Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Calera Wine Tasting in SF Wednesday


Calera, the legendary wine outpost located in Hollister, will be featured in a tasting Wednesday afternoon and early evening at San Francisco Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant.

If you have ever tried to visit the winery, you will know it is quite a drive so being able to taste their wines here in the SF Bay Area is a treat.

They have many wines rated 90+ point by the inestimable Mr. Parker.

Here are some photos from my recent stop at Calera, so if you want to visualize where these wines come from, this is a start.

Here's the Facebook invite from Wine Merchant site (I couldn't find the info online):

The Great Calera Wine Company Presents Old and New Pinot Noir!

Join us Wednesday, May 18th, from 4:30-7:30pm, when we welcome Marta Rich of Calera Wine Company to our Wine Bar. Calera Wine Company is one of the gems of the wine business. They have been around a long time, over thirty years, and hail from the unlikely location of Mount Harlan, at 2200 feet of elevation, on the Central Coast. They are fairly isolated from their fellow wineries of that region. Let's put it this way, it is not on the way to anywhere. You have to want to visit Calera, and many people seek them out due to the stellar quality of their wines and their longstanding reputation as one of the best in the business. Gregarious and eccentric, Josh Jensen, the flamboyantly dressed owner, is a character you will never forget once you meet him. You could easily describe the color pallet for his wardrobe as electric florescent! His shirts are a masterpiece of over the top fashion. Which, oddly, is just the opposite of his Pinot Noirs.

Calera has always been known for their focus and restraint when it comes to Pinot, not overly indulging in ripeness and wood as has become the fashion. The curious point though is they have also been known for their ability to age. It has been our experience that the big, jammy, woody monsters don't do very well after any length of time in the cellar. They may be impressive out of the gate and get big scores, but for the long haul give us the subtlety, the restraint, the understated. Give us Calera!

Come taste two well-cellared Pinot Noirs side by side with two young pups and you be the judge. We think you will appreciate the complex developments of the older wines and understand the structure in the younger ones and how it gives them the ability to last.
We know you will enjoy the rare opportunity to compare and contrast aged and young Pinot Noir from such an esteemed producer. So come join us and help us welcome Marta Rich of Calera Wine Company to the Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant.

The featured wines are served as two ounce glasses. If you find a favorite and would like a full glass just ask your bartender. The wines will be available for retail sale while supplies last…

The cost of the flight will be $28 and will include the following wines:

2010 Calera Vin Gris of Pinot Noir, Central Coast
Retail $19.50, 5oz. glass $8.25

2001 Calera Pinot Noir, Mills Vineyard, Mt. Harlan, San Benito County (certified organic)
Retail $60, 5oz. glass $18.25

2002 Calera Pinot Noir, Jensen Vineyard, Mt. Harlan, San Benito County (certified organic)
Retail $84, 5oz. glass $24.25

2007 Calera Pinot Noir, de Villiers Vineyard, Mt. Harlan, San Benito County (certified organic)
Retail $38, 5oz. glass $12.75

2008 Calera Pinot Noir, Ryan Vineyard, Mt. Harlan, San Benito County (certified organic)
Retail $41, 5oz. glass $13.50

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