After years of giving advice to many of the top estates in the Southern Rhône, Philippe Cambie purchased several hectares of vines in Plan de
Dieu in 2004. When such a thing happens, one usually takes note assuming that Philippe must know something special about these vines. The secret turns out to be old-vine Mourvedre and a lot of it. As the king of Grenache it might seem surprising that Philippe is in the possession of so much Mourvedre but tasting Calendal you will understand why. Plan de Dieu is located between Chateauneuf and Rasteau. While it is not as famous as many of its neighbors it is a Côtes-du-Rhône Villages in its own right. Plan de Dieu is a vast plain of rocky clay soils, with most of the rocks sitting on top of the soil. It is hot, blasted hot, and Mourvedre loves the heat.
But Philippe is not alone in this project. Life-long friend Gilles Ferran has been a partner at Calendal from its inception. It began with the purchase of several hectares of old-vine Mourvèdre in Plan de Dieu in 2004 and since that time Gilles and Philippe have added some additional Grenache vines to their holdings now totaling 4.5 hectares. In most vintages the proportion of Mourvèdre is close to half of the blend making Calendal rather unique in the region. The vines are farmed organically and the wine is made at Gilles Ferran’s cellar, Domaine des Escaravailles, in the nearby village of Roaix.
The name Calendal comes from a Provencal poem by Frederik Mistral. A fisherman, Calendal, is deeply in love with the beautiful Estérelle. Just like the two friends’ love for the soil of Provence and its fruits – the wines.
Website: www.philippecambie.com
Here are a list of their wines: