Cellar Diving on Mt. Harlan

The Pinot Noirs of Calera

Up to 95 points

for these single vineyard wines!

2017 Calera Pinot Noir de Villiers-$64.89 (750ML) In Stock- Buy Now

2015 Calera Pinot Noir Jensen-$64.89 (750ML) In Stock- Buy Now

2012 Calera Pinot Noir Ryan-$59.89 (750ML) In Stock- Buy Now

2012 Calera Pinot Noir Reed-$59.89 (750ML) In Stock- Buy Now

All of these wines are Library Releases direct from the winery

"Clearly, the pleasures wines afford are transitory – but so are those of the ballet, or of a musical performance. Wine is inspiring and adds greatly to the joy of living." --- Napoleon Bonaparte

I like to think wine can capture both time and place. You can take a bottle that you had while travelling and in that taste a bit of that vineyard, or town, or meal you remember. You also taste time: that vintage when the heat was unrelenting, or when the rains came just after the grapes were harvested, or the frost in the early spring.

But you also can capture the talents, passions, and inspiration of the people who created the wine. Their intentions and hopes went into that bottle, and so many years later you get to discover the results. It’s like they aimed an arrow to the sky, pulled the string back and let it fly. They were hoping it would land where they planned, but you never know what will happen along the way.

We were sitting around on a beautiful, albeit very warm, summer’s day here at Grand Vin, talking about great wines, places and the people that are a part of that wine world we love. The passing of Josh Jensen (who founded Calera winery) came up; his passion and determination to make Mt. Harlan AVA into the place it is now. A singular place to express the beauty of Pinot Noir. He learned about Pinot Noir while working the harvest at DRC (a winery with it's own appellation, just like Calera) and then at Dujac.  His legacy of single site Pinot Noir in California will live on and inspire future winegrowers and winemakers.

Since it has been unusually hot here, and it’s nice and cool out in our ‘cellar’, I decided to do some cellar diving and I noticed we have a few bottles of Calera left from 2012, 2015, and some of the fabulous 2017 de Villiers vineyard bottling. These are wines that are in their prime, and that probably should end up on your table, or even your cellar for a few more years.

Just a little piece of a time, and place, and people, so we can remember them all.

2017 Calera Pinot Noir de Villiers Vineyard

$64.89 (750ML) In Stock- Buy Now

95 JD / 94 VM / 93 WA

Deeper ruby, the 2017 Pinot Noir De Villiers Vineyard reveals more black raspberry, sassafras, tea, and spicy notes. It's medium-bodied, with a juicy, elegant style and a great finish. Jeb Dunnuck

The 2017 Pinot Noir de Villiers Vineyard is fabulous. Rich, exotic and bold, the 2017 offers striking immediacy. Inky dark fruit, spice, lavender and menthol open up first, followed by a range of more savory, mineral notes that are typical of Mt. Harlan. The interplay of fruit intensity and structure makes for a compelling Pinot. Antonio Galloni – Vinous Media

2015 Calera Pinot Noir Jensen Vineyard

$64.89 (750ML) In Stock- Buy Now

92 WE / 91+ VM / 90 WS

Concentrated aromas of red cherry liqueur, sagebrush and a hint of toasted oak show on the nose of this bottling, which is from a vintage that harvested less than a half-ton per acre from this vineyard. Sandalwood, chaparral scrub and earthy juniper play along with the cranberry and red plum flavors on the palate. - MK, Wine Enthusiast

Deceptive in its mid-weight structure, the 2015 Pinot Noir Jensen Vineyard is extremely closed to a degree I don't think I have seen before in this wine. I imagine the 100% whole clusters have something to do with the wine's current state of reticence. Time in the glass helps to some degree, but it is clear the Jensen needs time in bottle to be at its most expressive. Antonio Galloni – Vinous Media

2012 Calera Pinot Noir Ryan Vineyard

$59.89 (750ML) In Stock- Buy Now

94 WA / 93 VM / 93 WS / 93 WE

From one of the cooler terroirs on the estate, the 2012 Pinot Noir Ryan Vineyard offers full-bodied richness and depth to go with ample sweet black cherries, cassis, sassafras, crushed flowers and toasted spice. A decidedly hedonistic, full throttled example of this cuvee, this superb Pinot Noir firms up nicely on the finish and has a full, layered mid-palate. Drink it now, or cellar it for a decade. Jeb Dunnuck – The Wine Advocate

The 2017 Pinot Noir Ryan Vineyard is laced with the essence of sweet red berry, cinnamon, orange peel, cedar and sweet pipe tobacco. Medium in body, with striking inner perfume and impeccable balance, the 2017 can be enjoyed with minimal cellaring. The Ryan emerges from the highest-altitude parcel on the property.- Antonio Galloni – Vinous Media

2012 Calera Pinot Noir Reed Vineyard

$59.89 (750ML) In Stock- Buy Now

94 VM / 93 WE

The most weightless and ethereal wine in this lineup, the 2012 Pinot Noir Reed Vineyard speaks above all else to finesse. Rose petal, sweet red berries, orange peel, mint and spices gradually open up in a feminine Pinot long on class. Deceptively medium in body, the 2012 is likely to flesh out a bit more in bottle, although I imagine it will always remain classically restrained in style. Antonio Galloni – Vinous Media

Cigar-box spice, sandalwood, hibiscus, cinnamon, wild strawberries and black olive converge on the nose of this wine by Josh Jensen, who created the appellation single-handedly. A lovely sense of airy and fresh pomegranate-raspberry juice pervades the snappy palate, with just enough anise to keep it interesting. - MK, Wine Enthusiast