A surprisingly dark and intense color given the age of this wine. Some bricking around the edges gives a hint to the tenure in bottle. A prominent cassis, mineral and savory nose. The wine has a meaty-mineral texture with black tea and mouth watering fish sauce flavors. This is a full bodied pinot noir, but not over the top. Owned since release and consumed over two days.
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Surprised to see such a short date range on the drinking window. This is far from past due. Only now beginning to show signs of age (compared with the 1999, drunk a few days ago, that is well on its way). This has great structure, good length and plenty to interest you and will hold its own do at least another 3-4 years and maybe longer.
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Pristine bottle, purchased at the estate. The Mills vineyard (14.4 acres) is 2,200 feet above sea level, south facing, on limestone soils, vines planted in 1984. Yield was 1.15 tons per acre (app. 18 hl/ha), aged for 16 months in 30% new French oak, 1,096 cases produced, 14.5% ABV. Mature but lively appearance, a warm bricky red; wonderful nose, warm and inviting, smoky Pinot Noir, complex notes of black tea, spice and anchovy, harmonious and deep, ripe yet fresh fruit with a hint of forest floor, excellent mineral depth; the palate is gentle and mature, satiny yet fresh, seamless, elegant, with perfect grip from the oak tannins, has lost a bit of weight but not drying, mature fruit flavours, develops a chocolaty note; lovely minerality and drive on the finish, very good length. A wine with real individuality and sense of place.
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Tasted from MAG.....the nose on this wine was wonderful - complex and it evolved nicely over the course of the evening. There were notes of pine/menthol mixed with brown spice, hints of earth and some red fruits (raspberry, cranberry, etc.). The palate was medium bodied with red fruit flavors dominating and a bit of earthy spice as well. On the finish it showed quite a bit of firmness - both moderate acidity and some grittiness to the tannins which seemed a bit unusual for an 11 y.o. Pinot (but based on others tasting notes, plus the larger format bottle, this seemed to be in line with what I expected). The structure made the wine a bit rough to drink on its own, but with a grilled pork roast it was tamed down. Long story short, the nose was great, and although the wine was a bit coarse on the palate, having it with food helped to balance it out. I don't think that any more time will help because it's likely that the tannins will outlast any remaining fruit....drink em if you've got em.
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From a bottle purchased at a restaurant, this wine looked good with a deep red center and red rims. The high- intensity nose of cola, black cherry, forest floor, and soil is tricky to guess blind.
Not surprisingly, this wine was at its best after 4 hours of air. It was good but a bit tannic and showed some excess alcohol in the early going. Afterward, it was rich and ripe but with strong acidity and rounded tannin. This wine is obviously too young but shows nice potential. I would give it 5-8 hours of decanter time or 10+ years of bottle age.
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Double decanted 2 hrs. A wonderful mature Cali pinot, with integrated fruit and just enough acidity to give a little bite on the long finish. Very different form the young wines I'm so find of but a great sign for my long-term cellaring plans.
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Notes of dried strawberry, dried cherries, flowers, and bay leaf. This has tart, taut red berry flavors, ample acidity, a bit of stemminess, and some real character. I would drink up relatively soon before the fruit dries out further, but this is a graceful wine even though it is a bit past its theoretical peak.
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Not sure if we had a bad bottle but I didn't enjoy this wine at all. I've had a few of the cheaper cuvee Caleras and I didn't care much for them either. This wine had a rust color, tasted very hot to start, had about 15 minutes where I thought it was going to come around and then deteriorated from there. Very disappointing, especially at this price point.
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Burghound in Asia Grand Tasting (St-Regis Hotel, Singapore): Earthy with dark berry fruits on the nose that is quite austere which also reflect on the palate, rich and concentrated dark berry fruits that seems a little bit on the sweet side but then turn in very dry, long finish. Not bad. Buy - No
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An interesting wine to follow over the course of dinner from a half-bottle, but not really one for pleasure. This starts out with strong minty, chocolate and plummy aromas that I wouldn't expect from a Pinot. Over time the mintiness calms down and fades into the background with pretty red fruited flavours coming out to dominate the aromatics, but in the mouth it becomes less and less enjoyable as the fruit fades and leaves behind plenty of firm, drying tannins and a hot alcoholic finish.
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What a mystery wine. Tight, tight, tight. Will this ever wake up or will it die in its slumber? Mainly think it is not going anywhere but down, but once in a while I get a strange glimpse of life underneath. Muted, but standard Calera nose. No real palate presence, some limited red fruit, no real finish. Frankly, a disaster right now. Strange though, every few sips a burst of fruit, earth, spice and then poof, gone again. Had a few, would over the last couple years, would love to try one in 5 years, but otherwise I am giving up on this one.
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May still have hope for my last bottle. Either this was shut down, or it just does not have any stuffing. Reasonable nose, though light. Almost flat in the palate, cherry, spice, some other components that I could just not put my finger on. Kept waiting for it to open up, but never did. Good structure, and okay to drink, just not what I expect from Calera.
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Starts out tasting like Savigny, with intense wild-berry fruit and a zingy acidity. But the structure keeps building like a gathering stormcloud and makes this pretty much a waste to open now. Eventually the bitterness of the entry becomes almost wincing, the abruptness of the tannin also contributing to its difficulty and general orneriness. This is how a wine behaves when it's rudely awakened in the middle of the night.
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Pinot Days - Chicago (Navy Pier): Even tighter than the 2002. Tannins immediately make themselves know on the attack. Crunchy, mineral-filled red fruits hide behind the structure. Similar to the 2002, it appears time will benefit and reveal a nice wine.
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Ruby red to purple color. Lovely nose of raspberries, cherries, earth and fresh herb. Excellent balance of fruit, acid and earthy notes. No sign of heat. All this in a medium bodied and easy to drink package. Excellent.
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Very dry and nothing like other CA pinots I've been drinking of late...perhaps more time for the wine and more time for me listening to good music in the dark is in order to write a better note...
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4/25/2020 - lars1014 Likes this wine:
A surprisingly dark and intense color given the age of this wine. Some bricking around the edges gives a hint to the tenure in bottle. A prominent cassis, mineral and savory nose. The wine has a meaty-mineral texture with black tea and mouth watering fish sauce flavors. This is a full bodied pinot noir, but not over the top. Owned since release and consumed over two days.
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7/4/2018 - AlanM68 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Surprised to see such a short date range on the drinking window. This is far from past due. Only now beginning to show signs of age (compared with the 1999, drunk a few days ago, that is well on its way). This has great structure, good length and plenty to interest you and will hold its own do at least another 3-4 years and maybe longer.
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4/5/2015 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 94 Points
Pristine bottle, purchased at the estate. The Mills vineyard (14.4 acres) is 2,200 feet above sea level, south facing, on limestone soils, vines planted in 1984. Yield was 1.15 tons per acre (app. 18 hl/ha), aged for 16 months in 30% new French oak, 1,096 cases produced, 14.5% ABV. Mature but lively appearance, a warm bricky red; wonderful nose, warm and inviting, smoky Pinot Noir, complex notes of black tea, spice and anchovy, harmonious and deep, ripe yet fresh fruit with a hint of forest floor, excellent mineral depth; the palate is gentle and mature, satiny yet fresh, seamless, elegant, with perfect grip from the oak tannins, has lost a bit of weight but not drying, mature fruit flavours, develops a chocolaty note; lovely minerality and drive on the finish, very good length. A wine with real individuality and sense of place.
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4/15/2014 - curtr wrote: 89 Points
Ready to drink with 1 hour decant. Food a must.
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8/5/2012 - davidga75 wrote:
Tasted from MAG.....the nose on this wine was wonderful - complex and it evolved nicely over the course of the evening. There were notes of pine/menthol mixed with brown spice, hints of earth and some red fruits (raspberry, cranberry, etc.). The palate was medium bodied with red fruit flavors dominating and a bit of earthy spice as well. On the finish it showed quite a bit of firmness - both moderate acidity and some grittiness to the tannins which seemed a bit unusual for an 11 y.o. Pinot (but based on others tasting notes, plus the larger format bottle, this seemed to be in line with what I expected). The structure made the wine a bit rough to drink on its own, but with a grilled pork roast it was tamed down. Long story short, the nose was great, and although the wine was a bit coarse on the palate, having it with food helped to balance it out. I don't think that any more time will help because it's likely that the tannins will outlast any remaining fruit....drink em if you've got em.
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4/13/2012 - fclarity wrote: 91 Points
From a bottle purchased at a restaurant, this wine looked good with a deep red center and red rims. The high- intensity nose of cola, black cherry, forest floor, and soil is tricky to guess blind.
Not surprisingly, this wine was at its best after 4 hours of air. It was good but a bit tannic and showed some excess alcohol in the early going. Afterward, it was rich and ripe but with strong acidity and rounded tannin. This wine is obviously too young but shows nice potential. I would give it 5-8 hours of decanter time or 10+ years of bottle age.
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3/29/2012 - salil wrote: 76 Points
Hasn't gotten any better since I tried it a couple of years ago. Still overripe, roasted and alcoholic.
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10/13/2011 - Wop wrote: 92 Points
Double decanted 2 hrs. A wonderful mature Cali pinot, with integrated fruit and just enough acidity to give a little bite on the long finish. Very different form the young wines I'm so find of but a great sign for my long-term cellaring plans.
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8/3/2011 - FieldingYost wrote: 88 Points
Notes of dried strawberry, dried cherries, flowers, and bay leaf. This has tart, taut red berry flavors, ample acidity, a bit of stemminess, and some real character. I would drink up relatively soon before the fruit dries out further, but this is a graceful wine even though it is a bit past its theoretical peak.
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4/29/2011 - dransford Does not like this wine: 82 Points
Not sure if we had a bad bottle but I didn't enjoy this wine at all. I've had a few of the cheaper cuvee Caleras and I didn't care much for them either. This wine had a rust color, tasted very hot to start, had about 15 minutes where I thought it was going to come around and then deteriorated from there. Very disappointing, especially at this price point.
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4/9/2011 - Sleepy Dave wrote:
Burghound in Asia Grand Tasting (St-Regis Hotel, Singapore): Earthy with dark berry fruits on the nose that is quite austere which also reflect on the palate, rich and concentrated dark berry fruits that seems a little bit on the sweet side but then turn in very dry, long finish. Not bad. Buy - No
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9/19/2010 - curtr wrote: 88 Points
Way too tannic. I am not sure I will ever like this.
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12/26/2009 - Imtheworst wrote: 88 Points
Aurait pû être vieilli encore. Était bon, mais serait meilleur dans quelques années.
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11/21/2009 - lhickey wrote: 84 Points
I love calera-usually. This was unineresting, thin, boring. Maybe past its prime.
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9/20/2009 - salil wrote: 79 Points
An interesting wine to follow over the course of dinner from a half-bottle, but not really one for pleasure. This starts out with strong minty, chocolate and plummy aromas that I wouldn't expect from a Pinot. Over time the mintiness calms down and fades into the background with pretty red fruited flavours coming out to dominate the aromatics, but in the mouth it becomes less and less enjoyable as the fruit fades and leaves behind plenty of firm, drying tannins and a hot alcoholic finish.
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1/28/2009 - cadamson wrote: 85 Points
What a mystery wine. Tight, tight, tight. Will this ever wake up or will it die in its slumber? Mainly think it is not going anywhere but down, but once in a while I get a strange glimpse of life underneath. Muted, but standard Calera nose. No real palate presence, some limited red fruit, no real finish. Frankly, a disaster right now. Strange though, every few sips a burst of fruit, earth, spice and then poof, gone again. Had a few, would over the last couple years, would love to try one in 5 years, but otherwise I am giving up on this one.
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8/4/2008 - STGivens wrote: 88 Points
Smell: Cherry, Floral, Smokey, Earth
Taste: Tannic, Tight, Alcohol,
This opened up after 30 minutes the mouth feel was more lush and velvety.
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6/8/2008 - cadamson wrote: 86 Points
May still have hope for my last bottle. Either this was shut down, or it just does not have any stuffing. Reasonable nose, though light. Almost flat in the palate, cherry, spice, some other components that I could just not put my finger on. Kept waiting for it to open up, but never did. Good structure, and okay to drink, just not what I expect from Calera.
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3/24/2008 - Keith Levenberg wrote:
Starts out tasting like Savigny, with intense wild-berry fruit and a zingy acidity. But the structure keeps building like a gathering stormcloud and makes this pretty much a waste to open now. Eventually the bitterness of the entry becomes almost wincing, the abruptness of the tannin also contributing to its difficulty and general orneriness. This is how a wine behaves when it's rudely awakened in the middle of the night.
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11/10/2007 - Nanda wrote: 91 Points
Pinot Days - Chicago (Navy Pier): Even tighter than the 2002. Tannins immediately make themselves know on the attack. Crunchy, mineral-filled red fruits hide behind the structure. Similar to the 2002, it appears time will benefit and reveal a nice wine.
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10/7/2007 - joshmethot wrote: 89 Points
still youthful and bright. tart berry fruit, lean body and moderate tannins. Drinking good today but needs few more years to be amazing.
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1/10/2007 - winefool wrote: 88 Points
Very tannic, my least favorite of the Mills vertical.
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8/28/2006 - Rieslingfan wrote:
Ruby red to purple color. Lovely nose of raspberries, cherries, earth and fresh herb. Excellent balance of fruit, acid and earthy notes. No sign of heat. All this in a medium bodied and easy to drink package. Excellent.
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8/19/2006 - tsutton wrote: 89 Points
Very dry and nothing like other CA pinots I've been drinking of late...perhaps more time for the wine and more time for me listening to good music in the dark is in order to write a better note...
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