Winemaker Notes
Grown high on the limestone-rich soils of Mt. Harlan, this beautifully aromatic wine displays enticing layers of green apple, lemon zest, sweet grass, and baked brioche. On the lush, mouthcoating palate hints of tropical fruit, cedar chest, and Key lime emerge, with bright acidity adding to a poised and polished finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Great richness and depth, with a lively, almost chewy texture that will carry it a long way into the future. A full body and snappy acidity complement the ripe, spicy, buttery, toasty flavors that give it so much character. Salt and pepper, poached pears, chalk, saline elements and a lingering finish. All barrel fermented, aged in 30% new barrels and remained in barrels for 15 months. Drinkable now, but best from 2028.
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Vinous
The 2021 Chardonnay Mt. Harlan is fabulous. In fact, the 2021 may very well be one of the finest vintages I have tasted of the Mount Harlan Chardonnay. A wine of poise and vertical stature, the 2021 possesses notable depth and persistence that continues to build over time. Lemon confit, marzipan, chamomile and white flowers fill out the layers. This is impressive. Limestone soils and tiny yields in this drought vintage contribute to the wine's complexity and dynamic energy.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2021 Chardonnay Mt. Harlan is rock solid, with a lively, mineral-laced style that still brings impressive concentration. Exotic stone fruits, orange blossom, crushed stone, and almond paste are just some of the nuances in this beauty, and it opens up nicely with time in the glass, showing medium-bodied richness, nicely integrated oak and acidity, and a great finish. It's impressive now, especially with some air, and I wouldn't be surprised to see this continue drinking well through 2033 or beyond.
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Wine Enthusiast
From vines first planted on the top of Mt. Harlan in 1984, this bottling is redolent on the nose with white flower, lemon zest and blanched almond. Hints of toastier hazelnut also arise. The palate is boldly savory with sea salt and roasted nut flavors that are cut by sharp lemon acidity. Suggestions of caramel pop on the finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Chardonnay Mount Harlan opens with a beautiful nose of white flowers, candlewax, yellow apples and brioche. On the palate, it is the perfect midpoint of confidently plush and intensely focused, finishing with a crystal-clear, mineral-laced purity that regenerates with impressive length.
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Wine Spectator
Stylish, with fresh Honeycrisp apple, pear and a hint of salted caramel on a sleek, juicy frame. Reveals lemon blossoms, tangerine and a hint of sweetgrass that lingers on the finish.
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.