Expert Reviews - Vintage 2022
Clive Pursehouse writes: Rich depth from this Central Coast Chardonnay made by California icons Calera. The aromatics show rich nutmeg, lemon cream, and cardamom spice, giving way to a palate that balances richness and depth with an elegant fruit profile. Grilled pineapple, honeyed apricot, and spiced pear are met with salinity-d...Show More >
Expert Reviews - Vintage 2022
Clive Pursehouse writes: Rich depth from this Central Coast Chardonnay made by California icons Calera. The aromatics show rich nutmeg, lemon cream, and cardamom spice, giving way to a palate that balances richness and depth with an elegant fruit profile. Grilled pineapple, honeyed apricot, and spiced pear are met with salinity-driven sea spray mineral notes. Drinking 2024 to 2028. - Decanter 90
Jeb Dunnuck writes: Starting with the 2022 Chardonnay Central Coast, this comes from a mix of sites and spent 10 months in 10% new oak. Its vivid gold hue is followed by a solid nose of stone and apple-like fruits, as well as some background spicy, brioche-like nuances. This medium-bodied, concentrated, textured Chardonnay is clean, balanced, and impeccably made. - Jeb Dunnuck 90
MaryAnn Worobiec writes: Generous pineapple, guava and lemony citrus notes are juicy and bright in this version, with plenty of intensity. Accents of lemon blossoms and candied orange peel linger, with a hint of white tea. Drink now. - Wine Spectator
Billy Norris writes: The 2022 Chardonnay Central Coast comes from a blend of Edna Valley, San Benito and Monterey sites. It’s a rich, forward white with lots of richness but also a bracing structure. Toasted hazelnut, apricot, lemon zest, petrol and slate build in the glass, pressing onward through the voluptuous, mouth-coating finish. It trails away quickly with a kiss of heat, but this is a solidly enjoyable appellation-level offering in a tough year. Drinking 2024 to 2029. - Vinous 90
Winery Notes
In 1975, legendary vintner and pioneer Josh Jensen founded Calera (Spanish for “lime kiln”) high in the Gavilan Mountains of California’s majestic Central Coast. In the four decades since, Calera has helped establish the Central Coast as one of the New World’s most exciting wine regions, while earning acclaim as one of California’s iconic wineries. Sourced from some of the appellation’s finest vineyards, the Calera Central Coast Chardonnay has become a benchmark for the region, balancing lush richness with beautiful minerality and bright citrus flavors.
Tasting Notes
Both energetic and enticing, this impeccably balanced Chardonnay shows its cool-climate coastal roots with aromas of Meyer lemon, white peach, and fragrant honeysuckle. On the palate, notions of tropical pineapple mingle with zesty citrus flavors, with bright underlying acidity adding poise and energy to a long, refreshing finish.
Production
The 2022 growing season on the Central Coast began with below-average rainfall and moderate spring temperatures that led to a normal period of budbreak and bloom in the vineyards. While we saw a normal ripening progression of the grapes throughout the summer months, because the Central Coast is vast (spanning from Santa Barbara in the south to San Francisco in the north), the impact of a heat event near Labor Day affected each region differently. In San Benito and Monterey County ripeness increased quickly, spurring us to start harvest just after Labor Day, whereas in the other regions we work, the heat spike was just what we needed to speed up ripening. Harvest drew to a close in late September—one of our earliest finishes ever—yielding wines notable for richness, complexity and vibrant acid.
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