The same day that we went tasting at Pietra Santa Winery, we also stopped at Calera Wine Co. This winery is located a little further down Cienega Road and has a very utilitarian look to it; the tasting room is in a warehouse. We arrived there at about 4pm and the couple that arrived before us were just leaving, so in contrast to the crowd at Pietra Santa, we had the tasting to ourselves. The tasting room attendant was very knowledgeable about the wine, the history of the vineyard, and very friendly. They make mostly Pinot Noir at this winery, but they have a few Viognier, Chardonnay and one dessert Viognier. There are 2 wines that I remember as being exceptional; both are Pinot Noir, which this winery has become famous for.
2004 Selleck Vineyard Pinot Noir and the 2004 Mills Vineyard Pinot Noir were both very similar in taste to an untrained Pinot palate like mine. These Pinots are not your typical California variety, these are more similar to the ones that you would get from Burgundy. I thought that the Mills Vineyard one was a little fuller in body that the Selleck Vineyard, but both had a lighter flavor and a clean and slightly dry finish. They did not taste watery, as some Pinots do. We picked up a bottle of the Mills Vineyard Pinot Noir, and I will be going back to this winery to get some more of their wonderful wine in my “cellar”.