Winemaker Notes
Bright and sophisticated, with lovely weight and a lush, mouthcoating texture, this wine begins with enticing aromas of Asian pear, toasted brioche, and lemon zest. On the palate, flavors of Key lime pie and cumquat are supported by beautifully integrated French oak and a streak of acidity that adds poise and length to this elegant Chardonnay.
Professional Ratings
-
Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: Amongst my favorite growing regions in the world sits Mt. Harlan. Located in the Central Coast of California, Calera Wine Company has produced some of the world's greatest wines. The 2016 Calera Mt. Harlan Chardonnay is special. TASTING NOTES. This wine has everything a global Chardonnay lover would want. Its aromas and flavors of apple, pear, dried citrus, and wild leaves are bright, wild, and attractive. Pair them with a shredded roast duck over a bed of arugula, and organic beets. (Tasted: September 10, 2018, San Francisco, CA)
-
Wine Enthusiast
This delicious bottling from the iconic estate is clean and taut on the nose, with aromas of lemon peel, Pink Lady apple, honeysuckle and a hint of toast. The palate is extremely well rounded and deep, showing fleshy flavors of ripe apple and white peach before savory sea salt and zesty lemon rind cut through the buttered sourdough midpalate.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Chardonnay Mt Harlan from Calera is excellent, wafting from the glass with notes of yellow orchard fruit, citrus blossom and blanched almonds. On the palate, it's medium-bodied, ample and elegantly textural, with lovely tension, chalky grip and a pure, stony finish. This is a beautifully balanced offering from Calera that still feels tightly coiled, and I wouldn't be surprised if my score comes to look conservative.
Rating: 93+
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
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.