2017 Calera Pinot Noir Jensen Vineyard

Community Tasting Notes (3) Avg Score: 91 points

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  10/7/2022 - Juliansi Likes this wine: 91 Points

  My 500th tasting note here on CellarTracker.. what an adventure for the senses!
  
  📝 🧠 👅 👃 🍷 🍇
  
  One of my Top 3 WOTNs of our 7 bottle tasting at HS home, and likely to creep up to 4.3 and perhaps even 4.4 🌟 over this decade.. my first Mt Harlan, Californian Pinot.
  
  Josh Jensen and Calera learnt from their inspired mentors in Burgundy, France, that PN and limestone rich soils are a necessary pairing. He found this at Mt Harlen, and kicked off Jensen Vineyard back in 1975.
  
  Power and elegance describes this beautiful wine aptly, strawberry nose then raspberry palate.
  
  🌈 Medium ruby moving towards a Garnet, beautiful clarity.
  👃 Strawberries then ripe cherries, I am learning that Pinots have such an attractive and full-on nose!
  👅 Not as subtle nor as sweet as some other new world PNs, this one packs power and subtleties at the same time.
  🧠 Sweet tea evolving into luscious hibiscus floral notes, this is outstanding.
  💡 Will try to get more and age this 2, 4, 6 more years to see the journey!
  
  Thanks to bro Alfred for the sharing at HS' impromptu wine gathering!
  
  PJ, Malaysia - 7 Oct 2022
  
  
  Extended notes....
  
  Calera Wine Co and its founder Josh Jensen is described as a pioneer and trailblazer in the Californian Wine industry, especially in how he spearheaded the most delicate and risky of grapes, Pinot Noir.
  
  It's such a compelling story that there's even a book titled "The Heartbreak Grape, A Journey in Search of the Perfect Pinot Noir".
  
  Inspired by Josh's working time in Burgundy, this Mt Harlan property was purchased in 1974 following a two year painstaking search for limestone terroir in Cal.
  
  Mt Harlan is in San Benito County.
  
  Located 40km inland from the Pacific coast, and 150km south of Francisco.
  
  At 800m elevation Mt Harlan has the distinct honour of being one if the highest and coldest vineyards in all of Cal.
  
  In Aug 2017, Calera changed hands and was sold to Duckhorn. And as of 2022, we mourn the passing of Josh Jensen 🙏
  
  
  Josh Jensen was decorated as a “Pinot Pioneer” on the cover of Wine Spectator, on at least one occasion.
  
  The story goes like this.. Josh fell in love with wine in the 1970s whilst visiting Europe and even harvesting in Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Burgundy as well as in Rhone.
  
  After a 2 year search he found and developed Mt Harlan, and the Calera PN clone was when trademarked
  
  Besides Jensen Vineyard, Josh also went on to plant 3 more vineyards.
  
  In 1990, Mt. Harlan was even recognised by the authorities to be its own American Viticultural Area designation or AVA, thus creating 1 of USA's only monopole appellations.
  
  I just learnt that it was Robert Parker who called Calera “California’s Romanée-Conti"!
  
  
  In 2007, Jensen hired Mike Waller, winemaker of Calera who now keeps Jensens dream alive.
  
  As of June 2022, Josh Jensen passed away in his home in San Fran, California.

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  1/8/2022 - Spujr Likes this wine: 90 Points

  Pale ruby color, clear, maybe a hint of garnet. Rhubarb and cherry nose, acid balanced on back and front of the tongue with a lingering finish. Nose matches taste with added cola. A little all spice. Hibiscus taste. Paired well with steak.

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  10/12/2020 - Badgerwino wrote:

  One of the biggest things I like about Jensen is how well it ages. I get a pretty hard time for over cellaring my wines. I opened this late at night, ran it through a vinturi and drank it fireside. It was huge but obviously will benefit from significant cellar time...

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