Calera 2021 Mills Vineyard Pinot Noir Mt. Harlan, CA ($95)

 

 

 I do not tire of Calera's single vineyard offerings (Calera, Mills and Selleck). They almost never disappoint, and they all have their own distinct flair. This vintage of Mills is really hitting a fine stride, showing brilliant, fresh blueberry, boysenberry and cherry fruit with a hint of minerality and some baking spices on the finish. It's not to hard, not too soft, not too fruity, not too savory - just brilliant. It comes from a site at 2,200 ft. in elevation from Mt. Harlan with 14 1/2 acres planted to the original Calera clone that Josh Jensen brought back from France. The vineyard was first planted in 1984. This is a stunning wine. (97 Points) 

- Tim Teichgraeber 

Calera 2021 Jensen Vineyard Pinot Noir Mt. Harlan, CA ($125)

 

 I have to hand it to Calera winemaker Mike Waller, this wine speaks softly, but exudes class. Made from an 11-acre vineyard of 4 hilltops at around 2,000 ft. elevation that Josh Jensen planted with a suitcase clone quaintly described as the "Calera selection," this wine is a California classic year in, year out. It has generous, expressive black cherry, mulberry, conifer, and oyster mushroom notes with a hint of soy sauce and limestone. The oak is so perfectly integrated that you barely notice it at all. Effortly impressive. (96 Points)

- Tim Teichgraeber

Two New Calera Releases Reviewed

Founded by the late, great Josh Jensen in 1974 on Mt. Harlan in California's central coast, Calera is one of California's most iconic Pinot Noir and Chardonnay producers. The brand has been owned by The Duckhorn Portfolio since 2017, and quality remains excellent by any standard.

Calera 2022 Central Coast Chardonnay ($28) This is one of Calera's most accessible and affordable wines. Not estate-grown, but superb in quality, it demonstrates the integrity of the brand with generous but focused apricot, citrus, and orange zest notes, the latter often a hallmark of central coast Chardonnay. This is a beautiful, versatile white with subtle oak notes that would be great with lobster, roast chicken, or pork tenderloin with a mustard and tarragon sauce. Super classy for the price. (92 Points)

Calera 2021 Reed Vineyard Pinot Noir Mt. Harlan ($95) This small-production, single-vineyard bottling comes from a 6.7-acre vineyard planted at an elevation of 2,200 feet in 1975 that yields just under 1 ton of grapes per acre. The resulting wine from the fine 2021 vintage is intense and concentrated, but irrefutably Pinot Noir. It has deep red currant, raspberry, bitter cherry fruit, plus some forest scrub notes, brisk acidity and moderate tannin. This is a serious, age-worthy Pinot Noir with a great sense of place. (96 Points)

Review: Calera 2022 Central Coast Pinot Noir ($32)

 

 I ADORE this wine, and what a great value! This is Calera's entry-level Pinot Noir, and yeah, at $32 it isn't exactly cheap, but wow, what a vibrant, fresh, charming, and layered wine. It smells of dried violet and rose petals, cranberry, thyme, ripe raspberry. It's lively, fresh, and vibrant on the palate with a modest amount of new oak added and a wisp of limestone on the finish. The purity of the fruit and the quality of the winemaking is just off the charts. I cannot recommend this wine more highly. I think this might be the most impressive Central Coast AVA offering from Calera that I have ever had. I just can't stop smiling. This is a wine that just makes me to drink wine, because it is exactly what great wine should be.  (94 Points)

- Tim Teichgraeber

Review: Calera 2021 Chardonnay Central Coast ($28)

Not only is this a delicious Chardonnay, it really stays true to founder Josh Jensen's Burgundian aesthetic. Sure, the fruit sources extend beyond the home estate on Mt. Harlan, but this Chard still has the trademark minerally tension, lively acidity, and stone fruit character that Calera's respected Chardonnays routinely display. Matured in 100% French oak, but only 10% new barrels, it has savory apricot, white peach, and kaffir lime leaf aromas, a lively, but full-bodied mouthfeel, and a long, bright finish. More proof that the Calera brand is in good hands at the Duckhorn Portfolio. 13,000 cases produced. (93 Points)

 

- Tim Teichgraeber

Review: Calera 2019 Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir Mt. Harlan ($85)

Wine reviewed here is the 2019 vintage.

This one's a real stunner! Ripe, but en pointe, with juicy, bright cranberry, cherry, rose and orange zest and white pepper aromas, lithe, silky, and minerally on the palate. In the last month I've tried several red Burgundies that were so fruity and dark that I would have guessed they were from California. This beautiful Calera wine could easily be from Burgundy. The limestone soils on Mt. Harlan give it a very elegant profile, and the very mature vineyard first planted in 1998 is really singing now. (96 Points)

- Tim Teichgraeber

Review: Calera 2021 Pinot Noir Central Coast ($32)

This fresh, lively, complex Pinot Noir should make some top 100 wines of the year lists in 2023, it's certainly on par with some wines costing two or three times as much, and with 25,500 cases produced, you might actually be able to find a bottle. It opens with gorgeous blueberry, violet, and boysenberry aromas, has silky medium-weight blue and red fruit flavors and hints of baking spices on the long finish. A brilliant wine at a reasonable price. (95 Points)

- Tim Teichgraeber

Review: Calera 2019 Pinot Noir Central Coast ($32)

The California wine world lost a legend when Josh Jensen passed away in June of 2020. His dedication to Pinot Noir and his hard work and exploration of California's Central Coast during the late 1970's and 1980's set a new bar for Pinot Noir in California. In 2017 he sold his brand and vineyards to Duckhorn Wine Company, which so far has proven to be a worthy custodian, continuing to bang out finesse-driven California Pinot Noir and Chardonnay under this revered brand. This 2,500 case production release continues in Josh's legendary spirit with bright red currant and cherry fruit, a hint of sage, lucid color, and a lingering savory quality. Highly recommended. (92 Points).

- Tim Teichgraeber

Review: Calera 2018 Jensen Vineyard Pinot Noir, Mt. Harlan, CA ($100)

In the lore of California Pinot Noir, this wine is a legend that looms large. I won't tell you the whole story here, but it is easily googled. Josh Jensen sought out limestone terroir (common in Burgundy, but rare in California) and planted this vineyard with "suitcase clones" (look it up, or even google it) 40 years ago with cuttings from legendary vineyards in Burgundy. What's more important than the long, and quite compelling story behind this wine, is the wine itself. To me, this vintage of the Jensen Vineyard Pinot Noir represents the apex of California Pinot Noir refinement, and yes, it also has the great backstory that is reflected in the price. This beautiful wine has lovely blueberry, fresh blackberry and raspberry fruit, a wrist grind of white pepper, and a wash of tart limestone on the finish. It's complex, crunchy, not super oaky, and frankly, it's fucking brilliant. It has a sense of place, and is impeccably balanced and well made.This is a wine that lives up to its story, much the way Ridge Montebello Cabernet does. It's a wine that any great fan of American wine should absolutely taste during their lifetime, and I think it's being made better than ever. 535 cases produced.  (98 Points)

 

 - Tim Teichgraeber