2022 Calera "Jensen" Mt. Harlan Pinot Noir

Frost and heat also affected the Jensen Vineyard in 2022. Despite the conditions, it’s a nicely structured wine for such a young age. Ripe berries and cherries, sweet baking spices, and a touch of dried flowers on the nose best describe this wine. It’s the interplay of those aromas between the nose and the palate that really makes a point and, along with excellent acidity, signals strong potential for ageing decades ahead. The mid-palate is dense but pleasant, with fine-grained tannins carrying through the finish. A wine that immediately calls for food, like a nice, juicy roast. (ACQ)

Sourced from a lower parcel of the estate's oldest vines established in 1975, the 2022 Pinot Noir Jensen Vineyard derives from a mostly east-facing slope yet contains multiple exposures. It leads with a complex, dynamic nose that melds a rich, candied fruit profile with citrus-driven lift and a soaring, herbal energy. The palate falls somewhere between the various Mt. Harlan bottlings, offering a lifted, buoyant energy, a measured, composed depth and a deeply tensile, mineral-inflected sturdiness that carries through the refined, long and nuanced finish. While a touch less explosive and immediate than several of the offerings from Mt. Harlan, I found this the most complete expression of the site in this vintage. (ML)