Calera Wine Company

Calera Wine Company is an esteemed producer based in Mt Harlan in California's San Benito County. Calera, which is named for an on-site lime kiln, is notable for its limestone-rich soils, a rarity in California. Pinot Noir is the key grape variety here, making several single-vineyard wines.

Winemaker Josh Jensen trained in Burgundy, working a harvest at Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and later interning at Domaine Dujac. It was there that he learned that Pinot Noir and Chardonnay thrive on limestone soils, so upon returning to the US, he went in search for that terroir. In 1974, he purchased land that was once a limestone quarry on Mt Harlan, and planted 10 hectares (24 acres) of Pinot Noir in 1975. The first vintage from the vineyard was in 1978, and since then the estate has been expanded to include plantings of Chardonnay, Viognier and Aligoté. Today, Calera makes six different single-vineyard Pinot Noir wines, as well as an estate Chardonnay, Viognier and Aligoté.

Mt Harlan lies in the Gavilan Mountain Range, at 2200ft (670m) above sea level. With a strong coastal influence from the Monterey Bay Coast, it is one of the coolest vineyard sites in California. The Jensen single-vineyard Pinot Noir is highly regarded; other single-vineyard wines include Selleck, Reed, Mills, Ryan, and de Villiers. All of Calera's wines get very good press, and he is considered to be one of the best producers of Pinot Noir in California.