2016 Pinot Noir Jensen Vineyard

This is a solid set of wines from Calera. The Aligoté, Viognier and Mt. Harlan Chardonnay are among the highlights in the whites. In recent years, Calera has expanded the Pinot range to include select, single-vineyard bottlings from sites outside the estate's Mt. Harlan property. This year, the Muns Vineyard Pinot, from a vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains, is especially fine. I found some of the other 2016 Pinots to be a bit awkward. Winemaker Mike Waller explained that, although 2016 was the first year after the drought, it is possible the vines were carrying some accumulated stress from several years with basically no water. The ability of Pinot Noir to transmit so much about site and vintage is one of the things that makes wine so fascinating, and the 2016 Pinots definitely tell the story of the year.