Tropical fruits, green apples, fresh peaches — these are the baskets toted by most Sauvignon Blancs. And for the most part the grape prefers to showcase these brisk fruits, no matter the label, never mind the winemaker.
But the 2012 Calvino Jones Sauvignon Blanc is not a typical expression of the varietal.
The aromas waver, drifting from the summer kitchen where fruit stews in an open kettle, not far from fields of hay, through the open window of a French homestead. Inside, notes akin to pear creme brulee and baking dough begin to emerge.
Yes, there are the favorable wafts of guava and peach, but they gather a soothing pastoral character. Close your eyes and you may not be able to discern, at first, the tell-tale signs of Sauvignon Blanc.
A sip confirms the winemaker’s canny account. Bright, fresh peach, exotic passion fruit and tart berries — gooseberry, perhaps — show on the palate, but only after a gentle, almost timid approach. It’s as if the wine is too refined to revel in public at first, but quickly loses all inhibitions.
As the fruits expand mid-palate, a tray of understated herbs and cut grasses develop to balance out the flavors. It is a finespun wine — sophisticated and astute, with a sharp wit. The finish wraps deftly, with reminders of baked fruit and pie dough.
Calvino Jones is produced by Winemakers Anonymous, described as a “sort of co-op” for small producers. But it started with Quincy Steele, son of the legendary Jed Steele.
Steele knows Lake County soils thoroughly and worked with grapes from the Dorn Family’s organic Loasa vineyard, as well as the Roger’s vineyard, both outside of Kelseyville. The wine developed in stainless steel and five year old French oak, fermenting low and slow.
Winemakers Anonymous credits an early harvest — reportedly well ahead of other vineyards — for the results. But they rested the wine on its lees, racked between wood and steel and took their time.
Somewhere in the process they created a Sauvignon Blanc that puts on display the thoughts and habits of the grape often hidden behind the crisp fruit. Maybe it is a consummate expression of the varietal.
Anonymous? The 2012 Calvino Jones Sauvignon Blanc shouldn’t be.
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
