The 2008 Pinot Noir Reed Vineyard is a plush, deep wine endowed with gorgeous textural richness and depth. Sweet herbs, licorice and mint develop in the glass, adding further complexity and nuance. The Reed Vineyard is another superb, beautifully balanced, harmonious wine. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2023. I was deeply impressed with the wines I tasted from Josh Jensen and Calera. Vintage 2008 was not an easy one, as a severe spring frost reduced yields to less than one ton per acre. Most of the Pinots are made with 100% whole clusters. I am not sure each of these sites is ideally suited to such a high percentage of stem inclusion, especially in this vintage, but time will tell. Calera has what are easily the most informative back labels I have ever seen, with much more information and detail on each wine than I can reproduce here. Kudos to Josh Jensen for providing his customers with the maximum level of detail one could ever ask for. Unfortunately I was not able to taste the Chardonnays, but I will report on those wines as soon as possible. Tel. (831) 637-9170; www.calerawine.com

Calls to mind the 2006, which also was a ripe, fruity wine. If anything, the ’08 is even sweeter. The alcohol is half a percent higher. It’s succulent in raspberry and cherry jam, making it likeable now. But such are the tannins and acids that the wine should easily gain in the cellar over the next six years. ——S.H.(12/31/2011)—— 91