Calera Wine Launches New Pinot Noir from Mt. Harlan

05/10/06 Josh Jensen, the founder of Calera Wine Company, has been making unique, vineyard-designated wines from Mt. Harlan for almost 30 years. The vineyards -- Jensen, Selleck, Reed, and Mills have become well known as benchmark names in the world of Pinot Noir.

In 1998 he planted a brand-new Pinot Noir vineyard on Mt. Harlan, named Ryan, after Jim Ryan, Calera's vineyard manager since 1979. Its vines extend up to 2500 feet, making them among the highest elevation vineyards in California's central zone. These vineyards' special terroirs derive from the very cool climate, the low annual rainfall averaging only 15 inches per year, and, most importantly, a highly pure limestone soil-all combining to produce very small crop yields that have averaged a miniscule 1 1/2 tons per acres over the course of many years.

Calera has now added one more Mt. Harlan Pinot to this impressive line-up; the just-released 2002 vintage Mt. Harlan Cuvee, made by combining batches of wines from an additional young vineyard that was planted in 1997, as well as small quantities of grapes from the Jensen, Mills and Ryan vineyards.

Jensen explains, "The motive for producing this wine, which came to 540 cases, was to have a Mt. Harlan Pinot Noir that offers the nuances and complexities people have come to expect from Mt. Harlan Wines, but at a more value directed price of $28. We see that as an exceptional buy for a wine of this origin and quality."