2018 Calera Pinot Noir Mills Vineyard

Community Tasting Notes (3) Avg Score: 93 points

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  7/30/2023 - Juliansi Likes this wine: 92 Points

  Lovely ripe cherry and raspberries intermingle with well integrated oak and creamy vanilla on the nose, followed consistently by a red fruit driven palate.
  
  Loved the acidity and balance of this well made and fairly priced pinot from Calera. Circa USD 55.
  
  A single-vineyard Pinot from Mt Harlan, and I love that the sois bois earth notes and dry palate being quite Burgundian. The limestone terroir has resulted in contrasting minerality and the medium finish.
  
  Again it's acids and medium tannic structure which soar!
  
  Appellation: Mt. Harlan Vineyard
  Designation: Mills Vineyard
  Acid: 0.62 g/100 ml
  pH: 3.58
  Aging: Aged 18 months in 100% French oak 30% new, 70% neutral
  Fermentation: Whole cluster fermented with native yeast 🍇
  Alcohol %: 14.4
  
  Vintage:
  The quality of the 2018 vintage and growing season on Mt. Harlan was fantastic. After warm early spring weather led to an early budbreak, the temperatures cooled in late-spring, followed by sunny days with moderate temperatures throughout the summer.
  
  This provided long hangtimes, which resulted in exceptional ripeness, while preserving excellent natural acidity in the grapes.
  
  Planted in 1984, at an elevation of 700 metres... Mills Vineyard consistently yields an effortlessly complex wine that strikes a lovely balance between elegance and energy. This surely offers the classic red berry and cherry flavors that Mills is known for.
  
  I was curious about whether Mt Harlan has anything in common with Harlan Estate.. quick answer, NO!
  
  Harlan Estate is actually in Oakville: 100 km North of San Francisco Oakville AVA - A small California winegrowing region located at the centre of the Napa Valley.
  
  Oakville is most famous for its top-quality Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blends. And this is different from Mount Harlan, which is much further south!
  
  Mt Harlan AVA is 200 km South-east of San Francisco, located 80 km in-land from Monterey Bay.
  
  This American Viticultural Area (AVA) is located in San Benito County, California
  
  The climate here at Mt Harlan is described as being closer to that of southern Burgundy, with little rain, cool winds, consistent sunshine and a long growing season.
  
  Mount Harlan vines often experience a degree of water stress, causing them to dig deep, strong root systems. Another effect of the environment is that the vines give low yields of small berries, resulting in wines with concentrated flavors and aromas.
  
  As the benefits of limestone on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes are famously demonstrated in Burgundy.
  
  Mount Harlan AVA was actually established as the result of a petition to the United States Department of the Treasury Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau by Josh Jensen and Calera.
  
  The vineyards on Mount Harlan belong to one commercial winery: Josh Jensen's Calera Wine Company, founded in my birth-year of 1974. Calera (the Spanish word for 'lime kiln') is a reminder of the now-disused limestone quarries in the area.
  
  Enjoyed this bottle over 3 sessions , to be more precise L and me had a triple dinner over the weekend - First, a Yakiniku with thinly sliced Miyazaki beef over a hot fire, followed by Gyozas then Yee Mee all at Hartamas on the street-side!
  
  30 Jul 2023
  Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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  7/3/2023 - KingsleyZissou wrote: 94 Points

  Another lovely single-vineyard from Mt Harlan. As with other estate Calera efforts, the nose is fascinatingly complex and quite Burgundian. Demands a long decant to tease out its many nuances but initial aromas show fruit intermingled with the heavy limestone influence —
  
  rainier cherry and raspberry entangled in earth tones of slate, tilled soil and damp moss. Interwoven among these are more subtle notes of animal musk, candied walnuts, peppery wood smoke and creamy vanilla from the fairly well-integrated oak.
  
  Notable acid drive on the palate, but not overly overt as a prior commenter seems to suggest. Fine mild tannin rounds the wine out to a long, nutty and woody finish.
  
  The slight over-abundance of oak detracts a bit from the overall profile, but still a delicious terroir-focused wine that breaks the Californian mold.

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  11/5/2022 - chatters wrote:

  Decanter Fine Wine Encounter (The Landmark, London): slight toast, oak, slight alcohol prickle, ripe cherry, sweet spice, fruit jam on the palate with woody tannins and rather clumsily adjusted acid. Nah.

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