TN: 2013 Calera Pinot Noir de Villiers Vineyard

Overall dark profile for Pinot Noir, heading more into black fruit than red fruit territory. It’s not at all heavy, which is a bit of a surprise based on the ripe aromatics, and despite being full of dark cherry/plum fruit it also has a freshness that keeps it lively through the finish. Still a good bit of tannin on the back end, and the spice and herb notes want a little more time to develop into the whole, but I do like this quite a bit.

Posted from CellarTracker

Thanks for the note! I like of all Jensen’s wines, especially the single vineyards. They need a lot of time, but age really well. Perhaps because they have been out there so long (and also because they don’t ship to my state), I don’t cellar them so much, but when I come across a nice (sometimes off a restaurant list), they never fail to impress. I know they were sold somewhat recently, to Duckhorn or whoever makes them. I don’t have much experience with the latest releases, but I believe Jensen still is basically in charge.

The wine from that vineyard wasn’t bottled on its own initially because it was very tannic. I think the first year, or more, that they bottled a de Villiers it was 100% destemmed (first vintage 2007, I think, planted in 1997). Now it’s typically 50% whole cluster while all the others are 100%.

-Al