Calera Pinot Noir Ryan Vineyard

Waterford Commentary:

 

We here at Waterford love Calera Pinots, and have enjoyed them since the 1996 vintage. But, in recent years, we can't seem to get an allocation of them. So just today it was a huge shock when one of Calera's single vineyard Pinots rolled into the Farwell store. We wanted to get an email at to you ASAP with an offer. And here it is:

 

 

It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that Josh Jensen, the legendary founder of Calera winery, has passed away. In the world of fine wine, Josh Jensen will always be a legend. An innovator and a pioneer, Josh was named the San Francisco Chronicle’s “Winemaker of the Year,” honored as a “Rockstar of Wine” at World of Pinot Noir, and has graced the cover of Wine Spectator. More than just being universally respected by his peers, Josh played a pivotal role in establishing Pinot Noir as one of North America’s great varietal wines. In doing so, he also built Calera into one of the world’s most revered wineries. Beloved by connoisseurs, Calera has been honored by Wine & Spirits as one of the “Top 100 Wineries in the World” four times, with Robert Parker calling Calera “California’s Romanée-Conti.”

 

On the wine: "On the nose, inviting aromas of jasmine, yellow plum and cherry hard candy beckon a first sip. As the wine unfurls on the palate, the flavors grow deeper and more complex, offering layers of dark cherry, cola and black licorice that glide across soft, round tannins to a lush, lingering finish."

 

 

"96 points. Aromas and flavors of sweet earth and vibrant rose petals open this ethereal red. Jasmine takes shape with underlying notes of crushed rock and sugared beets. Hedonistic as it is, it gradually gentles, paving the way for the elegant finish." - The Somm Journal

 

"94 points. Lots of dried herbs, leather, redcurrants, and a touch of sassafras emerge from the medium-bodied 2017 Pinot Noir Ryan Vineyard. With a rounded, elegant texture, beautiful acidity, and a terrific, lengthy finish, it opens up nicely with time in the glass and is just a complex, nuanced beauty to enjoy over the coming decade." - Jeb Dunnuck

 

"94 points. Ryan is among the highest of the parcels on the property, planted in 1989. In 2017, its wine is lean and vinous, redolent of smoke and forest floor, the fruit sensuous and alluring, dark and plummy, with a demonstrative ripeness that remains elegant, acid-driven and energetic." - Wine and Spirits