Calera

Founded by Burgundy influenced winemaker Josh Jensen in 1975, Calera Winery is one of the most respected Pinot Noir producers in all of California. The first Calera wine that Josh made was a Zinfandel from grapes he purchased and vinified in a rented out warehouse. During that same year he planted his first 24 acres of Pinot Noir in three separate parcels. The original Calera Vineyards are the Selleck, Reed, and Jensen Vineyards which produced their initial tiny crop in 1978. Josh then purchased a neighboring 300 acres of the limestone laden mountain in 1982 where he went on to plant Viognier (one of California's first winemakers to do so), Chardonnay as well as the Mills Vineyard and in later years the Ryan Vineyard according to our Calera reviews. Calera has the distinction of being the only winery in the Mt. Harlan AVA. However since the winery technically is not within the AVA he cannot use “estate bottled” on the label according to our Calera ratings. For more information on Calera and Josh Jensen’s wines, be sure to look through our Calera Wine Buying Guide below.

Sort By:

points

Calera 2002 Jensen Vineyard Pinot Noir (Mt. Harlan)

Editors' Choice

Price $53

Enormously aromatic, endlessly complex, this is one of the best Calera Pinots. It feels full and complete, despite the elegantly light silkiness in the mouth, and the crisp acids and dusty tannins that frame cherry, cola, rhubarb, pomegranate, coffee and vanilla spice flavors. Enjoyable now, this wine thankfully strikes a different direction from today’s heavy… — S.H. (7/1/2006)

points

Calera 2007 Mills Vineyard Pinot Noir (Mt. Harlan)

Online Exclusive

Price $45

Typically Calera’s most luscious, delicious wine in youth. The year 2007 was kind, and the result is a Pinot rich in cherries, raspberries, licorice and cola, wrapped into a silky texture, with near perfect acids and tannins. As good as it is now, it should develop over the next 6–8 years. — S.H. (12/15/2010)

points

Calera 2010 Selleck Vineyard Pinot Noir (Mt. Harlan)

Cellar Selection

Price $80

If there’s one California Pinot Noir you cellar this vintage, make it this one. It’s a stone-cold guarantee. Light and silky in the mouth, with brisk acidity, it shows rich raspberry, cherry, red currant and sandalwood flavors that are deep and long. Has all the necessary balance to evolve many years, and should start showing bottle development after 2018. — S.H. (7/1/2013)

points

Calera 1997 Viognier (Mount Harlan)

Price $30

Very aromatic, with lots of tropical fruit, citrus, spice and lees notes. Intensely fruity and spicy, really sears the palate with flavor, like the essence of fruit, but bone dry. A wonderful, complex, powerful wine with a long, rich finish. — S.H. (10/1/1999)

points

Calera 1996 Chardonnay (Mount Harlan)

Price $38

Smells important. Impressively complex aromas of tropical fruit, oak, spice, lees and buttered toast; distinguished. Very spicy, buttery, creamy and fruity. Ultraclean, tight and nervous. Needs time. Very high quality. — S.H. (10/1/1999)

points

Calera 2006 Chardonnay (Mount Harlan)

Editors' Choice

Price $25

Brilliant Chardonnay, compulsively drinkable. You’ll find a fabulous array of flavors, ranging from pineapples, mangoes and limes to lees- and oak-influenced smoke and creamy vanilla. There’s also a juicy streak of crisp acidity and a flinty tang of minerals in the finish. Very fine. — S.H. (6/1/2008)

points

Calera 2002 Reed Vineyard Pinot Noir (Mt. Harlan)

Cellar Selection

Price $48

There are Pinots that are darker in color and fuller in body in California, but few approach this bottling in complexity or apparent ageability. The airy, silky texture holds a wealth of flavors, ranging from red cherries, pomegranates, rhubarb and espresso to cola and vanilla spice. This is a Burgundian-styled wine that will improve through 2012. — S.H. (7/1/2006)

points

Calera 2002 Selleck Vineyard Pinot Noir (Mt. Harlan)

Cellar Selection

Price $58

This is the palest and lightest of Calera’s ‘02 Pinots, but paradoxically it’s enormously concentrated in flavor and possible the most ageworthy. It explodes with cherry cola, cherry pie filling, raspberry, blueberry, cocoa-dusted latte and cinnamon-nutmeg spice. But it has the depth and balance for the long haul. Best now through 2012. — S.H. (12/1/2006)

Most Reviewed Designations

Jensen Jensen Vineyard Mills Mills Vineyard Mt. Harlan Cuvee Reed Reed Vineyard Ryan Ryan Vineyard Selleck Selleck Vineyard

Most Reviewed Varietals

Aligoté Chardonnay Pinot Noir Viognier

2009 W.H. Smith Purple Label Piedra Hill Vineyard

This is a gigantic Cabernet, deeply concentrated and enormously tannic…

(Sponsored)