman, July 2019
David has gained a loyal and passionate following for his old school, beautifully balanced and very ageworthy red wines. Every aspect of Calluna Vineyards is nicely old school, with David and Marla having purchased their Chalk Hill property unplanted and clearing and planting their own vineyards, in much the same way California’s earliest winemaking pioneers of previous generations might have done, and the couple has lived on their property and raised their three children at Chalk Hill since 2005.
To my palate, (Calluna Estate) is now one of California’s very top division red wines from Bordeaux varietals made for long-term cellaring, and it deserves to be ranked up at the very pinnacle alongside wines such as the cabernets from Philip Togni, Cathy Corison, Ric Forman, Ridge, Mount Eden and the like as the very best bottlings for long-term cellaring and very positive evolution in bottle.
Download the full article here
2016 Calluna Vineyards “CVC” (Calluna Vineyards Cuvée)
“The 2016 “CVC” bottling from Calluna Vineyards is a bit riper than the lovely 2015 version, tipping the scales at 14.3 percent alcohol, but sharing that same sense of balanced grace as the previous vintage. The blend this year is forty-nine percent merlot, twenty-six percent cabernet sauvignon, ten percent cabernet franc, eight percent petit verdot and seven percent malbec. The wine offers up a lovely aromatic mix of sweet dark berries, cassis, a hint of dark chocolate, cigar wrapper, lovely soil tones, a touch of Pomerol-like tobacco leaf and a very discreet base of new oak. On the palate the wine is pure, ripe and full, with lovely focus and grip, moderate tannins and a long, complex and nicely balanced finish. One can sense the ripeness here a bit more than on the previous vintage, but it is not hot at all and simply shows a bit more backend generosity as a result of the slightly higher octane. Despite it being fairly approachable, I would still tuck it away for at least four or five years and let the tannins fall away and the secondary layers of complexity start to emerge. 2023-2060.”
92 Points
2016 Cabernet Sauvignon “The Colonel’s Vineyard”
“The newly released 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon “The Colonel’s Vineyard” from Calluna is a very good bottle in the making and may well be my favorite vintage yet of this cuvée. The bouquet offers up a youthful and nicely sappy nose of red and black cherries, a touch of eucalyptus, Cuban cigar, a fine base of soil and a generous, but nicely measured serving of smoky new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and quite elegant in profile, with a superb core of fruit, fine-grained tannins, good acids and lovely focus and grip on the very long, well-balanced and very promising finish. As I said above, despite its nod to a more modern style, I do not find that this is out of character with the rest of the old school Calluna lineup.”
94 Points
2016 Calluna Estate
“The 2016 vintage is the newest example of Calluna Estate to be prepared for market, as the wine is due for release in the coming months. The cépages this year is forty-seven percent cabernet sauvignon, twenty-eight percent cabernet franc, thirteen percent merlot, nine percent petit verdot and three percent malbec. The wine shows lovely nascent complexity in its pure bouquet of black cherries, black raspberries, cigar smoke, a lovey touch of spice, eucalyptus, dark soil tones, a hint of lavender and a restrained framing of cedary oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and quite suave in its structural polish, with a fine core of fruit, ripe, seamless tannins and excellent length and grip on the poised and very promising finish. This needs plenty of time in the cellar to blossom properly, but it is going to be outstanding. 2031-2085+.”
95 Points
June 2019
Jeb Dunnuck
2015 Calluna Estate
“Crème de cassis, scorched earth, and graphite notes all emerge from the 2015 Estate, and it’s a clear step up over the Cuvée CVC and Merlot Aux Raynauds releases (it’s also a big step up in price). Nicely balanced, concentrated, and with upfront structure, it needs short term cellaring but should be long-lived. The blend is 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc, 10% Petit Verdot, and 4% Malbec, all aged 21 months in 40% new French oak.”
92 Points
2016 Calluna Estate
“A similar blend of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Cabernet Franc, 13% Merlot, 9% Petit Verdot and the rest Malbec, the 2016 Estate offers more crème de cassis, crushed violets, lead pencil, and crushed mineral aromas and flavors. The finest wine I’ve tasted from this estate, it’s medium to full-bodied, concentrated, has building tannins, and considerable elegance and purity. Give bottles 2-4 years of bottle age, and it will keep for two decades or more. 751 cases.”
94 Points
2016 Colonel’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
“The flagship is the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Colonel’s Vineyard, and it was barrel fermented and spent 20 months in 60% new French oak. Deeply colored, with a mineral-laced bouquet of black and blue fruits, graphite, lead pencil, and smoke tobacco, it’s medium to full-bodied, incredibly concentrated, structured, and tannic on the palate. It’s not going to be drinkable for at least another 4-5 years, but it’s a seriously promising, rich, structured Cabernet that’s going to be incredibly long-lived.”
95+ Points
2018
December 2018
Wine Enthusiast Magazine
2015 Calluna Vineyards “CVC” (Calluna Vineyards Cuvée)
“This is among the finest Bordeaux blends at its price point, from estate-grown fruit, and consisting of a majority Merlot. A dusty, oaky nose gives way to soft fleshy black fruit, cedar and black pepper, offering length and breadth with ease.”
90 Points
2015 Calluna Estate
“This is another stellar blend from the estate. At 47%, the Cabernet Sauvignon dominates, but the wine also has 20% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc, 10% Petit Verdot and 4% Malbec. Balanced and moderate in ripeness, it doesn’t hold back in concentrated black fruit, earthy spice, robust oak and tannin, the varieties finding harmony and structure.”
93 Points
October 2018
Food & Wine Magazine
25 of Our Favorite Under-the-Radar California Reds
“For those who crave a well-balanced Bordeaux-inspired red blend, the tiny Chalk Hill AVA just northwest of Santa Rosa, California is the place of origin for you. Calluna is a breathtaking estate on the western exposure of the Mayacamas Mountain range. Had this fruit been planted over the county line in Napa it would equate to a wine costing double the price. This true Bordeaux blend is Merlot-dominant with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. Black currants and black cherry fruit meet plum notes, tinged with savory crushed bay leaf, tobacco, cedar-spice, dried violets, cassis, and cocoa.”
September 2018
View from the Cellar, John Gilman
“Any work order that includes tasting current releases from the likes of gifted artists such as Terry and Frances Leighton at Kalin Cellars, Steve Edmunds, Ric Forman or Cathy Corison, alongside of those from a younger generation of winegrowers such as David Jeffrey at Calluna, Brianne Day of Day Wines or Chad Stock at Minimus is better than a vacation in my book!”
– John Gilman
2015 Calluna Vineyards “CVC” (Calluna Vineyards Cuvée)
“The 2015 Cuvée CVC from David Jeffrey is composed this year of a blend of fifty-one percent merlot, nineteen percent cabernet sauvignon, fifteen percent cabernet franc and eight percent malbec and seven percent petit verdot. The wine tips the scales at a quite civilized octane level of 13.8 percent and offers up a nascently complex nose of black cherries, dark berries, a bit of menthol, cigar wrapper, dark soil tones, cigar smoke and cedary new oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, focused and beautifully balanced, with a lovely core, superb transparency, suave, ripe tannins and excellent length and grip on the vibrant and still youthful finish. This is not a big wine, but it is loaded with personality and has excellent breed and blossoming complexity; it will be a stellar bottle in the fullness of time, but deserves some time in the cellar to soften up properly. A stellar bottle!”
93+ Points
2015 Calluna Estate – Spring 2019 Release
“The 2015 Calluna Estate bottling is a bit cooler than the CVC in this vintage, coming in at 13.6 percent octane. The cépages is also different, as here the blend is forty-seven percent cabernet sauvignon, twenty percent merlot, nineteen percent cabernet franc, ten percent petit verdot and four percent malbec. This is the finest young wine I have tasted from David Jeffrey since the stellar 2011 Calluna Estate bottling, as the wine delivers stellar purity and nascent complexity in its nose of cassis, black cherries, Cuban cigar wrapper, a very complex base of soil, incipient smokiness and a lovely framing of nutty new oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, focused and shows off beautiful mid-palate depth, with outstanding focus and grip, good acids, seamless tannins and a very long, very young and impeccably balanced finish. This is a great young wine, but it will not be properly ready to drink for at least a decade and not see its peak of maturity for twenty years.”
96 Points
2017 Calluna Estate Blanc
“This is the second vintage of David Jeffrey’s lovely Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon blend, with the percentages in the blend this year fifty-eight percent of the former and forty-two percent of the latter. Both varietals are barrel-fermented and the wine comes in at 13.5 percent octane and offers up a superb nose of lemon, fresh fig, a touch of beeswax, gentle notes of petrol, citrus peel and a whisper of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and very well-balanced, with an excellent core, fine focus and grip, bouncy acids and a long, still quite primary and classy finish. This is structured like a top white Bordeaux and could really do with at least a year or two in the cellar to allow more layers to emerge.”
91+ Points
2015 Malbec
“This is the first vintage of pure Malbec that I have tasted from Calluna Vineyards and the wine is excellent. The bouquet is deep and complex, offering up a fine blend of sweet black fruit, cigar ash, dark soil tones, a touch of chicory, coffee bean and cedary new oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, focused and nicely soil-driven, with a good core, moderate tannins and lovely length and grip on the ripe and classy finish. This is listed at 13.9 percent and carries its alcohol quite well, but is perhaps just a whisper hot on the backend (at least to my sensitive palate). A fine new addition to the Calluna lineup and a wine that should age very nicely.”
90+ Points
2015 Merlot “aux Raynauds”
“The 2015 Calluna Vineyards Merlot “aux Raynauds” is another superb example of this varietal from David Jeffrey, who makes as serious a bottling from this varietal as anyone in California. The wine comes in at 13.9 percent octane and offers up a lovely, red fruity bouquet of cherries, a touch of red currant, gentle spice tones, cigar wrapper, soil and cedary new oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, focused and nicely transparent, with a good core, ripe, well integrated tannins and fine balance and grip on the long and nascently complex finish. This is certainly approachable out of the blocks, but it is still quite primary and will be far more interesting when it has had a chance to blossom with a bit of bottle age.”
92 Points
June 2018
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
2015 Calluna Vineyards “CVC” (Calluna Vineyards Cuvée)
“A blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the 2015 Calluna Vineyards Cuvée is medium to deep garnet-purple colored and offers notes of warm plums, mulberries and wild blueberries with wafts of underbrush, Provence herbs and rose hip tea. Medium-bodied, the palate has an understated, savory character, with a firm backbone of grainy tannins and great freshness, finishing with very good persistence.”
91 Points
2015 Calluna Estate – Spring 2019 Release
“A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec, the deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Calluna Estate delivers a great core of cassis, warm plums and baked cherries notes with suggestions of camphor, unsmoked cigars and pencil shavings. Medium-bodied, the palate offers an elegant style with lively mineral-tinged fruit and a rock-solid frame of grainy tannins, finishing long and earthy.”
93+ Points
Jeb Dunnuck
2014 Calluna Estate
“A blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Cabernet Franc, 17% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot and Malbec, the 2014 Calluna Estate offers a deep ruby/purple color to go with a brilliant bouquet of blueberries, plums, Asian spice, and cedar. It also picks up classic tobacco and cigar notes with time in the glass. It’s medium-bodied, nicely concentrated, and balanced, with fine tannin. Give bottles a few years and it should keep for 15+ years.”
93+ Points
Wine Enthusiast Magazine
2017 Calluna Estate Blanc
“This blends 58% Sauvignon Blanc and 42% Sémillon, from estate-grown grapes at a high-elevation site in the appellation. It is barrel-fermented and aged in neutral French oak. Floral and pretty on the nose, it is stony and steely on the palate, with integrated acidity and nuanced oak. Lushly crafted, it’s deliciously complex.”
93 Points
January 2018
Wine Enthusiast Magazine
2014 Calluna Vineyards “CVC” (Calluna Vineyards Cuvée)
“Lean and strong, with a well-hewn balance of pungent compost, pencil shavings and dried herb, this Merlot-driven blend contains all five red Bordeaux varieties. Graceful and elegant, it’s ready for the table, finishing in a twinge of tobacco and fennel.”
92 Points
2013 Calluna Estate
“Made from a majority 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, this blends 27% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 8% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec as well. It showcases the site and vintage well, in a ripe powerful mix of tobacco, cedar and plum, finishing savory and cool.”
94 Points
2014 Calluna Estate
“This expertly blends a majority of Cabernet Sauvignon with smaller amounts of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec, in that order. Grippy, it’s quite savory, highlighted in cedar and pencil shavings that dot a sublime, supple core of tannin, seasoned in dried herb.”
95 Points
2014 Calluna “The Colonel’s Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon
“This is from a small block of the proprietor’s vineyard and made entirely from one variety. It’s gorgeous and perfumed, grippy and hugely structured, with a bright exuberantly complex midpalate of intriguing plum and peppery clove. Gentle and balanced, it’s enjoyable now, but will also age. Enjoy best 2024 through 2034.”
96 Points – Cellar Selection
2017
November 2017
Wine Spectator
The Case for Cabernet – by Aaron Romano
“Calluna owner David Jeffrey offers ample proof that successful second acts are possible. In 2001, at the age of 44, Jeffrey left his corporate career in New York and headed west to study enology and viticulture at the state university in Fresno, Calif. Jeffrey then spent a harvest burnishing his skills in Bordeaux at Château Quinault L’Enclos. In 2005, his search for suitable vineyard land led him to Sonoma’s small Chalk Hill district, where he established his 12-acre estate and produced his first vintage in 2009. The 2014 bottling blends all five Bordeaux varieties, with Cabernet Sauvignon taking the lead. The wine offers ample structure and tannins, supported by an herbaceous and earthy core of flavors.” Download Article
October 2017
Jancis Robinson
2014 Calluna Vineyards “CVC” (Calluna Vineyards Cuvée)
“Lots of dark flavours throughout – dark chocolate, bit of dark fruit syrup without sweetness, accents of tar and a pop of redcurrant on the finish – are coupled with dusty, fine tannins and mouth-watering acidity for admirable length. A bit light on concentration but with plenty of subtlety. Nicely approachable while still serious. VGV (ECB)”
Elaine Chukan Brown, JancisRobinson.com – 17
2014 Calluna Vineyard “The Colonel’s Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon
“Darker with more density than the Calluna or CVC bottlings. Notes of sweet herbs accented by caramel and dry oak tannins that are wed to firm fruit structure and ample acidity. This is a serious wine all about ageing. Currently oak is the dominant feature but it is well integrated with the fruit – a stylistic choice that is well delivered. Give it several years in bottle to see what the wine has to offer. A bit lighter structurally than the 2013, which is consistent with the 2014 vintage for the region. (ECB)”
Elaine Chukan Brown, JancisRobinson.com – 17.5+
2013 Calluna Vineyards “Calluna Estate”
“Quite dense and concentrated on both the nose and palate while also mouth-watering and well framed with dark flavours of caramel and coffee, toasted pine, and a mix of dark and red fruits. There is more finesse while also more concentration here in the 2013 than in the 2014. Nicely done delivery of a style that relies on marrying oak to fruit. Both have their place here and play like a double-string guitar, accentuating rather than cancelling each other. (ECB)”
Elaine Chukan Brown, JancisRobinson.com – 17.5
2014 Calluna Vineyards “Calluna Estate”
“More traction and frame here than on the CVC; more dark spice and toast flavours. More use of oak here as well but it defines the style in a way that integrates with the fruit. Plenty of natural acidity and firm structure keep the wine both ageable and mouth-watering. Alongside food, this wine would prove quite versatile. (ECB)”
Elaine Chukan Brown, JancisRobinson.com – 17.5
September 2017
View from the Cellar, John Gilman
2014 Calluna Vineyards “CVC” (Calluna Vineyards Cuvée)
“The 2014 Calluna Vineyards Cuvée is again made of a classic Bordeaux blend, with this vintage’s cépages being forty-seven percent merlot, twenty-six percent cabernet sauvignon, ten percent cabernet franc, nine percent malbec and eight percent petit verdot. The wine is again a tad riper than I remember last year’s version (which of course I did not write down), coming in at 14.2 percent octane and offering up a fine and very expressive nose of red and black cherries, cigar wrapper, lovely soil tones, a bit of sandalwood-like spice tones, gentle floral tones and a very suave base of new wood. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, ripe and elegant at the same time, with a lovely core of fruit, impeccable focus and grip, fine-grained tannins and a long, youthful and discreetly ripe finish. To my palate, there is just a touch of backend heat showing today, but the wine’s overall balance is just fine and it will age very nicely indeed. This cuvée seems to get just a bit more complexity with each passing vintage! At the price this sells for ($33 from the winery), this is one of the best red wine values to be found in all of California!”
92 Points
2016 Calluna Vineyards Estate Blanc (Sauvignon Blanc & Sémillon)
“The 2016 vintage witnesses the first white wine to be produced by the talented David Jeffrey at Calluna Vineyards. It is a blend of sixty percent sauvignon blanc and forty percent sémillon, which are both barrel-fermented. Not surprisingly, given David’s formative training in Bordeaux, the wine pays a stylistic nod to a great white Graves in its youthfully complex nose of fresh fig, green apple, chalky soil tones, delicate grassiness, incipient notes of petrol and a very discreet framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is crisp, full-bodied and beautifully balanced, with a fine core, lovely soil inflection, bright acids and impeccable focus and grip on the long, complex and very classy finish. If you can imagine an example of Pape-Clément Blanc with completely different soil signature, then you can get a vicarious feel for this beautiful bottle.”
93 Points
2014 Calluna Vineyards “aux Raynauds” Merlot
“David Jeffrey has shown his fondness for Right Bank-styled merlots since he started Calluna, which is quite understandable, given his apprenticeship in St. Émilion back in the day. His 2014 bottling of merlot is another outstanding wine, offering up a pure and refined aromatic constellation of plums, sweet berries, sweet cigar wrapper, a fine base of soil, just a whisper of La Conseillante-like herb tones and a very discreet framing of spicy new wood. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, suave and very elegant in profile, with the first signs of velvetiness already starting to push through the sophisticated tannic chassis. The core has plenty of depth, the wine is complex and beautifully balanced and the tannins are nicely integrated on the long and tangy finish. At fourteen percent octane, this seems just a tad riper than last year’s version, but the wine is vibrant and will age long and very gracefully. High class juice.”
92 Points
2014 Calluna Vineyard “The Colonel’s Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon
“The Colonel’s Vineyard 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon from David Jeffrey is the lowest octane of his cabernet-based bottlings in this vintage, coming in at an even fourteen percent. As readers may recall, this is the only wine that David ferments in cask, with the barrels all new for the fermentation and then half of the cuvée racked off into older barrels for the elevage to bring the new oak percentage down to fifty percent. The 2014 Colonel is a superb wine in the making, but still very primary, as it offers up a pure and sappy bouquet of red and black cherries, superb soil tones, a touch of violet, fine spice tones, a complex base of soil, menthol and a refined framing of new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and (as is customary with this bottling) the most powerful of the 2014s from Calluna. The wine is rock solid at the core, focused and nascently complex, with ripe tannins, very good focus and grip and a long, ripely tannic and promising finish. This is going to need a good dozen years in the cellar to really blossom, but will be excellent when it is ready to go.”
93 Points
2014 Calluna Vineyards “Calluna Estate”
“The Calluna Estate bottling from the 2014 vintage is again, just a touch higher in octane than its utterly superb 2013 counterpart (14.3 percent versus 14.1 percent), but offers up the same great depth and balance. The bouquet is a youthful and promising mix of cassis, a touch of black raspberry, cigar smoke, graphite, a complex base of soil tones, a touch of allspice and a stylish framing of cedary new wood. On the palate the wine is deep, pure and full-bodied, with a nice touch of sappiness at the core, fine-grained tannins and outstanding length and grip on the poised, balanced and still quite primary finish. This is a long distance runner and will certainly be a cellar treasure when it is fully mature.”
93+ Points
Wine Spectator
2014 Calluna Estate
“Exhibits a distinct herbal bent, very rich and structured, with strong, supportive tannins that cut through the core of dark berry flavors. Ends with a lead pencil and graphite profile. Has the intensity and depth to age, provided the tannins don’t overwhelm it. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec.”
92 points
2016
May 2016
View from the Cellar, John Gilman
2013 Calluna Vineyards “CVC” (Calluna Vineyards Cuvée)
“The 2013 Calluna Vineyards Cuvée is comprised this year of a blend of forty percent merlot, twenty-eight percent cabernet sauvignon, fifteen percent cabernet franc, ten percent malbec and seven percent petit verdot. The wine offers up a superb and youthful bouquet of cassis, sweet dark berries, a touch of cigar wrapper, lovely, dark soil tones, a bit of espresso and a very discreet framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and still fairly primary, with a very elegant profile, a fine core and a long, beautifully balanced and ripely tannic finish. This will need a good six or seven years to blossom fully and should drink very well indeed for at least the following two or three decades. Fine, fine juice.”
91+ points
2013 Calluna Vineyards “aux Raynauds” Merlot
“David Jeffrey makes one of my absolute favorite merlot bottlings in California and his 2013 is excellent. The wine includes fully seventeen percent cabernet franc in the blend this year and was raised entirely in “one wine barrels” for the first time. The nose offers up a youthful blend of black cherries, tobacco leaf, espresso, a touch of fresh herbs, cigar ash, a fine base of soil and a touch of new wood. On the palate the wine is deep, focused and full-bodied, with a tightly-knit and youthful personality, a good core and fine length and grip on the well-balanced and moderately tannic finish. This is built for the cellar and will be very good with sufficient time in the bottle. Serious merlot for grownups.”
92+ points
2013 Calluna Vineyard “The Colonel’s Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon
“The Colonel’s Vineyard 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon from Calluna Vineyard is a fine bottle in the making, but it is more marked by its new oak than any of these other 2013s. This is the only wine that is barrel-fermented by David Jeffrey, with all of the casks new for the fermentation and then half of the wine racked off into older casks for its elevage, so that the final proportion of new wood is fifty percent for the wine. The bouquet wafts from the glass in a deep and pure blend of cassis, espresso, cigar smoke, a touch of tariness and smoky new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and quite a bit denser in style than the other 2013s from this fine estate, with firm, chewy tannins, good focus and grip and a long, youthful and still very primary finish. Like all of David’s wines, this is very well-made, but after the supreme elegance of the Calluna Estate 2013, this wine comes off as a bit blunt in style from its barrel fermentation. It is well balanced and I am sure that it will age well, but will it ever attain the same breed and complexity as the rest of these stellar 2013s from Calluna Vineyards?”
90+ points
2013 Calluna Vineyards “Calluna Estate”
“The Calluna Estate bottling from David Jeffrey is always one of his top wines, and this year’s version is comprised of a blend of forty-nine percent cabernet sauvignon, twenty-seven percent merlot, fourteen percent cabernet franc, eight percent malbec and two percent petit verdot. The 2013 was raised in fifty percent new casks and came in at 14.1 percent alcohol. The wine delivers an excellent and very refined bouquet of black cherries, sweet cassis, Cuban cigars, a fine base of soil, French roast, just a touch of fresh herbs and a suave base of nutty new oak. On the palate the wine is pure, focused and full-bodied, with a fine core of fruit, impeccable focus and balance, ripe tannins and great backend grip and energy on the long and still youthful finish. This will be beautifully complex and supremely elegant with sufficient bottle age and reminds me more than a bit of the 1985 Mouton when it was young. Great juice.”
95 points
March 2016
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
2013 Calluna Vineyards Proprietary Red CVC – “The 2013 Proprietary Red CVC performs much like the Estate 2012 and 2013. It is younger, fresher, denser and with more upside potential, but is more closed. Nevertheless it is incredibly promising, shows a dense ruby/purple color, loads of cassis and black cherry fruit with some floral notes. This is a beauty to drink over the next 10-15 years, but I’d give this particular wine another 2-3 years of bottle age.”
92+ points
2012 Calluna Vineyards Proprietary Red CVC – “The 2012 Proprietary Red CVC is a blend of 36% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc and the rest equal parts Petit Verdot and Malbec. More chocolate and mocha appear in this wine, which has a similar color to its predecessors. With a nice, fleshy, opulent mouthfeel, impressive purity, texture and length, the wine seems showy and expressive already and promises to age nicely for 10-15 more years.”
91 points
2012 Calluna Vineyards Proprietary Red Calluna Estate – “The 2012 Proprietary Red Estate from Chalk Hill is a blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and the rest Petit Verdot and Malbec. An elegant and beautiful wine with a deep ruby/purple color, Bordeaux-like minerality, crème de cassis, licorice, earth and spice. The tannins are sweet, the wine medium to full-bodied, complex and supple. This is a beauty that should drink well for 15-20 years. Impressive.”
93 points
2013 Calluna Vineyards Proprietary Red Calluna Estate – “The 2013 Proprietary Red Estate is a slightly different blend of 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and the rest Petit Verdot and Malbec. Younger, even deeper and richer than the 2012 and less evolved, but still super impressive, this wine has a dense ruby/purple color, a beautiful crème de cassis nose of floral notes and nicely restrained oak. The wine is full-bodied, beautifully pure and shows seamless integration of all component parts. This is impressive wine made very much in an elegant French style, but with the California purity and ripeness of fruit well displayed. Drink it over the next 20 years.”
94 points
2013 Calluna Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Colonel’s Vineyard – “The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Colonel’s Vineyard has possibly an even more opaque, saturated purple color. It is young, vibrant and youthful, with plenty of floral notes, blueberry and blackberry fruit, well-integrated oak and a hint of underlying minerality. This is a full-bodied, promising, connoisseur’s Cabernet Sauvignon to forget for 4-5 years and drink over the following three decades. It is a big-time winner, but patience is required.”
94+ points
2012 Calluna Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Colonel’s Vineyard – “The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Colonel’s Vineyard comes from a 1.25-acre parcel that is considered to have enormous potential in the Chalk Hill AVA. It is an homage cuvée dedicated to U.S. Army Col. James S. Boyle who, along with his wife Peg, was instrumental in founding Calluna Vineyards. Deep ruby/purple with abundant quantities of crème de cassis, blackberry fruit, camphor and licorice, the wine is full-bodied, shows sweet tannin, stunning concentration and a long, long finish. This is a beauty and a great effort from the Chalk Hill appellation. It should drink well for 25-30+ years.”
94 points
2015
October 2015
Wine & Spirits Magazine Top 100 Wineries
+
Year’s Best Cabernet Blends
We are proud and honored to have been selected by Wine & Spirits Magazine as one of their Top 100 Wineries of 2015.
August 2015
View from the Cellar, John Gilman
2012 Calluna Vineyards “aux Raynauds” Merlot – “David Jeffrey makes really high class merlot, with his 2012 bottling including five percent cabernet franc in this vintage. The winery’s merlot parcel is planted at the top of their hillside vineyard, where there is a high clay content in the soil, which perfectly suits this variety. This is nice and cool in personality in 2012 (like the stellar 2011 version), coming in at 13.4 percent alcohol and offering up a really fine, complex bouquet of black cherries, cassis, cigar smoke, a lovely base of soil tones, a touch of currant leaf and a discreet base of new wood. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, complex and very elegant, with a lovely core, superb soil signature, ripe tannins and fine length and grip on the focused, refined and very classy finish. This wine retails for $40 per bottle, which makes it awfully hard to rationalize shopping for Pomerol at today’s prices! Clearly, David Jeffrey is now one of California’s absolute masters when it comes to merlot!”
94 points
2012 Calluna Vineyards “CVC” – The 2012 Calluna Vineyards Cuvée is a Bordeaux-styled blend of thirty-six percent merlot, twenty-four percent cabernet sauvignon, twenty percent cabernet franc and ten percent petit verdot. The wine comes in at a reasonable 14.2 percent alcohol and offers up a complex and classy bouquet of cassis, black cherries, tobacco leaf, a touch of menthol, dark soil tones and a judicious framing of cedary oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and very suave on the attack, with a fine core, moderate tannins and fine length and grip on the well-balanced finish. To my palate, there is just a touch of heat hovering on the backend today, but it is quite minor, and the wine is built to age very nicely.”
91+ points
2012 Calluna Vineyards “Calluna Estate” – “The Calluna Estate bottling from David Jeffrey is always a barrel selection in the cellar, with the finest casks of each of the five varietals grown on the estate blended together to produce this wine. The 2012 version is 14.2 percent alcohol and has a cépages of fifty-nine percent cabernet sauvignon, twenty-five percent merlot, seven percent cabernet franc, five percent petit verdot and four percent malbec. It is a half point higher in octane than the stunning 2011, and is an absolutely superb follow-up to that wine, as it offers up a deep, complex and very elegant nose of cassis, black cherries, espresso, dark soil tones, cigar wrapper, gently spicy oak and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and a bit more generous on the attack than the classically structured 2011 version, with lovely focus and balance, a fine core of fruit, ripe, well-integrated tannins and excellent grip on the long and very classy finish. This is really an excellent young wine, with the structure to demand a good eight to ten years in the cellar to really blossom and the potential to age gracefully for thirty-plus years. At its slightly higher octane level, and cannot quite match the precision of the 2011, nor the wonderful red fruity tones, but it is a wonderful wine in its own right.”
94 points
2012 Calluna Vineyard “The Colonel’s Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon – The 2012 “The Colonel’s Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon from David Jeffrey’s Calluna Vineyard is quite a bit riper than the classically “cool” 2011, which came in at 13.2 percent alcohol. The 2012 version is a more typical 14.4 percent, but is quite cool in the mouth and will not disappoint fans of this excellent estate. The youthfully complex bouquet is a black fruity blend of dark berries, black cherries, cigar smoke, a fine base of dark soil tones, graphite, a discreet framing of new wood and a lovely, spicy topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, fullbodied and beautifully balanced, with a fine core, lovely, nascent complexity, fine-grained tannins and excellent length and grip on the pure and youthful finish. This is another really refined example of Chalk Hill cabernet sauvignon and a fine follow-up to the excellent 2011 produced here.”
93+ points
June 2015
Wine & Spirits Magazine
2012 Chalk Hill Calluna Vineyards Cuvée – “David Jeffrey’s estate, in the hills east of the Russian River Valley, tends to give a cool, taut expression of the Bordelaise grapes, thanks to maritime influence and the vineyard’s sandstone and shale-based soils. This merlot-based blend includes cabernet sauvignon, franc, petit verdot and malbec; in 2012, the wine’s flavors are vigorous and cohesive, with hints of black plum and mint, though the overall impression is primarily mineral, the refreshing glints of fruit completely tied to the structure. It evolves slowly over several days of air, barely loosening, suggesting that it will reward a long stay in the cellar.”
95 points
2014
December 2014
Wine & Spirits Magazine
2011 Cabernet Sauvignon “The Colonel’s Vineyard” – “David Jeffrey’s Chalk Hill estate, while young, is already building an impressive track record for balanced, classically structured cabernet. His vines grow on hillsides exposed to a cooling maritime influence via the nearby Russian River Valley and he considers the Colonel’s Vineyard his best block. It’s 1.25 acres of cabernet on a gentle southwest slope that faces directly into the valley below, with less clay than other parts of the property; the underlying geology is mostly fractured shale and sandstone. A product of a cool year in an already cool spot for cabernet, this is austere in the best sense: a restrained cabernet with an enticing aroma of violets leading into a stony texture, more subterranean in feel than directly fruity. It has the clean, cool energy of spring water running over gravel in an underground cavern. With several days of air, it maintains its impeccable freshness while growing more supple, the tannins slowly relaxing. Decant this if you drink it in the next few years, or open it in ten as a truly exceptional, mature Sonoma cabernet.”
94 points
August 2014
View from the Cellar, John Gilman
2011 Calluna Vineyards Cuvée (CVC) – “The 2011 Calluna Vineyard Cuvée is comprised of a blend of 40% merlot, 19% cabernet franc, 17% cabernet sauvignon, 13% petit verdot and 11% malbec. The wine is a bit riper than I would have expected from the cool vintage of 2011, as the wine comes in at an even fourteen percent alcohol. The bouquet is deep, pure and beautifully refined, offering up scents of red and black cherries, a touch of eucalyptus, cigar smoke, a touch of cocoa powder, tobacco leaf and a bit of lead pencil. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very elegant on the attack, with an excellent core of fruit, fine focus and balance, ripe, beautifully integrated tannins and lovely length and grip on the classy finish. This is young and needs four or five years in the cellar to start to blossom, but it is a very classy, old school wine that should age marvelously and offer up great complexity once it blossoms.”
92+ points
2011 Calluna Vineyards “aux Raynauds” Merlot – “David Jeffrey has fashioned a simply excellent merlot in the 2011 vintage, with the wine
coming in at 13.5 percent alcohol and including 15% cabernet franc in the cépages. The bouquet is deep, pure and very Pomerol-like (La Conseillante-like?) in its aromatic constellation of black cherries, a bit of black raspberry, fresh herb tones, tobacco leaf, a beautiful base of soil tones, a touch of balsam bough and a very discreet base of new wood. On the palate the wine is medium-full, focused and utterly refined, with a superb core, excellent youthful structure, impeccable balance and a very long, moderately tannic and very complex finish. This is structured like a young 1985 Bordeaux, with youthful complexity coupled to classic structural reticence, and this exemplary Sonoma merlot really deserves at least four or five years of bottle age to start to blossom. It will age long and gracefully and is one of the best examples of this varietal that I have tasted in ages!”
94+ points
2011 Calluna Vineyard “The Colonel’s Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon – “The 2011 “The Colonel’s Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon from David Jeffrey’s Calluna Vineyard is composed entirely of cabernet and tips the scales at a very old-fashioned (and amazingly satisfying) 13.2 percent alcohol. The wine soars from the glass in a magical bouquet of black cherries, cassis, a hint of mint, cigar wrapper, lovely floral tones, a superb base of soil and a very discreet framing of spicy new wood. On the palate the wine is simply stunning, with its full-bodied format utterly refined and balanced, ripe tannins perking up the long finish, nascent complexity readily in evidence and stellar focus and grip on the pure, youthful and utterly sophisticated finish. When I was in Napa and Sonoma in September of 2011, I was hoping that the cool growing season might produce wines of this great quality and structural integrity, and it is great to see that David Jeffrey, unlike some of his cabernet sauvignon-centric colleagues in Napa Valley, seized the opportunity that 2011 presented and has made a brilliant wine for long-term cellaring. This does not have any of the lazy plumpness of modern, “blockbuster” cabernet, but it does have great depth, intensity and purity and is going to be an absolute cellar treasure in the fullness of time!”
94+ points
2011 Calluna Estate – “The Calluna Estate bottling from David Jeffrey is his flagship wine, and in 2011 the wine is comprised of a blend of 44% cabernet sauvignon, 26% percent merlot, 19% cabernet franc, 7% petit verdot and 4% malbec. The wine is a vineyard selection of the best raw materials of a given year, and in 2011, the wine comes in at 13.7 percent alcohol. The bouquet is simply stunning, wafting from the glass in a superb mélange of cherries, red plums, Cuban cigar wrapper, woodsmoke, gentle herb tones, a superb signature of soil, allspice and a nice base of elegant new oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and supremely elegant, with a great core of sweet fruit, strikingly soil-driven and perfectly balanced, with firm, ripe and integrated tannins, laser-like focus and a very, very long, refined and complex finish. Sheer brilliance!”
96 points
May/June 2014
International Wine Cellar, Stephen Tanzer
2011 Calluna Vineyards Cuvée (CVC) – “(a blend of 40% merlot, 19% cabernet franc, 17% cabernet sauvignon, 11% malbec and 13% petit verdot; aged in 25% new French oak): Bright, full red. Currant, plum, leather, mocha and tobacco leaf on the nose, accented by licorice and dried flowers. Attractive high pitch to the flavors of blackberry, violet and mint lifted by pepper and herbs. A touch tart but finishes with a fine dusting of tannins and good clarity and energy. This wine has the personality to give early pleasure.”
89 points
2011 Merlot “Aux Raynauds” – “Bright dark red. Red plum, cherry, tobacco leaf and musky nuances of truffle and coffee bean on the nose, plus a whiff of smoky flint. Deeper and riper than the CVC blend, offering supple, perfumed flavors of raspberry, spicy wild herbs and truffley underbrush. Boasts very good density and lift for the vintage. The substantial dusty tannins show a bit more oak influence than the CVC as well as enticing lingering perfume. This will need two or three years of patience. This is owner/winemaker David Jeffrey’s homage to Dr. Alain and Francoise Raynaud, with whom he spent several months in 2003 before launching his California project, with the objective of making Bordeaux-style wines without stewy, pruney flavors or excessive greenness. The 2011 vintage, though tricky, has played to Jeffrey’s strengths.”
90 points
2011 Cabernet Sauvignon The Colonel’s Vineyard – “Bright, full red. High-toned aromas of cassis, licorice, violet and tobacco leaf, plus some vintage-typical notes of pepper and herbs. Classically dry and juicy on the palate, with lovely floral intensity and definition to the high-pitched dark berry, violet and mint flavors. Slightly herbal and medicinal in an Old World way. This very animated, youthful wine finishes with a serious spine of palate-coating tannins. I would not be surprised if it merited a higher score four or five years down the road. ”
90(+) points – Fall 2014 Release
2011 Calluna Estate – “(44% cabernet sauvignon, 26% merlot, 19% cabernet franc, 7% petit verdot and 4% malbec; aged in 40% new oak; made from the best lots): Bright deep red. The most complex and least herbal of these 2011s today, offering scents of plum, black raspberry, woodsmoke, coffee and black tea. Silky and penetrating on entry; not a fleshpot but boasts terrific sappy intensity and backbone to its flavors of cranberry, cherry, licorice and minerals. Little evidence of a difficult year; on the contrary, this is supple and sweet, finishing with firm but suave tannins and lingering red fruits.”
92 points – Fall 2014 Release
2013
December 2013
Wine & Spirits Magazine
2010 Calluna Estate – “His (David Jeffrey) 12 acres of young vines have already produced some exceptional blends, and this is the best we’ve tasted yet. It’s a dark, savory Cabernet, carrying Sonoma’s lavender and bay scents as well as black cherries and tobacco. The tight, mineral line of the tannins show a serious intent, without in any way diminishing the joy of drinking it with lamb.”
93 points
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate
2010 Calluna Estate – This blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc and the rest Petit Verdot and Malbec from the relatively new Chalk Hill AVA is a winner. Its deep ruby/purple color is followed by aromas of floral-infused black currants and black cherries intermixed with hints of graphite and wet rocks. Medium to full-bodied and elegant yet authoritatively flavored, it builds incrementally on the palate. This classic proprietary red wine should age nicely for 10-15 years. It demonstrates what heights an intelligent Bordeaux blend can achieve in this AVA.
91 points
November 2013
Wine Spectator
2010 Calluna Estate – “Bordeaux-like with its sturdy frame and aromatics of cedary oak, with notes of dried dark berry, spice, dusty chalk and black licorice. Gains depth and nuance through the finish, showing an intriguing complexity. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Drink now through 2024. 380 cases made. –JL”
90 points
May/June 2013
John Gilman – View from the Cellar
Issue 45
Over in Sonoma, Calluna Vineyards’ 2010s certainly demonstrate that it remains possible to make low octane, stunning cabernet-based wines these days and one does not have to be part of the Woodstock Generation to have learned how to make great, restrained and ageworthy cabernet-based wines in California.
2010 Calluna Vineyards “Calluna Vineyard Cuvée” (Chalk Hill)
The 2010 Calluna Vineyard Cuvée is comprised of a blend of forty-four percent merlot, thirty-six percent cabernet sauvignon, nine percent cabernet franc, six percent malbec and five percent petit verdot and comes in at a cool and classy 14.1 percent alcohol. The 2010 was raised in forty percent new wood. The wine is really quite lovely, showing a very complex, “cool fruit” nose of cassis, black cherries, tobacco leaf, lovely soil tones, a touch of violet and a very judicious base of new wood. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and nicely structured, with a fine core of fruit, impeccable focus and balance, fine-grained, but fairly substantial tannins and excellent length and grip on the young and very classy finish. This is going to be a terrific wine and should age very gracefully indeed. Impressive juice for the cellar! 2020-2050.
92+ Points
2010 Calluna Vineyards “aux Raynauds” Merlot (Chalk Hill)
Calluna Vineyards is a relatively new project started by proprietor and winemaker David Jeffrey, and his 2010 “aux Raynauds” Merlot is quite a lovely example of just how serious this varietal can be in the right hands. This is a blend of eighty-three percent merlot and seventeen percent cabernet franc. David spent some time working on the Right Bank in Bordeaux prior to starting Calluna Vineyards and these sensibilities show here in the lovey nose of cherries, raspberries, cocoa, a touch of fresh herbs and tobacco and spicy new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and nicely light on its feet (reflecting is very measured 14.2 percent alcohol), with a good core, lovely focus and a fair bit of tannin to resolve on the long, nascently complex and classy finish. This is a grown-up’s bottle of merlot that will need some time in the cellar to blossom, but it is quite well-balanced and should be lovely with five or six years of bottle age. These are still young vines (having only been planted in 2005), and though the wine was raised in only twenty-five percent new wood, it might be a candidate for the next few vintages for all used barrels for the elevage. Good juice. 2018-2035.
91 Points
2010 Calluna Vineyards “The Colonel’s Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon (Chalk Hill)
The Colonel’s Vineyard block of cabernet at Calluna Vineyards is located at the top of this Chalk Hill property and benefits from the cooler microclimate found in this corner of Sonoma. Though the vines are still young (having been planted in 2005), David Jeffrey has obviously done a fine job in restraining their vigor and has produced a wine with plenty of depth and intensity in the very elegant and adult style of Calluna’s wines. The bouquet on the 2010 Colonel’s Vineyard cabernet is a superb blend of black cherries, sweet cassis, tobacco smoke, gentle herb tones, a superb base of soil and a fairly generous dose of well-done new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very svelte, with a lovely core of fruit, excellent focus and balance, plenty of ripe, youthful tannins and excellent length and grip on the classy and soil-driven finish. This is a chewy young wine that will need plenty of bottle age to allow the tannins to fall away, but its inherent elegance are already very much in evidence and this will be a lovely wine in the fullness of time. Like the estate’s merlot, I would love to see even less new wood used here, as the vines are still young and it seems to me that even more terroir would show here with less new wood and there is no good reason not to re-use the barrels that this wine was raised in for a few more years! This is very fine juice that reminds me stylistically very much of the beautiful wines of Cathy Corison, with the differences of terroir between the Rutherford Bench and Chalk Hill of course, very much in evidence. A lovely young wine. 2021-2050.
93 Points
2010 Calluna Estate (Chalk Hill)
The Calluna Estate bottling is the flagship wine from Calluna Vineyards, with the 2010 version made up of a blend of fifty-three percent cabernet sauvignon, twenty percent merlot, seventeen percent cabernet franc, eight percent petit verdot and two percent malbec. It was raised in a bit more new wood than the Calluna Vineyard Cuvée in this vintage, with sixty percent of the barrels new and the wine is just a touch riper at 14.3 percent alcohol. The 2010 Calluna Estate delivers and excellent nose of cassis, black cherries, cigar smoke, a fine base of dark soil tones, espresso, a bit of lead pencil and a judicious framing of cedary new wood. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and seamless, with a young and very classy personality, a fine core of fruit, firm, well integrated tannins and excellent length and grip on the bright and still very primary finish. I love the sense of inherent balance and restraint on this young, elegant and very complex wine, and it should be a cellar treasure in the fullness of time. This is a very high class bottle of Bordeaux-inspired Sonoma red wine that will need at least another decade to really start to come into its own, but which should firmly cement the reputation of Calluna Estate as one of the brightest new producers in the firmament of California wine. Fine, fine juice! 2023-2050+.
94 Points
International Wine Cellar, Stephen Tanzer
2010 Calluna Vineyards Cuvée (CVC) – “Medium-deep bright red. Nuanced, inviting nose offers scents of cherry, redcurrant, tobacco, loam and mocha, lifted by subtle pepper and floral notes. Silky on entry, then sharply delineated and youthfully tight in the middle, with excellent energy to the redcurrant, cherry and fresh herb flavors. This will need time to unwind but it’s nonetheless the most showy of these 2010 releases today. Finishes with building tannins and excellent length.”
89+ points
2010 Merlot “Aux Raynauds” – “(blended with 17% cabernet franc): Bright red-ruby. Sexy nose offers dark cherry, black raspberry, spices, mocha and licorice, plus a distinct mineral component. Silky, intense and concentrated, with superb energy to the sappy but youthfully imploded cherry and raspberry flavors. Offers terrific thrust and definition–and an impression of medicinal reserve–but this very tight wine is tough going today. Very serious merlot with the acid/tannin spine to reward aging.”
90+ points
2010 Cabernet Sauvignon The Colonel’s Vineyard – “Full, bright ruby. Medicinal cassis, licorice, herbs and bitter chocolate on the nose: very cabernet sauvignon! At once plush and dry, with dark berry, bitter chocolate and herb flavors in the deep background today. The most uncompromising of these wines, distinctly tight, minerally and unyielding and in a distinctly cool style. With its tough tannic spine and firm acidity, this very backward wine shows little in the way of sweetness.”
90+ points
2010 Calluna Estate – “(53% cabernet sauvignon, 20% merlot, 17% cabernet franc, 8% petit verdot and 2% malbec): Bright ruby-red. Sexy, nuanced nose combines cherry, cedar, mocha and spices. Densely packed and intense, with sharp definition to the vibrant flavors of black cherry, licorice and graphite minerality. The deepest and sweetest of these 2010s today but still youthfully clenched. Finishes quite long, with a subtle sweetness and strong tannins that coat the front teeth. As with all of these 2010s, I’d expect this wine to merit a higher score three to five years from now.”
91+ points
2012
November 2012
Wine Spectator
2009 Calluna Estate – Exhibits a tight, complex mix of cedar, dried currant and crushed rock flavors, ending with firm tannins. The aromas are pure and enticing.
91 Points