Rich Bluth

9.1

Great wine from Calera who is consistently in the top tier! — 7 years ago

Peter Sultan

9.0

Really needs large stemware to settle down & integrate- otherwise sweet fruits stay predominantly forward. Some idea of its true nature in last glass. Thanksgiving part 3 — 7 years ago

Al Shikoh

9.4

Light garnet color fading to amber rim. Lovely nose of damp earth, wild cherry, cola, and cloves. Mid-weight and elegant on the palate with long spicy finish. Made from a barrel selection of four clones in the vineyard: Dijon 115 & 667, Vosne-Romanée, and Calera aged 21 months in neutral French oak. — 8 years ago

with Kelly

C. Cole

9.1

Not a Kenneth Volk but a new Pinot in the Calera lineup. Very nice now, but with a few more years, it will be even better — 8 years ago

David

9.3

I bought this after reading princeofpinot review; my first experience with this wine. Lately I have been drinking Kistler/ Occidental, Marcassin, Aubert and a few random Calera pinots and the Suduri was a bit different in character; seemed more burgundian in style. Was elegant, but less fruit forward than Kistler et.al , more restrained? Reminded me of a few Rochhioli West Blocks and early Williams Selyem from years gone by. A very nice pinot at any price point and I wish I had more of it. — 10 years ago

Maxwell Cromwell

8.9

A very mellow sweetness. Not a fan of sweet wines, but this went down way too easy. Lovely. — 10 years ago

with Alex, Nathaniel and 2 others

Tyson Escoto

9.3

On the nose: Strong anise, slight leather, hot; however, it's mis-leading as the alcohol disappears on the palate and gives way to a stunningly silky texture. Light bodied with a slight hint of vanilla, back licorice and fresh leather dominating throughout the finish. The Calera clone has a wanton mouthfeel and a celestial body making her a devilish temptress. — 11 years ago

Isaac Pirolo

9.0

Pillow Rd. Vineyard is situated to the southwest of Sebastopol, not far from the southern tip of the Russian River Valley, and planted to two acres of Chardonnay and seven acres of Pinot Noir. Clones 777, 115, and Pommard made up the first plantings in 2000, with Calera and Swan being added later (replacing Gravenstein apple trees). The vineyard has courted her fair share of suitors, originally being one of Duckhorn’s sources for its Goldeneye Pinot Noir. The first commercial vintage under the Pillow Rd. label was 2006. I’m not sure whether Ladera had entered the scene at that point, but it was definitely in time for their release of the 2009 vintage. In 2016 PlumpJack Group acquired Ladera’s Howell Mountain vineyard and winemaking facility, and while it appears the Pillow Rd. Vineyard wasn’t included in that sale, I haven’t seen anything that spells that out explicitly. Regardless, what is certain is that Napa Cab makers can’t quit this Russian River Pinot vineyard. It had some kinks to work out, but ultimately it’s built for pleasure and not complexity, and it eventually got there. Cherry cola, sassafras, baking spice, butterscotch, and just enough of a citrus edge to keep from losing its balance. — 7 years ago

Sean S

9.0

Gordon $35 — 8 years ago

Takeo Fujiwara

9.5

with soshi — 8 years ago

Paige Sefton

9.0

Balanced and medium-bodied Pinot. Great with tapas!!! — 10 years ago

with Chris

Marika Reuling

Vintner/Partner Reuling Vineyard

10

Hi friends! We're excited to announce the launch of the 2013 Reuling Vineyard Pinot Noir and our new #ClonalCollection, which includes three bottles of the traditional Pinot Noir blend as well as one bottle of each of Reuling Vineyard’s three individual clones: Calera and two different “suitcase” clones from the Vosne-Romanée region of Burgundy. More on our website! — 10 years ago

Corey Zamora, CSW

9.3

Rivaling Calera for my favorite Pinot under 30 bucks. This is fantastic! — 10 years ago

Stevie Stacionis

Owner, Bay Grape Wine Shop

10

Birth year rarity!! 10.5% and so super vibrant. — 11 years ago

Nathan Wegener

9.3

Golden yellow colour. Floral and butter notes. Mango and peach with a rich mouthfeel — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

Alban Vineyards as they state in their label "The first American winery & vineyard established exclusively for Rhone varieties." This Syrah has settled in nicely after 10 years in bottle. I would say it's peaking. On the nose; scorched earth, sweet & slowly baked; blackberries, blueberries, black raspberries, plum, huckleberries and dark cherries. Mint, eucalyptus, milk chocolate, black olive, notes of liqueur, crushed rocks, loamy top soil and lilacs, violets and lavender. The palate is rich and nicely resolved. The body medium-medium plus. The fruits are ripe, creamy and juicy; blackberries, blueberries, black raspberries, plum, huckleberries, dark cherries and strawberries haunt the long fruit set. Mint, eucalyptus, sage, smoked meat, milk chocolate, black olive, notes of liqueur, crushed dry rocks, gritty volcanic minerals, scorched earth, a little bacon fat, underbrush, a whiff of black pepper, lilacs, violets and lavender, great rich, round, fresh acidity with a very good, long, balanced, well structured, finish with length and staying power. I prefer this over the Cayuse I had a couple of weeks ago. Much better balance of fruit, earth, etc.. photos of their Edna Valley vineyard, fruit that needs netting to protect it from the birds, John Alban and the Alban barrel room. Producer notes and history...In 1985, John Alban planted grapes for other people until he bought an estate in 1989. He focused on wines made from Rhône Valley varietals. Alban is one of the pioneers of the Rhone Rangers movement. They are considered to one of the more influential American Rhone producers. In beginning to grow Viognier, Alban said, "I almost single-handedly doubled the world's acreage," referring to a time when its cultivation was reduced to 50 acres or 20 ha in two areas of the Rhône Valley, Condrieu and Château-Grillet. Alban's work, along with that of Josh Jensen of Calera Wine Company (just sold to Duckhorn, ugh!) in San Benito County, helped to significantly expand plantings of Viognier in California at a time when the variety was near extinction. Alban has 250-acre or 100 ha under vine. Their vineyard area extends 60 acres or 24 ha, planted with Syrah, Viognier and Roussanne. The Alban wines produced are; Lorraine Vineyard, Reva Vineyard Syrah, Seymour's Vineyard Syrah, Patrina Alban Estate Syrah and Pandora, a blend of Grenache and Syrah. They also used to produce a dessert wine from 5% botrytis grapes and aged in 50% new oak, called Rotten Luck. You can still find past vintages on Wine-Searcher. — 8 years ago

Lee Lightfoot

9.1

Huge tannic stemmy with fruit leather character. As if calera made a Syrah. Needs time. — 9 years ago

Candace Widdoes

9.5

Tasty. Well balanced with fruity finish and light minerality compared to most Viogniers. Could drink at summer bbq — 10 years ago

Joe Hirsch

9.0

Kicking off #ipob with a fascinating discussion on aging with Jeffrey Patterson of Mt. Eden, Josh Jensen of Calera, and Ted Lemon of Littorai. A lot of Cali legends in the room today. — 10 years ago

with Jasmine

Morgan Collins

9.5

Wonderfully zippy. That's totally a wine word. Don't doubt it. — 11 years ago