Calera Wine Company

Josh Jensen, born February 11, 1944, in Seattle and raised in Orinda, California, studied at Yale University and Oxford University before pursuing his passion for wine. After working harvests at Domaine de la Romanee-Conti and Domaine Dujac in Burgundy in the early 1970s, Jensen returned to California with a conviction that limestone soils were fundamental to producing great Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. He spent two years poring over geological survey maps and driving throughout California searching for viable limestone deposits, a material exceptionally rare in the state. In early 1974, he discovered what he was looking for on the steep slopes of Mount Harlan, a 3,278-foot peak in the Gabilan Mountains straddling Monterey and San Benito counties, situated about 100 miles south of San Francisco and 37 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. Jensen purchased a high-elevation parcel containing a limestone deposit of several million tons and, in 1975, cleared enough land to plant his first three Pinot Noir vineyards. He named the first vineyard Jensen after his father, Stephen Jensen; Reed after investor and close friend William G. Reed Sr.; and Selleck after a mentor who introduced him to wine. He also used suitcase clones of vine material brought back from Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, which over decades became known as the Calera clone, prized for small clusters and intense flavors.

• Jensen worked harvests at both Domaine de la Romanee-Conti and Domaine Dujac before launching Calera
• Spent two years studying geological maps to locate one of California's rarest soils: plantable limestone
• Mount Harlan sits 3,278 feet high in the Gabilan Mountains, dividing Monterey and San Benito counties
• Vine cuttings sourced from Chalone, Napa, and suitcase clones from DRC in France became the proprietary 'Calera clone'

The Mount Harlan AVA is one of the most unusual appellations in the United States: a 7,440-acre viticultural area with only one commercial winery. Established on December 15, 1990, after a petition submitted by Josh Jensen to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Mount Harlan was recognized for its distinctly different climate, soils, and topography compared to surrounding valleys. The appellation sits inland at elevations of 1,800 to 2,200 feet in the Gabilan Mountains, with Calera's vineyard blocks reaching as high as 2,500 feet. Only approximately 85 to 100 acres are under vine within the full appellation. The climate is cool and arid, strongly influenced by cold marine air flowing in from Monterey Bay through Chittenden and Pacheco passes. Average annual temperatures within the AVA range between 56 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit, making it significantly cooler than surrounding valleys. Harvest on Mount Harlan typically occurs two to four weeks later than in the adjacent Cienega and Lime Kiln valleys. The limestone-rich soils stress the vines, forcing deep root systems that produce low yields of intensely flavored fruit. In 2008, the Mt. Harlan vineyards became certified organic by California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF). A notable quirk of the appellation: the Calera winery itself is situated in the Cienega Valley on Cienega Road, about 1,000 feet lower in elevation than the vineyards, meaning Calera technically cannot use the term 'estate bottled' on its labels.

• Mount Harlan AVA established December 15, 1990, covering 7,440 acres with only one commercial winery
• Vineyards average 2,200 feet elevation, with some blocks reaching 2,500 feet, making it one of California's highest cool-climate sites
• Average annual temperature within the AVA is 56 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, considerably cooler than adjacent valleys
• Mt. Harlan vineyards received CCOF certified organic status in 2008

Calera's Mount Harlan estate comprises six individual Pinot Noir vineyards, each farmed as a distinct site and vinified separately in the manner of Burgundy's premier and grand cru parcels. The founding three vineyards were planted in 1975: Jensen (14 acres), named for Josh's father; Reed (5 acres), planted on terrain with the deepest and darkest soil with more clay content; and Selleck (5 acres). In 1984, Jensen added the Mills Vineyard (approximately 12 to 14 acres), named for neighbor and friend Everett Mills. A 13 to 15-acre parcel planted in 1997 between the Jensen and Mills vineyards was later named de Villiers in honor of author Marq de Villiers, who wrote 'The Heartbreak Grape,' the celebrated book chronicling Jensen's story. The de Villiers vineyard first appeared as a single-vineyard wine with the 2007 vintage. The Ryan Vineyard (10 acres) was planted in 1998 and named as a tribute to Jim Ryan, Calera's vineyard manager since 1979, who did not learn of the honor until he saw the first vintage in bottle in 2002. Beyond Pinot Noir, Calera also grows Chardonnay and Viognier on Mount Harlan, and is recognized as one of the first California producers to plant Viognier in 1983, as well as one of the original California producers of the Burgundian white variety Aligote.

• Six estate Pinot Noir vineyards: Jensen (14 acres, 1975), Reed (5 acres, 1975), Selleck (5 acres, 1975), Mills (1984), de Villiers (1997, first single-vineyard wine in 2007), and Ryan (10 acres, 1998)
• Calera planted Viognier on Mount Harlan in 1983, making it one of California's earliest producers of the Rhone variety
• Chardonnay was first planted on the estate in 1984; vines grow on their own roots from stray cuttings found among the original Pinot Noir blocks
• Calera is one of California's original producers of Aligote, Burgundy's secondary white grape, with approximately half an acre in production

In 1977, Jensen purchased a 100-acre site on Cienega Road, situated about 1,000 feet lower in elevation than the vineyards and halfway between Mount Harlan and the town of Hollister. He used the framework of an old rock-crushing facility on the property to construct a multi-level, seven-tier, gravity-flow winery, a design philosophy inspired by great Burgundian cellars. Rather than relying on pumps to move grapes, juice, and wine from one stage to the next, the tiered structure uses gravity to transport fruit downward through the fermentation and aging process, minimizing physical stress on the wine. All grapes are harvested by hand. The winemaking approach is emphatically non-interventionist: fermentation relies on native ambient yeasts, whole clusters are incorporated to varying degrees, wines are aged in French oak (approximately 30 percent new) for 15 to 16 months, and the wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered to preserve maximum purity. Each day's picking is treated as a separate fermentation lot, and press and free-run wine are combined. Mike Waller, who joined Calera in 2007 as assistant winemaker after stints at Saintsbury, Beringer, and Chalone, was named head winemaker in 2009 and continues to lead the winemaking program today. The house style produces medium-bodied wines with vivid natural acidity, red and dark fruit character, and a distinctive limestone minerality that collectors prize for their aging potential of five to twenty years or more.

• Seven-tier gravity-flow winery built in 1977 on a former rock-crushing facility in the Cienega Valley near Hollister
• All estate Pinot Noirs fermented with native yeasts, incorporating whole clusters, aged approximately 15 to 16 months in 30 percent new French oak, and bottled unfiltered
• Mike Waller joined in 2007 and was named head winemaker in 2009, maintaining Jensen's non-interventionist philosophy
• Wines are known for natural acidity, limestone minerality, and aging potential often exceeding 10 to 20 years from vintage

Over four decades of independent operation, Calera earned a reputation as one of the most important Pinot Noir producers in the Americas. Josh Jensen was named Winemaker of the Year by the San Francisco Chronicle in 2007 and appeared on the cover of Wine Spectator. The winery was named a 'Top 100 Winery in the World' by Wine and Spirits magazine four times. Robert Parker famously dubbed Calera 'California's Romanee-Conti.' Jensen's book-worthy story was chronicled in Marq de Villiers' 1993 work 'The Heartbreak Grape,' revised and updated in 2006. On August 15, 2017, Jensen sold Calera to Napa Valley-based Duckhorn Wine Company. The deal included the winery, tasting room, brand, all inventory, and the six estate vineyards totaling 85 planted acres in the Mount Harlan AVA. As part of the agreement, Jensen joined Duckhorn's board of directors and consulted for Calera for several years. All key personnel, including winemaker Mike Waller, remained with the winery. Under Duckhorn's ownership, the estate winemaking program has continued unchanged while distribution of the Central Coast tier of wines has expanded. Josh Jensen passed away on June 11, 2022, at the age of 78, leaving behind a legacy recognized as foundational to California's Pinot Noir renaissance and the broader development of the Central Coast as a world-class wine region.

• Named San Francisco Chronicle Winemaker of the Year in 2007; featured on the cover of Wine Spectator as a 'Pinot Pioneer'
• Acquired by Duckhorn Wine Company on August 15, 2017, for an undisclosed sum, including 85 acres of Mt. Harlan estate vineyards
• Josh Jensen passed away June 11, 2022, at age 78, widely mourned as the foundational figure of California's fine Pinot Noir movement
• Calera's story is told in Marq de Villiers' book 'The Heartbreak Grape,' first published in 1993 and revised in 2006

Calera produces wines at two distinct tiers. The flagship estate program consists of six single-vineyard Mount Harlan Pinot Noirs, a Mount Harlan Chardonnay, and small quantities of Mount Harlan Viognier and Aligote, all sourced exclusively from the estate's limestone terroir at 2,200 to 2,500 feet elevation. These wines are the closest in California to the Burgundian idiom, characterized by medium body, naturally high acidity, mineral-driven structure, and a preference for restraint over opulence. They are often shy and tight upon release, with the best drinking window cited between five and twenty years after vintage. At a second tier, Calera also produces Pinot Noir and Chardonnay under the Central Coast appellation, sourced from purchased fruit across Monterey, San Luis Obispo, and other Central Coast counties. These wines offer more accessible pricing and broader availability while retaining the winery's commitment to quality. Under Duckhorn's ownership since 2017, the distribution network for the Central Coast tier has expanded significantly while the estate wines continue to be made in exactly the same manner Jensen established over four decades.

• Estate tier comprises six single-vineyard Pinot Noirs plus Chardonnay, Viognier, and Aligote from the Mt. Harlan AVA
• Central Coast tier of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay uses purchased fruit from across the broader California Central Coast
• Estate wines are characterized by high natural acidity, limestone minerality, and aging potential of five to twenty-plus years
• Calera's production at time of 2017 sale was approximately 20,000 to 30,000 cases annually across both tiers