Vineyard: de Villiers

OwnerJosh Jensen
AppellationMt. Harlan
VarietiesPinot Noir

Wineries sourcing from this vineyard

Reviewed wines produced from this vineyard

2016 Calera de Villiers Vineyard Mt. Harlan Pinot Noir

13.95% alc., pH 3.66, TA 0.67, 1,220 cases, $65. 15.6 acres planted in limestone soil at 2,200 feet in 1996. 1,290 vines per acre, yield 1.09 tons per acre. Calera selection. Harvest Brix 24.0ยบ. Aged 17 months in French oak barrels, 30% new, 20% second vintage and 50% neutral. · Moderate garnet color in the glass. A complex nose offers scents of black cherry, fertile earth and mushroom. Mid weight flavors of earth-kissed purple and black fruits are charming and infused with only a hint of oak-driven notes of dark chocolate and vanilla. Silky in the mouth, with a good cut of acidity and a satisfying, slightly drying finish. More fruity and revealing when tasted the following day from a previously opened and recorked bottle. Always the boldest and most tannic of the vineyard-designated bottlings. Score: 93. Reviewed June 19, 2019 WINERY » ARTICLE »

2015 Calera de Villiers Vineyard Mt. Harlan Pinot Noir

14.1% alc., $60. Vineyard planted in 1996, 1997, and 2001. Yields 0.39 tons per acre. Aged 18 months in French oak barrels, 30% new, 10% second vintage and 60% neutral. · Moderately dark garnet color in the glass. The nose offers penetrating aromas of black fruits, fertile earth, toast, burnt tobacco and a hint of vanilla. The wine's texture is seductively smooth and the mid weight plus flavors of blackberry, black raspberry and cassis are enviable. The fruit is spirited and fresh and the wine is seamlessly composed. Wines from this vineyard always taste like this and that reflects deft winemaking. Score: 93. Reviewed June 9, 2018 WINERY » ARTICLE »

2013 Calera de Villiers Vineyard Mt. Harlan Pinot Noir

14.5% alc., pH 3.45, TA 0.63, 1,018 cases, $N/A. 15.6-acre vineyard planted in 1997 in limestone soils. Yields 1.07 tons per acre. Native fermentation, aged 19 months in French oak barrels, 30% new. Bottled unfiltered. · Moderate reddish purple color in the glass. Aromas of cherry reduction sauce and blackberry jam lead to a mid weight plus style wine with a luscious core of purple fruits. The fruit is extraordinarily bombastic but monotone at present. There are substantial tannins that need time to integrate. When tasted the following day from a previously opened and re-corked bottle, the wine had more oak and less fruit on the nose, but the lush mouthfeel was appealing. This wine is disjointed now and one can only speculate about its future. Score: 90. Reviewed January 16, 2017 WINERY » ARTICLE »

2009 Calera de Villiers Vineyard Mt. Harlan Pinot Noir

14.4% alc., 1,460 cases, $35. 15.6-acre vineyard, yields 2.06 tons per acre. Made from organic grapes. Native fermentations, aged 16 months in 30% new French oak barrels. Unfiltered. · Medium reddish-purple color in the glass. Aromas of ripe plum, blackberry and raisin with hints of damp earth and oak. Moderately rich array of very ripe purple and black fruits with a hint of Hoison sauce and Asian spice, backed by modest tannins. The most approachable wine in the 2009 lineup. Good. Reviewed December 8, 2012 WINERY » ARTICLE »

2008 Calera de Villiers Vineyard Mt. Harlan Pinot Noir

14.4% alc., 1,460 cases, $35. Yield 2.06 tons per acre. Native fermentation, aged 16 months in 30% new French oak barrels, bottled unfiltered. · Moderately deep reddish-purple color in the glass. Riper fruit profile on the nose offering scents of black currants, black cherries and Asian 5- spice. Moderately intense on the palate with flat out delicious flavors of black cherries and dark plums with an appealing minerality and earthiness underlain with a hint of citrus. Very smooth in the mouth with fine-grain tannins showing up on the richly endowed finish. Even more strikingly aromatic the next day from a previously opened and re-corked bottle, tasting of darker Pinot fruits. An ideal pretense to seduction. Reviewed November 29, 2011 WINERY » ARTICLE »