Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This spectacular wine has shown little evolution over 11 years, still firmly structured by tannins and good, tangy acidity. Potent sour-cherry, black-currant, spiced-plum and floral flavors are accented by stony, ironlike notes. Just beginning to develop a complex bottle bouquet.
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Wine Enthusiast
This bottling by Josh Jensen shows sharp aromas of black plum and blackberry, with hints of lilacs. The palate combines a strong earthy quality with gravelly minerality, rose petals, lavender and dark cranberry fruit. Tannins are a bit rigid this early in this wine's life, so wait for the mellowing. Drink 2018–2034.
Cellar Selection
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
At elevations reaching well over 2,000 feet, the Mt. Harlan AVA in the Gabilan Range is an anomaly among its surrounding Central Coast appellations. Recognizing the splendor of the area and its ideal limestone-rich soils, Josh Jensen chose Mt. Harlan as the home of his Calera Wine Company in the 1970s. Awarded his own AVA in 1990, Calera is the only commercial winery in the appellation.