Winemaker Notes
The bouquet possesses a lovely mix of richness, fruit and savory like blackberry pie; quite comforting. On the palate we find intriguing hints of pink rose, briar, red currant, violets and spice; this Pinot has an alluring silky texture with deep flavors of black cherry, baking spice and a whisper of licorice. It’s nicely structured and lingers beautifully on the finish.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The keenly priced 2015 Pinot Noir 40th Anniversary Vintage from Calera is lovely, wafting from the glass with youthfully complex aromas of potpourri, cherries, strawberry and spice. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, expansive and velvety, with a succulent core of fruit, melting tannins and a long, tangy finish. Enjoy this delicious offering now or over the coming decade.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The classic Central Coast 2015 Pinot Noir is absolutely worth your time and money, and readers looking for window into the style at Calera need to check it out. It offers terrific notes of rose petals, sappy green herbs, sweet cherries and raspberries in a spicy, supple, forward and delicious style. It’s already hard to resist, yet it has the classic Calera fine tannin structure, and is going to keep for at least 3-5 years.
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Wine Enthusiast
From six vineyards across the Central Coast, Josh Jensen's annual cuvée shows black cherry, cola and nutmeg on the straight-ahead nose. Solid herbal backbone shows on the sip, with juniper, bay leaf and pine needles giving tang to the sour cranberry fruit. A menthol character carries in to the finish.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
Drinking famously now, the smooth-sailing 2015 Calera Central Coast Pinot Noir is soft and easy. The wine's pretty red fruit flavors stay right where the grape variety ought to be. Pair it with an oven-baked Cornish game hen. (Tasted: November 17, 2017, San Francisco, CA)
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!