Paso Robles, CA—In a world dominated by varietal wines, one California winery has stuck to its guns and remained exclusively committed to blends for more than 25 consecutive vintages—Linne Calodo in the Willow Creek District of Paso Robles. In the words of Winemaker Matt Trevisan, “I like to cook meals with more than one ingredient, and I like to make wines from more than one grape variety.”
Trevisan and his wife Maureen established Linne Calodo in 1998 with a focus on blends. Linne Calodo helped spark the Rhône-style blend movement that put Paso Robles on the global map. Concurrently, the Trevisans championed Zinfandel-driven blends that reflect the heritage of the Paso Robles region, where Zinfandel has been a mainstay since the 1800s. They later planted their own estate vineyards in the Willow Creek District, and the varieties and block layouts were chosen with an eye toward creating blended wines.
Ever since, Linne Calodo has retained its ironclad focus on blended wines—with nary a varietal wine in the portfolio. The result is an iconic family of blends sourced primarily from three estate vineyards in the Willow Creek District—Linne Calodo, Stonethrower and Cherry Vineyard. These include Rising Tides (GSM), Cherry Red (Zinfandel-driven blend with Syrah, Mourvèdre and Tempranillo), Nemesis (Syrah-driven blend) and In My Dreams (Mediterranean-style blend with Grenache, Carignan, Graciano and other grapes). Trevisan employs numerous blending techniques to create these wines, including field blending, co-fermentations, early blending and pre-bottling.
“Everything we need to make a great wine is out there in the field, and blending allows us to use all of these different varieties to naturally build complexity, mouthfeel and personality,” Trevisan said. “We call it the ‘Cult of Blends,’ because we’re fanatical about it and we’ve gained so many devotees over the years.”
Natural Selection
Trevisan’s dedication to blends dates back to his time as an up-and-coming winemaker before starting Linne Calodo: “When I looked around, I saw that a lot of varietal wines were being manipulated with acidulation, de-acidulation, aggressive fining and other change agents—essentially reshaping the chemistry to achieve a certain mouthfeel or structure that couldn’t be achieved with a single grape. I felt that I could do better by blending.”
Trevisan’s inspirations were the great wines of the Rhône Valley and the field blends of early California. “I think that these early winemakers instinctively sensed that they could make a better wine by blending the attributes of different grapes,” he said. “That’s how you end up with a phenomenon like GSMs, or the trick of Viognier to reds to lift the aromatics. It’s better wine through natural selection.”
For example, Trevisan finds Syrah and Mourvèdre to be perfect ingredients for his Zinfandel-driven blends: “I look for Syrah and Mourvèdre to bring balance and dimension to Zinfandel’s exuberant but sometimes simple fruit character. Syrah adds mid-body, while Mourvèdre brings an earthy character that cuts against the fruitiness and cinches it all together.”
This winter, Linne Calodo is rolling out the next vintages of several signature blends, including the 2021 vintage of The Martian ($95), a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (71%) and Syrah (29%). “The Cult of Blends is alive and well,” Trevisan said.
About Linne Calodo
Established in 1998 by Matt and Maureen Trevisan, Linne Calodo is a pioneering icon of Rhône-variety blends and Zinfandel-based wines from Paso Robles. The winery is named after the calcareous Linne Calodo soils found at the estate vineyard in the westside Willow Creek District. Winemaker Matt Trevisan subscribes to a “nature-positive” farming ethos that emphasizes biodiversity, native lifeforms and species coexistence for the sake of creating responsibly grown, vineyard-centric wines. Visit the secluded Linne Calodo tasting room at the corner of Highway 46 West and Vineyard Drive, situated adjacent to the working winery and estate vineyard. See LinneCalodo.com.
