Wine & Spirits - August 2019 - 83

US NEW RELEASES
Napa River in Rutherford. It feels big but
not hot: There's a cool blue-fruit sweetness
surrounded by the soft leather upholstery
of the tannins, a pillowy texture that holds
marionberry flavors and chocolate richness.
Those tannins are substantial without feeling aggressive, the wine lasting on vibrant
fruit. -J.G.

PINOT NOIR
517236

95 | Calera

517237
$75

2016 Mt. Harlan Reed Vineyard Pinot
Noir ^ Natural and effortless, the Calera 2016s
are among the most elegant California pinot
noirs we've tasted, the summation of place
and subtle but assertive winemaking. None
more so than Reed Vineyard, the smallest
and oldest of the pinot noir vineyards Josh
Jensen planted on Mt. Harlan. (This is the
last vintage Jensen made before selling
Calera to Duckhorn.) It leads with a quiet
but spicy whole-cluster thrust of lavender
and bergamot, leafy and savory, backed up
by a coniferous wood spice from French oak
barrels, about 30 percent new. For all the
savor, it tastes like the cool radiant sunshine
of California at high elevation. The flavors
feel sleek and quiet, unhurried and poised.
(375 cases) -P.J.C.

516988

93 | Calera

$65

93 | Goldeneye

$86

2016 Mt. Harlan de Villiers Vineyard
Pinot Noir ^ De Villiers is a large vineyard,
planted in 1997 on largely east-facing slopes
high on Mt. Harlan. Josh Jensen used that
fruit to produce a dark and smoky pinot noir
with savory notes of kid leather and tobacco.
The flavors shed the savor in favor of dark,
beguiling fruit, of burnished cherry spiced
with pipe tobacco, cradled by oak but hardly
dominated by it. Showing well now, it's built
for the long haul. (1,220 cases) -P.J.C.
517089
2016 Anderson Valley Split Rail Pinot
Noir ^ Katey Larwood joined Goldeneye as
assistant winemaker in 2016; now in charge,
she saw this pinot through to release, preserving the coastal freshness of the vineyard site in the wine's black-cherry-skin flavors and salty notes of nori. The tannins are
intense without being aggressive, creating a
tight path for the wine's richness and spice
to race. That lasting, breathable spice would
add to anything from planked salmon to
slow-smoked pork ribs. (360 cases) -J.G.

92 | Williams Selyem

$78

91 | Apriori

$60

2017 Russian River Valley Olivet Lane
Vineyard Pinot Noir ^ This grows at the Pellegrini family's vineyard in Santa Rosa, one of
the first plantings of pinot noir in the Russian
River Valley. The vines are now well past 40,
and their concentrated fruit produced a taut
and juicy 2017. That fruit comes in shades of
red, from Bing cherry to ripe strawberry and
darker raspberry, generous, cool and spicy.
Oak keeps it structured with a cinnamonbark note. Decant it for a salad of duck confit and pomegranate. -J.G.
517125
2015 Santa Cruz Mountains Hicks Family
Vineyard Pinot Noir ^ From a vineyard in
Corralitos, in the lower elevations at the
southern end of the Santa Cruz Mountains,
this wine has the supple, generous texture
you might expect from the work of a noted
consulting winemaker like Philippe Melka. It
feels comfortable and intriguing, with coastal
conifer scents. Serve it with grilled salmon.
(73 cases) -J.G.

517235

94 | Calera

$95

2016 Mt. Harlan Jensen Vineyard Pinot
Noir ^ Josh Jensen planted his namesake vineyard in 1975, and from the moment this wine
is poured, it shows the elegance and integration of old vines. It balances subtle oak notes
with whole-cluster scents, dried lavender,
purple flowers and notes of fine leather. The
flavors feel vinous and bright, red-cherryscented and slightly more acid driven than
the other two Calera wines reviewed here,
with a sleek texture that feels cool and built
to age, if you can keep your hands off it in the
cellar. (1,000 cases) -P.J.C.

516899
516992

93 | Williams Selyem

$55

2017 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir ^ Jeff Mangahas blended this wine from three coastal
sites-Terra de Promissio in the Petaluma
Gap, Coastlands in Occidental and Williams Selyem's Drake Estate in Guerneville.
It's spicy, bright and pretty, an open and welcoming wine right down to the fine sweetness of its tannins. The flavors of salted plum
and shiso leaf suggest serving this with panseared duck marinated in mirin and soy, or
broiled unagi over rice. -J.G.

91 | Marimar Estate

$59

91 | Montemar

$48

2015 Russian River Valley Stony Block
Don Miguel Vineyard Pinot Noir ^ This wine
is clean and fragrant, with scents of roses and
fine leather, the flavors rich enough to fully
incorporate the dry tannins. Those tannins
are smoky and bold, layering savor into the
fruit, setting the wine up for grilled hamachi
kama. (175 cases) -J.G.
516687
2014 Sta. Rita Hills Rita's Crown Vineyard
Pinot Noir ^ This wine, from the cool elevaWINE & SPIRITS

AUGUST 2019

https://www.williamsselyem.com/wine/2017-olivet-lane-vineyard-pinot-noir https://www.calerawine.com/product/2016-calera-mt-harlan-pinot-noir-de-villiers-vineyard?productListName=Pinot%20Noir&position=3 https://www.calerawine.com/product/2016-calera-mt-harlan-pinot-noir-jensen-vineyard?productListName=Pinot%20Noir&position=4 https://www.marimarestate.com/Shop-Wines/Club-Wines https://www.williamsselyem.com/wine/2017-sonoma-coast-pinot-noir

Wine & Spirits - August 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - August 2019