Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Even better is the 2007 Pinot Noir Selleck Vineyard, perhaps the finest Pinot ever made by Calera. This 4.8-acre vineyard planted in 1975 has a much warmer southwest exposure than some of the estate’s other sites. Only 411 cases were produced of this compelling Pinot Noir. Sassafras, black cherry, raspberry, plum, pomegranate, cedar, and underbrush aromas are accompanied by a full-bodied, ripe wine with beautiful acids, an intense underlying minerality/terroir character, and a long finish. The 2007 Selleck is slightly less evolved than the Jensen, but it is an impressive Pinot that should age effortlessly for 10-15+ years. Kudos to Josh Jensen for producing this remarkable group of wines!
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Wine & Spirits
In 1975, Josh Jensen planted the Selleck Vineyard on Mt. Harlan, a rocky, south- to southwest-facing slope where he found more limestone in the soil than in his other vineyard sites. The exposition lends this wine more concentration than Reed (recommended below), shown in the depth of color, darker fruit tone and grip of the mineral-inflected tannins. Transparent and vinous rather than directly fruity, this hints at woodland cherries and fraises des bois. There's a purity and honesty to the flavors that are rare in the New World and increasingly difficult to find in the Old. Both the Selleck and Reed '07s are magnificent California wines, suited to long aging.
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.