Calera Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir 2018
-
The Somm
Journal - Vinous
-
Wilfred
Wong -
Wine
Spectator
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
At 20 years of age, the beautifully mature vines of Ryan Vineyard have produced a stunning wine with enticing aromas of red cherry, dried herbs and fresh-cracked pepper. On the palate, layers of blackberry, strawberry and sage emerge, framed by firm, grippy tannins and a lively undercurrent of acidity that carries the age-worthy wine to a lush, lingering finish.
Professional Ratings
-
The Somm Journal
We find a soulfulness in all of Calera’s wines: silky generosity built on mineral-acid keenness. That comes through in the wonderful perfume of heather and strawberry exuded by the Calera 2018 Ryan Vineyard Mt. Harlan Pinot Noir, which possesses a grippy tannin profile and herbal center.
-
Vinous
The 2018 Pinot Noir Ryan Vineyard is quite deep and heady in this vintage. Red fruit, iron, white pepper and savory herbs give the Ryan its distinctly incisive, feral personality. Hints of blood orange, raspberry and spice add an exotic flair. There is plenty of character here, that is for sure.
-
Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2018 Calera Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir is lovely and multifaceted. TASTING NOTES: This wine shines with aromas and flavors of ripe fruit, sandalwood, strawberries, and raspberries. Pair it with a warm lamb salad with garden-fresh herbs. (Tasted: December 18, 2021, San Francisco, CA)
-
Wine Spectator
Ripe and well-focused, offering gently mulled loganberry and black cherry fruit, with steeped black tea, incense and savory details. This is carried by a fine chalky spine through a lengthy finish. Solidly built and one for the cellar. Best from 2023.
Other Vintages
2020-
Wine
Spectator -
James
Suckling
-
The Somm
Journal -
Wine &
Spirits -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Robert
Parker
-
Wine
Enthusiast -
Wilfred
Wong -
Robert
Parker -
Wine &
Spirits
-
Wine &
Spirits
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Enthusiast
-
Robert
Parker -
Wilfred
Wong -
Wine
Spectator
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Enthusiast
-
Robert
Parker
-
Wine &
Spirits -
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Enthusiast
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Enthusiast
-
Robert
Parker
-
Wine &
Spirits -
Robert
Parker
In 1975, legendary vintner and American wine pioneer Josh Jensen founded Calera (Spanish for “lime kiln”) high in the remote Gavilan Mountains of California’s windswept Central Coast. There, in Mt. Harlan’s low-yielding, limestone-rich soils and cool, arid climate, he began planting what would ultimately become six small estate vineyards. Today, these vineyards are recognized as some of the New World’s most revered Pinot Noir sites.
Calera is a vision, and Calera’s wines truly express the sense of place. Rather than follow the recommended path, Josh Jensen became a pioneer in American Pinot Noir. Taking his cue from the great domaines of Burgundy, which have grown grapes in limestone soil for centuries, he set out in search of the perfect spot in California to create wines unique to the world but in the style of the greatest wines of France. Site selection was vital as he ventured off the grid to plant on the site of an old limekiln in the Gavilan Mountains of California's Central Coast.
Under the stewardship of Winemaker Mike Waller, each vineyard is renowned for producing singular wines of uncommon purity, elegance and aging potential. In addition to its beloved single-vineyard wines, Calera partners with some of the top vineyards on California’s majestic Central Coast to make Calera’s beautiful Central Coast wines, including a Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
At elevations reaching well over 2,000 feet, the Mt. Harlan AVA in the Gabilan Range is an anomaly among its surrounding Central Coast appellations. Recognizing the splendor of the area and its ideal limestone-rich soils, Josh Jensen chose Mt. Harlan as the home of his Calera Wine Company in the 1970s. Awarded his own AVA in 1990, Calera is the only commercial winery in the appellation.