What I Did on My Summer Vacation - Part 2, Calluna Vineyards

To be perfectly honest, I know very little about wine.
I might recognize enough names on a wine list to be able to make a choice that won't make the waiter snicker.
Give me a nice cold glass of Pinot Grigio on a summer evening and I'm happy.
In the winter, a warming goblet of Zinfandel works for me.

There's a world of wine out there and many, many people who study it, taste it, rate it, collect it and make it.
One of these people is our friend David Jeffrey.

David and his family own Calluna Vineyards in beautiful Sonoma Valley, near Healdsburg. It is the culmination of a dream that David has had for a very long time. He's maintained a passion for fine wine since just after college (when Budweiser was the drink du jour), collecting it and enjoying it. After many years in corporate finance, his enthusiasm and curiousity about winemaking got the better of him. He moved the family from the New York area to California, enrolled in Fresno State's Enology program and fantasized about his own vineyard. David even went to Bordeaux and apprenticed with a winemaker there, for three months during the 2003 harvest.

In 2004, the property that is now Calluna came on the market. It was nothing but bare land, needing an extensive infrastructure and of course, plantings. With the help of investors and extended family, David's dream could become reality.

Investors actually have a pretty sweet deal. In exchange for capital, they are granted guest house privileges for a certain amount of time. They can enjoy the beauty of a winemaker's realm without actually having to do the work.*
Here's the guest house and its garden. Not shown is the hot tub and bocce court.
Like I said, a very good deal.





On our recent trip to northern California, we were lucky enough to spend some time at Calluna with the Jeffreys.
The property is spectacular.




They built their home at the top of approximately 40 acres. It's surrounded by vineyards, planted with a variety of grapes including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.




The views are breathtaking...



And the product?
David's goal is to make Bordeaux style wines in terms of balance, intensity and longevity, but he also aims to capture those qualities in the context of the Sonoma terrior**.
Translation?
The character of a French wine from Bordeaux, with a California accent.



Admittedly, I am not much of a wine connossieur. But I must say, the Calluna Vineyards Cuvee that I tasted was quite delicious. It's a blend of four kinds of grapes and as David says "an expression of the fruit of the land".
They are also bottling a Cabernet Sauvignon (The Colonel's Vineyard) and a Merlot.

If you are interested in trying these wines for yourself, you'll have to go through the website, Calluna Vineyards.

If you are not that interested in wine, here's a picture you'll probably appreciate: