2009 Calera - Pinot Noir Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir - USA - California - San Benito - Red

Very tannic. Needs time. Wonderful nose: red fruit, toast, baking spice, and earthy tones. Red color. Velvety texture, medium body yet with density of flavor. This could be phenomenal in 5+ years when some of the tannins resolve. Score could really shift up or down depending on how tannins play out.

This is another of my epiphany wines. The winemaker (Josh Jensen) strives to make Pinot Noir with as little intervention as possible. Basically, he takes what Mother Nature gives him - warts and all - and trusts her to deliver the goods. This one did, in spades. Mon dieu, this was magnificent. In wine terms, Pinot Noir can be considered a blank slate. Like its close relative, Chardonnay, it can be manipulated to be whatever the winemaker wants it to be. This one was rich, deep, funky, complex and magnificent, and not because the winemaker made it so, but because he stayed out of Mother Nature's way and just let it be. As the evening progressed, there was wave upon wave of flavors and aromas ranging from black cherries, cotton candy, earth, honeysuckle and tobacco framed by ample acidity (great for pairing with food) and completely integrated tannins. I was introduced to this producer's wines through Brian Loring, a Pinot Noir specialist who makes his wines in a more modern style. He said Josh takes a "non-interventionist" approach, and by golly, he was right. Tonight I learned that great wine - like great art - is not always about what the winemaker does. Sometimes it's about what he DOESN'T do. Drink now with a 60-minute decant, or wait until 2014.