The 1989 Pinot Noir Jensen Vineyard from Calera is a real surprise. I am inexperienced with respect to mature Californian Pinot Noir, and Josh Jensen’s wine was a revelation. Candied red fruit commingles with blood orange and Kirsch, unmistakably not from Burgundy because it is too rich, but it is certainly not over-ripe. The palate is overly sweet and Californian on the entry. Still, there is structure behind this Pinot extant after more than three decades, with quite plush raspberry fruit on the quintessentially Californian finish. It's just a lovely wine that is, once again, perfect to drink now. (Neal Martin, Vinous, April 2024)
— 8 months ago
Legendary Loss
Calera founder Josh Jensen passed away earlier this month after a lifetime of achievements that included elevating American Pinot Noir on the world stage
Day 1
Served this with the Vinloq System
👃Bold, sexy, purple fruit floods from the glass endlessly
👅Spicy purple fruit, blood orange, sasafras, and licorice. A gentle tannic pull on the smoke tinged finish. Drinking well
Remaining wine was Slow Decanted in my refrigerator
DAY 10
👃Sweet, spicy, purple fruits with more vanilla, oak, vegetal, and tobacco notes than Day 1
👅Same sweet plummy fruit with tobacco and licorice. Fruit forward but balanced. Soft tannins and no heat
I did not have a preference for Day 1 or Day 10. There were more oak notes on both the nose and palate on Day 10. Two solid showings👍This is solidly in its drinking window & will be there for quite some time 🍷 — 2 years ago
at peak, subtle and excellent — 2 months ago
Followed this wine across three days, and I’d say it was an excellent example of Roseneck. Poured out with a mostly bright green-yellow colour, with touches of light golden hue on some angles in the light.
On day 1, it had aromas of flint, sea spray, apples, fresh honey, and a touch of petrol. Palpable minerality on the palate, almost painfully so. Not the weightiest, but it sure had intensity. Notable sparkly acidity.
On day 2, I had an 08’ Schlossberg to compare with and this was clearly the more filigreed of the two. The 09’ Roseneck was lighter, more mineral, and less complex. It felt greener even - perhaps it was picked earlier in light of the warm vintage. Comparison aside, the nose evolved a little from day 1, with the petrol hints disappearing altogether, the honey note becoming more like honey candy instead of fresh honey, and the appearance of white florals. The palate was again sparkly, with a palate-staining minerality.
I felt day 3 was the best showing of the 09’ Roseneck, with the fruit and floral notes taking a back seat, and the salinity just dominating. Notably, it looked fresher than the 08’ Schlossberg on this day. The palate was just all about that sea spray. The palate was wild - tasted a lot like salted limes doused with fresh honey. The finish was super mineral with hints of lime zest and green apples. Just pure energy!
I’ve seen quite a number of tasting notes on CL noting that the 09’ Roseneck’s possibly close to its peak but I’m inclined to believe otherwise. — 4 months ago
Another Breuer I got to follow over three days. While it was incredible, I felt the bottle could have been better. The 08’ Schlossberg I had 4 years ago was spectacularly fresh, tight even; and the pair of older 07’ Kellers I had this trip were both fresher; plus this bottle fell off on day 3 while the 09’ Roseneck peaked.
This bottle was best on day 1. It had aromas of smoke, sea spray, nectarines, green apples, lemon rinds, chamomile which kept growing with air, heaps of spices, fresh honey, and a touch of petrol. The palate was super dense and intense, with a screaming acidity and palate-staining stoniness. Huge finish that just seemed endless. Paired with a roasted bone marrow and parsley dish, it was just insane.
Day 2 saw little evolution from day 1. The petrol character totally disappeared, and a mild bitterness appeared. On day 3 the wine just felt tired and not quite at the level of the previous days. All things considered, it was a beautiful riesling, but just didn’t live up to the expectations of its legendary status. — 4 months ago
Tart, bright, full raspberry flavor and tannins. Very nice. — 3 years ago
Dry reisling? I thought it was supposed to be sweet! Yummy dry minerals — 4 years ago
Jeremiah Diaz
Medium straw in color; honeysuckle and lemon zest on the nose; high acidity; tastes like lemons, lemon peel, and saline with a long finish. — 2 months ago