"Calera is one of the great and historic wineries in California. They are a producer that epitomizes what Polaner Selections is all about – traditionally made wines (lots of stems and acidity) that have an amazing amount of soul, clarity and balance. And even more incredible: Who else besides Calera is making certified organic, super-traditional wines in an old world style, from 30+ year old estate vines grown in limestone, and has a clone and AVA named for them here in America? No one!
Calera was officially founded in 1975, when owner/winemaker Josh Jensen planted his first 24 acres of pinot noir in three separate parcels in Mt. Harlan. Having studied in Burgundy, Josh was determined to follow in his mentors' foot steps. He spent two years searching for limestone throughout California before finally purchasing a high-elevation parcel with a limestone subsoil in early 1974. (Limestone had even been commercially quarried here a 100 years earlier. To this day, there stands a magnificently well-preserved, 30-foot tall masonry limekiln, or "calera" in Spanish. It thus serves as the winery's symbol and appears on every bottle of wine.)
Located 90 miles south of San Francisco and about 25 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean, Calera is near Mt. Harlan in San Benito County. Its elevation is 2,200 feet above sea level, making it one of the highest and coolest vineyard properties in California. All the vineyards are based on selected cuttings from Burgundy ("Calera Selection"), with new vineyards started from massale selections taken from older plots.
In the Burgundian tradition, Josh named each parcel individually to emphasize the fact that each would produce a distinct wine. The original plantings are the Selleck Vineyard (5 acres), Reed Vineyard (5 acres), and Jensen Vineyard (14 acres). These vineyards produced their initial tiny crop in 1978.
Josh made Calera's first wine in 1975: 1000 cases of zinfandel produced from purchased grapes. During his first two years as a winemaker, he made the Calera wines in a rented space in a larger nearby winery. He gradually purchased more vineyard land, as well as property upon which he built his winery. Over the span of 25 years he transformed a multi-level rock crushing facility into a gravity-flow winery where the wines are moved by the mere force of gravity, rather than by the use of pumps. This multi-layered hillside construction has allowed for the gentlest possible handling of the Calera wines.
In 1990 the U.S. government approved the Mt. Harlan AVA (American Viticultural Area), which is high in the Gavilan Mountains (the lowest point is at 1,800 feet above sea level). While it is a large AVA which comprises 7,400 acres, Calera's are the only vineyards in the Mt. Harlan Viticultural Area.
Calera's winemaking is steeped in non-interventionist practices, such as the use of native yeasts, hand-harvesting, whole cluster fermentations, minimal racking, and fining and/or filtration only when necessary, insuring the bottled wines express all of the natural greatness of their vineyard origins."
Wine Enthusiast 90 "A tangy plum aroma meets turned soil on the rustic and rugged nose of this appellation blend by the historic winery, now owned
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California » Central Coast
Wine Enthusiast 91 "The nose of this wine is sharp and precise in tones of chalk, tangerine cream, dried lemon and crushed nuts. There's a strong
50eCalifornia » Mount Harlan
Wine Enthusiast 94 "Deep and meaty on the nose, this 40th anniversary bottling offers black plum, dried violet and roasted meat aromas. Mulberry, strawberry and plum
50eCalifornia » Mount Harlan
"From vines planted in 1975, this gorgeous Pinot Noir effortlessly straddles the line between power and elegance, displaying silky, harmonious tannins and remarkable concentration and
Wine & Spirits 93 “De Villiers is a large vineyard, planted in 1997 on largely east-facing slopes high on Mt. Harlan. Josh Jensen used that fruit
Wine Enthusiast 94 “Strong aromas of black cherry and Christmas spice are plump on the nose, while the palate is minty and earthy, combining sagebrush, raspberry
Vinous Media 95+ "The 2014 Pinot Noir Ryan Vineyard is a powerful, bombastic wine with huge fruit and equally imposing tannins that demand patience. Waves of
Wine Advocate 92 "The keenly priced 2015 Pinot Noir 40th Anniversary Vintage from Calera is lovely, wafting from the glass with youthfully complex aromas of potpourri,
Vinous Media 96 "The Pinot Noir Jensen Vineyard is one of the most overt and powerful wines in the range. The stress of the drought comes
Vinous Media 95 "The 2013 Pinot Noir de Villiers Vineyard is intense, pure and brilliant. Dark red cherry, blood orange, lavender, mint, star anise and wild
Wine Advocate 97 "The biggest, richest wine in the lineup is the 327-case 2013 Pinot Noir Selleck Vineyard, which comes from the 4.8-acre Selleck Vineyard (this
"Tangerine, gardenia and Meyer lemon accented by Marcona almond and pear waft from this beautiful 2015 Chardonnay; succulent, bright and rich like key lime pie.
Vinous Media 95+ "A big, powerful wine, the 2013 Pinot Noir Ryan Vineyard packs a serious punch. Dark, bold flavors abound, the result of a drought
Wine Enthusiast 92 "Josh Jensen's appellation blend is arguably the best American white wine for the price. This vintage offers squeezed tangerine, fleur de sel, lily,
Wine Advocate 98 "Deeper and richer than the Jensen, the blockbuster-style 2012 Pinot Noir Selleck Vineyard comes from vines planted in 1975 and wasn't harvested until
Wine Advocate 93 "The 2010 Pinot Noir Reed Vineyard, which was harvested from November 6th through November 11th, offers up loads of underbrush and sweet spice
Wine Advocate 93+ "The 2011 Chardonnay Mt. Harlan bursts from the glass with expressive apricots, peaches, crushed rocks, French oak and spices. Rich yet weightless, the
Wine Advocate 96 "More rich and structured, yet still sexy and voluptuous, the 2010 Pinot Noir Jensen Vineyard offers up a complex array of underbrush, black
Wine Advocate 94 "A larger scaled, structured effort that oozes kirsch, strawberry, raspberry, incense and liquid flower-like aromas and flavors, the 2010 Pinot Noir Ryan Vineyard
Wine Advocate 97 "The 2009 Pinot Noir Jensen Vineyard is the biggest and richest of the 2009s. It boasts stunning depth in its dark fruit, licorice,
Antonio Galloni 93 "Bright, floral aromatics meld into savory notes and bright red cranberries in the 2011 Pinot Noir Jensen Vineyard. Rosewater, mint and crushed rocks
Robert Parker 97 "A true Pinot Noir rock star is the 2007 Pinot Noir Jensen Vineyard. From a 13.8-acre vineyard planted in 1975, and cropped at
Wine Advocate 93 "Slightly deeper and richer, yet also less expressive aromatically, the 2011 Pinot Noir Ryan Vineyard offers a darker, earthier profile, with black cherry,
Wine Advocate 96 "A thrilling Pinot Noir that comes from a 13.8-acre vineyard planted in 1975 on mostly on limestone, at an elevation of 2,200 feet,
Wine Advocate 96 "The 2009 Pinot Noir De Villiers Vineyard, from vines planted in 1997, bursts from the glass with expressive, juicy fruit. Dark red berries,