Calera Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir 2011

  • 93 Robert
    Parker
  • 90 Wine
    Enthusiast
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Calera Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir 2011 Front Label
Calera Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir 2011 Front Label

Product Details


Varietal

Region

Producer

Vintage
2011

Size
750ML

ABV
14.5%

Features
Collectible

Boutique

Your Rating

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Somm Note

Winemaker Notes

Graceful aromas of rose petals, tea, cassis, and clay accent a beautiful strawberry brick hue. This 2011 Ryan is firmly structured & intense with classic Mt Harlan mineral purity. Mouthwatering flavors of cranberry, sour cherry, and calcium offer fascinating tension with the taut, well-integrated tannins offering a bright and very complex wine, and definitely a candidate for cellaring.

Professional Ratings

  • 93
    Slightly deeper and richer, yet also less expressive aromatically, the 2011 Pinot Noir Ryan Vineyard offers a darker, earthier profile, with black cherry, underbrush, pepper and ground herbs giving way to hints of rose petal and spice with air. Medium to full-bodied, it has impressive richness in the vintage, as well as beautiful mid-palate density and a seamless texture. Overall, it’s a structured effort that should be given another handful of years in the cellar, and consumed over the following decade.
  • 90
    Difficult to appreciate now, this Pinot is bone dry, brittle in tannins and acidic. It has quietly complex rosehip tea, sour cherry candy and cola flavors, with a tasteful appliqué of oak. Hold until 2019 and see what it’s doing.

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Calera

Calera

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Calera, California
Calera Winery Video

In 1975, legendary vintner and American wine pioneer Josh Jensen founded Calera (Spanish for “lime kiln”) high in the remote Gavilan Mountains of California’s windswept Central Coast. There, in Mt. Harlan’s low-yielding, limestone-rich soils and cool, arid climate, he began planting what would ultimately become six small estate vineyards. Today, these vineyards are recognized as some of the New World’s most revered Pinot Noir sites.

Calera is a vision, and Calera’s wines truly express the sense of place. Rather than follow the recommended path, Josh Jensen became a pioneer in American Pinot Noir. Taking his cue from the great domaines of Burgundy, which have grown grapes in limestone soil for centuries, he set out in search of the perfect spot in California to create wines unique to the world but in the style of the greatest wines of France. Site selection was vital as he ventured off the grid to plant on the site of an old limekiln in the Gavilan Mountains of California's Central Coast.

Under the stewardship of Winemaker Mike Waller, each vineyard is renowned for producing singular wines of uncommon purity, elegance and aging potential. In addition to its beloved single-vineyard wines, Calera partners with some of the top vineyards on California’s majestic Central Coast to make Calera’s beautiful Central Coast wines, including a Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

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Let’s start with the obvious – Central Coast Pinot Noir is an incredibly broad category. This of course is because the Central Coast appellation is enormous, and it contains several stellar Pinot Noir regions within it, all of them kept cool by elevation or proximity to the ocean (or both). So we’ll break things down a bit with a brief look at each of these: Santa Cruz Mountains, Monterey and the Santa Lucia Highlands, Santa Maria Valley and Sta. Rita Hills. These are not the only Central Coast sources of good Pinot Noir, but they are the major ones. So let’s get started.

In the Santa Cruz Mountains appellation, just west of Silicon Valley, producers craft excellent Pinot in spite of serious challenges. The land is mountainous, rugged and can be foggy, the topsoil is thin and poor and yields tend to be low. Yet Pinots from the likes of David Bruce, Martin Ray, Mount Eden and Thomas Fogarty exhibit undeniable quality, along with bright red fruit, minerality, earth and herbal hints.

Just south lies the large Monterey appellation. Monterey Pinot Noir is grown in coastal areas, taking optimal advantage of the cooling effect of the Pacific. The most highly regarded of these is the Santa Lucia Highlands. Situated on hilly benchlands south of the city of Monterey, this central coast region relies on a long growing season, night and morning fog and consistent afternoon winds to produce world class Pinot Noir. Attributes include intense, rich fruit, subtle earthy notes, spice and a silky texture. Look for producers like Siduri, Kosta Browne, Talbott and Lucienne.

The Santa Maria Valley in northern Santa Barbara County (a section of it falls into southern San Luis Obispo County) is also a haven for quality Pinot Noir. A mere 15 miles from the Pacific, the valley runs east-west, creating a natural tunnel through which ocean breezes and fog flow. This effect lengthens the growing season and promotes both ripeness and development of acidity, lending Santa Maria Valley Pinots their characteristic full flavor, balance and elegance. The famous Bien Nacido Vineyard is located here, and notable producers include Cambria, Foxen, Byron and Au Bon Climat.

Finally, we arrive at the Sta. Rita Hills, also in Santa Barbara County. Located in the western part of the Santa Ynez Valley, it too benefits from an east-west orientation that leads to the same conditions mentioned above. Once again the result is extended hang time for the grapes, which can be tasted in the vibrant, ripe red fruits evident in these Pinots, along with dense coloration and an impression of richness and intensity. Try wines from producers like Ken Brown, Ampelos, Fess Parker and Melville.

As you can see, California’s Central Coast offers a wealth of options for any lover of Pinot Noir. Cheers!

YAO130302_2011 Item# 130302

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