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Wine Recommendation
Calera Wine Company
2005 Pinot Noir, Mills Vineyard(Mount Harlan)
From 24-year-old vines on Calera’s Mills Vineyard in the Gavilan Mountains between California’s San Benito and Monterey counties, the wine – while possessing layers of flavor – is for the short-term.
That doesn’t detract from the wonderful efficacy of the wine, but it is surprising in Calera’s modus operandi of long-lived wines. The wine seems lighter than some of the other Pinots I’ve had from Calera over the years, but it’s nonetheless delicious.
The fruit is on the warmer side of Calera’s spectrum with toasted baking spices. But in the end, it’s beautifully balanced and seductive and not at all over the top, although the stated alcohol (well-incorporated) is high (for Calera) at 14.5 percent. Best suited for drinking now and over the next half-dozen years. Aged in 30 percent new barrels for 16 months, the wine is unfiltered. There were less than 1,400 cases produced. (Note: Tasted in 375/mltr bottles.)
Reviewed June 12, 2008 by Alan Goldfarb.
Other reviewed wines from Calera Wine Company
The Wine
Winery: Calera Wine Company |
The Reviewer
Alan Goldfarb
Alan Goldfarb has been writing about and reviewing wine for 17 years. His reviews have been published in the St. Helena Star, San Jose Mercury, San Francisco Examiner, Decanter, and Wine Enthusiast, among others. Not once has he used a point system, star system, or an iconic symbol to quantify a wine. What counts in Mr. Goldfarb’s criteria when judging a wine is: how it tastes in the glass; is it well-constructed; its food compatibility; and presence of redeeming regional attributes. |