News & Reviews
Tanzer Int'l Wine Cellar reviews Caliza
Here is what the well respected wine writer, Josh Raynolds, of Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar had to say about Caliza’s wines in their November 2012 issue:
2010 Azimuth ($48) (40% mourvedre, 30% syrah and 30% grenache): Vivid ruby. Floral cherry and red berry aromas are complemented by black tea, licorice and cracked pepper. Juicy, incisive red and dark fruit flavors are energized by zesty acidity and pick up a touch of lavender with air. Asian spice and floral pastille notes emerge on the sweet, focused, very persistent finish. 91-points
2010 Syrah ($48) Opaque ruby. Intense black raspberry and cherry aromas and flavors are complemented by musky licorice and herbal nuances. Ripe and supple, with seamless dark berry flavors picking up spiciness with air. Shows a hint of bitter cherry pit on the finish, which clings with impressive, smoky tenacity. 90-points
2010 Cohort ($48) (60% syrah, 35% petite sirah and 5% grenache): Glassstaining ruby. Powerfully scented aromas of cassis, blackberry, mocha, vanilla and woodsmoke. Lush and weighty in the mouth, offering pliant dark berry and sexy oak spice flavors and a velvety texture. Finishes with supple tannins and impressive cling, repeating the vanilla and cassis notes. 91-points
2010 Sympatico ($48) (75% tempranillo, 13% syrah and 12% grenache):
Glass-staining ruby. High-pitched aromas of redcurrant and cherry skin, with a peppery topnote. Lively and precise, offering intense red fruit flavors complicated by anise and spicecake. Finishes with strong cut and lift, with fine-grained tannins adding gentle grip. Extremely successful for a tempranillo-based wine from outside Spain. 91-points
Radio Interview w/ The Wine Fairy on iWineRadio.com
We got the pleasure of being interviewed by Lynn Krielow Chamberlain "The Wine Fairy" for her radio show and podcast on iWineRadio. You'll get to hear a little bit about my upbringing, a bit on our area, and how we got to where we are today. Enjoy!
Click here to listen to the short interview.
Wine Spectator - Pick of the Month:
January 2010
“One of the newest players in west Paso, Caliza is already producing a short list of impressive red and white blends from an area known as Templeton Gap. The winery’s name, Spanish for limestone, is a nod to the soils that dominate the area. Entrepreneur Carl Bowker launched a second career in 2002 when he began studying viticulture and enology. He then planted 20 acres of vines in the south-facing hills of west Paso. There’s a Rhône white blend called Kissin’ Cousins and a Rhône red blend, Azimuth; both layer complex and intense fruit with crisp and earthy minerality. The tasting room is a stylish den where you’re likely to find Bowker and his wife, Pam, pouring. "
Wine Spectator - November 2010
2007 Companion - 90 Points
Fruit-driven, rich and generous, with sweet-tasting ripe plum, blackberry and black cherry flavors that have a kirsch edge. Full-bodied and layered, ending with the same core of persistent fruit flavors. Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Drink now through 2016. 200 cases made. —J.L.
2007 Azimuth - 91 Points
A rich, ripe, yet seductive style, with layers of supple plum, black cherry, tar, tobacco leaf and mineral flavors. Full-bodied and intense, yet graceful and elegant in its own way. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Drink now through 2016. 275 cases made. —J.L.
2007 Syrah - 92 Points
Openly fruity, showing ripe plum and blackberry flovors, with touches of spice, mineral, sage and cedar. Firms midpalate, where this tightens and then ends with a cscading mix of fruit, mineral, cedar, sage and spice notes. Drink now thought 2018. 200 cases made. —J.L.
10 Terrific California Reds - Wine Spectator
New reviews of red blends from the Golden State
Nov. 1, 2010 - Blending grapes together is one of a winemaker’s most important tools. After all, most wines—even those that list only a single grape on the front label—will have at least a few percentage points of another grape or two to create balance in flavors, textures and aromas, or to improve a wine’s color.
But this week, we’re looking at California wines made by winemakers who take more liberties with their blending skills. Instead of expressing a single vineyard’s terroir, or an appellation’s expression of a grape, they are building wines that they believe will be greater than the sum of their parts. The results are extremely tasty, as you’ll see below.
Some of these blends are based in tradition, such as the classic match-up of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre, inspired by wines from the Southern Rhône Valley of France, including Châteauneuf-du-Pape. With varying percentages, the McPrice Myers Beautiful Earth, Caliza Azimuth and Barrel 27 Hand Over Fist bottlings all use this combination. Add Tannat and Counoise in the mix, and you have the recipe for Four Vines The Peasant. Or, just add Petite Sirah, and you have the ingredients for the Vina Robles Red.
And there are some wines here that pair only two different grapes together, like the Torrin The Maven (Grenache and Syrah), Linne Calodo Screwball (Syrah and Mourvèdre) and the Caliza Companion (Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah).
2007 Caliza Azimuth - San Francisco Chronicle "Top 100 Wines" for 2010
We just found out our 2007 Azimuth was included in the SF Chronicle's "Top 100 Wines" for 2010. The Azimuth is a GSM (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre) blend and was named as 1 of 11 wines in the "Syrah and Rhone" category.
Jon Bonne', the Chronicle's wine editor had this to say about the wine, "A fantastic expression of the robust Paso style, with bright Grenache fruit and spicy Syrah in good balance, with a slight sweetness offset by lots of brine and allspice, and a bright, juicy finish that also reveals the darker Mourvedre undertones."
This is the second year in a row that we have been included in this list, so you can imagine how happy we are. Other Paso Robles wines that were included in the "Top 100" were Tablas Creek's Esprit de Beaucastel and Ancient Peaks Zinfandel. You can see the other wines named in our category here.
James Laube Mentions Caliza in Blog Post Titled "Looking for the Next Saxum?"
There was some very big news in Paso Robles lately. Our friend and neighbor (well, he's a few hills away) Justin Smith, owner of Saxum Vineyards, was awarded the #1 wine in Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2010. Not only is this great news for Justin, but it's great news for our area. In addition to Saxum, Tablas Creek's "Esprit de Beaucastel" was named #33.
Well, imagine to our surprise when a couple of days later, James Laube, Senior Editor of Wine Spectator wrote a blog post called "Looking for the Next Saxum?" and mentioned Caliza! This is pretty exciting stuff for our little winery. Congrats also to Brian Benson and Terry Hoage who were also mentioned in the post. A big "Thank you" goes to Mr. Laube.
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Orange County Fair Wine CompetitionAugust 2010 |
Best of Show - 2007 CompanionWe were fortunate enough to have been awarded Best of Show at the 2010 Orange County Fair Wine Competiton for our label on the 2007 Companion. This feels pretty special to us because apparently our label was picked amongst a competitive field of around 3,000.
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Wine SpectatorIssue: June 15, 2010 |
2008 Kissin' Cousins - 91 PointsOffers a deft balance of power and finesse, with lush, mouthwatering lemon marmalade, mango, honeysuckle and creamsicle notes that are smooth, round and refreshing. The flavors really soar on the finish. Viognier, Grenache Blanc and Roussanne. Drink now through 2014.—M.W. |
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Wine SpectatorIssue: May 31, 2010 |
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2006 Azimuth - 92 PointsComplex, intense and concentrated, showing ripe, juicy blackberry, currant, and plum with touches of espresso. Full-bodied, focused and persistent, supported by ripe tannins. Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Tannat and Alicante Bouschet. Drink now through 2017.—J.L. |
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Wine SpectatorIssue: May 31, 2010 |
2006 Syrah - 92 PointsPlump and juicy, rich and layered, with ripe plum, black cherry, mocha and chocolate. Full-bodied, deep and persistent, ending with a long, layered finish. Drink now through 2016.—J.L. |
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SF Chronicle Wine Competition
2006 Caliza Syrah – “Sweepstakes Award – Best Red Wine” |
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The 2009 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition took place at the Cloverdale Citrus Fair during the week of January 5, 2009. Professional wine judges representing trade, education, media, retail, and restaurants throughout the United States evaluated a record 4,736 wines entered by wineries from across the country. This is the largest wine competition for American wines in the world. Wines were awarded as Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Double Gold (unanimous gold by the judges). In addition, there were Best of Class Awards given for each of the wine judging categories, and the prestigious Sweepstake Awards for the top Sparkling, White, Pink, Red, & Dessert/Specialty wines. |
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Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
Issue #177 (6/30/08) |
2006 Azimuth – 92 PointsMade from an intriguing blend of 51% Syrah, 19% Grenache, 14% Mourvedre, and the rest Tannat and Alicante Bouchet, the stunning 2006 Azimuth offers up scents of graphite, melted licorice, blueberries, blackberries, espresso roast, and pain grille. Its dense purple color, complex aromatics, and intense flavors suggest this full-bodied, well-structured beauty should drink nicely for 7-10 years. - Robert Parker 2006 Companion – 90+ PointsThe 2006 Companion, a striking blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre, and 10% Tannat, is the most opulent and sexiest wine of this trio. Full-bodied with plenty of smoked meat, black cherry, black currant, licorice, and incense characteristics, it is a complex, dense, chewy, rich effort that demonstrates that Paso Robles’ finest reds are often blends rather than single varietal offerings. It should drink nicely for 7-8 years. - Robert Parker 2006 Syrah – 90 PointsThe impressive 2006 Syrah Russell Family Vineyard exhibits an opaque purple color as well as beautiful aromas and flavors of blackberries. Dense, full-bodied, and voluptuously-textured, this is another mouth-filling, savory, broadly nuanced Paso Robles Syrah. Given its current accessibility, it should be performing beautifully over the next 5-7 years. - Robert Parker |
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2009 top 100 wines: Zinfandel and other reds
2006 Caliza Companion Paso Robles Red Wine
($40) Big, oak-lashed and opulent, this is the latest name to know among Paso's high-performing blends (Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Mourvedre, Tannat). Deep cherry fruit gets an edge from cured tobacco leaf scents and a meaty bite. Decant it.