Calera Wine Dinner at Cafe Maxx

"I drank a bottle of wine for company. It was Chateau Margaux.  It was pleasant to be drinking slowly and to be tasting the wine and to be drinking alone. A bottle of wine  was good company."
--Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises

I remember the first wines that made me wild about the Pinot Noir varietal and the first few vintages of single vineyard wines from Calera are what introduced me to this varietal at this level of quality.  I searched high and low to find these wines and ended up bootlegging them in to have them on the wine list at Cafe Maxx.  I may have drank more that we sold but it was my first quest for the holy grail of Pinot Noir and I will never forget searching for the late 1980's vintage wines from Calera to get bragging rights on finding the new cult Pinot Noirs of the new world.

That’s why I was excited to be able to put together a dinner that will feature not only the current releases of the single vineyard wines from this trail blazing Pinot Noir producer but we will also be showing you library releases from the cellar of Calera Winery! 

Join us as we welcome Marta Rich to dinner as Chef Oliver Saucy will be making a special dinner to accompany the tasting wines.  Dinner is $125 + Tax + Gratuity, for reservations call 954-523-9463.

Calera Wine Dinner at Cafe Maxx
Wednesday August 17th
7pm

Reception

Grilled shrimp with banana chutney
Sea scallop ceviche with mango and chayote
B & E chicken and brie philo purses

2009 Calera Central Coast Chardonnay
Price: $18             Sale $15.84          Case $184

The 2009 Central Coast Chardonnay starts with a lively, honeysuckle blossom and peach bouquet, accented by bright pippin apples and pear. On the palate, this wine is rich, smooth, flavorful and mouth filling while retaining a dancing lightness on the mouth. Soft hints of spicy oak, ripe apricot and Meyer lemon zest add personality to the long lingering finish.

First Course

Crispy cornflake fried hog snapper with tropical fruit salsa, orange-basil remoulade and endive slaw

2002 Calera Mount Harlan Chardonnay
Price: $99             Sale $87.12

The 2002 Mt. Harlan Chardonnay is a smooth, rich and beautiful wine with aromas of apple and summer melon.  Fresh flavors of Barlett pear, citrus zest and hints of vanilla fill the palate.  This wine has a soft, silky texture with undertones of toasty oak and a full, creamy finish that displays the signature Mt. Harlan limestone minerality. - Winemaker's Notes

2003 Calera Mount Harlan Chardonnay
Price: $93             Sale $81.84

The 2003 Mt. Harlan Chardonnay possesses a beautiful bouquet of apple blossom, pear and honeydew melon.  A full, creamy texture fills the palate while wowing the taster with restrained yet rich flavors of cherimoya, vanilla and lemon zest, and accented by Ht. Harlan's signature limestone minerality.  - Winemaker's Notes

Second Course

Carpaccio of filet mignon with sundried cherries and shitake mushrooms, opal basil and crostini

2009 Calera Central Coast Pinot Noir
Price: $24             Sale $21.12          Case $245

Delightful bright aromas of pomegranate, sandalwood, juicy cherry and bramble waft from this energetic and flavorful 2009 Calera Central Coast Pinot Noir. Seven different vineyard sources combine to create lively flavors of cranberry, French prune, briar and expressive red plum with a soft underpinning of oak. Deep flavors, firm tannins, wonderful fruit and a nice tartness make for a rich, lingering finish.

Third Course

Breast of duck with wild mushroom and pearl onion risotto and natural sauce

2007 Calera Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir
Price: $47.75       Sale $42.02          Case $487

(93 Points)  From one of the property’s coolest sites, the 2007 Pinot Noir Ryan Vineyard reveals nearly overwhelming notes of sassafras, root vegetables, plums, red currants, and raspberries. It is a spicy, earthy effort with an autumnal-like herbaceousness. Aged 17 months in French oak (30% new), it is a Pinot Noir for those who prefer that varietal’s spicy, stemmy, earthy side. Nevertheless, there is still plenty of fruit in this complex, singular cuvee.  Wine Advocate # 190, Aug 2010

2007 Calera Mills Vineyard Pinot Noir
Price: $51             Sale $44.88          Case $520

(95 Points)  From a 13.1-acre vineyard planted in 1997, the 2007 Pinot Noir Mills Vineyard was cropped at an absurdly low .84 tons of fruit per acre. This beauty offers up notes of forest floor, raspberries, fresh mushrooms, sweet currants, and meat juices. The provocative, riveting aromatics are followed by a medium to full-bodied wine with sweet tannins, dense, chewy, lush fruit, good acidity, and a 40-second finish. Drink this profound Pinot Noir over the next decade or more. Wine Advocate # 190, Aug 2010

2007 Calera Jensen Vineyard Pinot Noir
Price: $75             Sale $66                Case $765

(97 Points)  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 1.46 tons of fruit per acre, the Jensen cuvee spent 17 months in Francois Freres cooperage, of which 30% was new. One of the bigger production efforts (1,113 cases), it exhibits a deep ruby/purple-tinged color as well as a sweet, explosive nose of ripe raspberries, black cherries, spice box, earth, and chalk. Deep, rich, and full-bodied, it is the sexiest, most seductive wine of all these 2007 Pinots. A round, generous, intense red that cascades over the palate with no hard edges, it is capable of 15-20 years of cellaring. Wine Advocate # 190, Aug 2010

Fourth Course

Blue raspberry glazed Sterling Silver pork tenderloin with roasted fingerling potatoes Baby carrots and cauliflower

1990 Calera Reed Pinot Noir
Price: $111          Sale $97.68          Case $1132

(89 Points) A dense plum/purple color is accompanied by a sweet nose of cola, root beer, earth, and black fruits. This offering avoids the distinctive vegetal/minty characteristics found in other vintages. It possesses fine ripeness and sweetness, medium body, and an earthy, singular style. Drink it over the next 5-6 years. eRobertParker.com # E2003, Apr 2003

2004 Calera Pinot Noir Mills
Price: $61.50       Sale $54.12          Case $627.30

(93 Points)  The 2004 Pinot Noir Mills Vineyard boasts a deep ruby/purple color along with seductive, sweet aromas of black raspberries, black cherries, spring flowers, and spice. It possesses beautiful red and black fruits, good acidity, full body, and more tannin, but less spice than the Reed cuvee. This complex, fruit-driven Pinot Noir will benefit from 1-3 years of cellaring, and should drink well for 10-15 years. Wine Advocate # 172, Aug 2007

Dessert

Crème brulee fruit tart with vanilla and fruit sauces

2009 Calera Viognier (375ml)
Price: $18             Sale $15.84          Case $184

Other Wines from Calera Available:

Calera Pinot Noir Jensen 1997 Magnum
Price: $172.50    Sale $151.80
(3 available)

(88 Points)  This minty-styled, dark ruby-colored Jensen Pinot Noir reveals notes of Japanese green tea and spearmint as well as a lean, medium-bodied, dense, tart finish. It should age well for 10-12 years, but how much charm will emerge remains debatable.  eRobertParker.com # E2003, Apr 2003

Calera Pinot Noir Reed 2000 Magnum
Price: $172.50    Sale $151.80
(2 Magnums)  

(89 Points)  The 2000 Pinot Noir Reed Vineyard reveals a light ruby color along with classic scents of underbrush, stems, beet root, and sweet cherries in the background. While there is considerable clout and authority on the palate, the wine is tightly-knit. It should drink well for 7-10 years.  Wine Advocate # 160, Aug 2005

Looking for limestone

Josh Jensen's winemaker mentors in Burgundy were adamant that pinot noir and chardonnay must be grown in limestone-rich soils, as present in the Côtes d’Or, to make great wines. Upon his return from France in 1971 he spent two years searching throughout California to find limestone before finally purchasing, in early 1974, a high-elevation parcel with a limestone deposit of several million tons. Located 90 miles south of San Francisco and about 25 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean, it is near Mt. Harlan in San Benito County. Its elevation is 2,200 feet above sea level, making it one of the highest and coldest vineyard properties in California.

Limestone had been commercially quarried from Jensen’s Mt. Harlan property a hundred years earlier, and to this day, next to his Viognier vineyard, there stands a magnificently well-preserved 30- foot tall masonry limekiln. The name “Calera” is the Spanish world for “limekiln,” which serves as the winery’s symbol and appears on every bottle of wine.

Planting

In 1975, Josh planted his first 24 acres of pinot noir in three separate parcels. In the Burgundian tradition, he 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 purchased a neighboring 300 acres of the limestone laden mountain in 1982. When he planted 2 acres of [viognier] on its slopes in 1983, he was one of California's first winemakers to explore this variety.

In 1984, on these same slopes, Josh planted his first [chardonnay] vineyard (6 acres) and his fourth pinot noir parcel, the [Mills] Vineyard (12 acres). In 1989 he added 3 more acres of viognier.

A 13 acre parcel of pinot noir was planted in 1997, in a steep field that lies between the [Jensen] and [Mills] Vineyards. In 2007 the vineyard was name [de Villiers] and for the first time labeled as a single vineyard pinot noir. In 1998 5 acres of chardonnay and 10 acres of pinot noir, were planted on the south western slopes of the limestone peak. The pinot noir vineyard was dubbed the [Ryan] Vineyard. The vineyards are further explored in [Vineyards].

Calera is also one of the original producers of Aligote in California. Approximately half an acre total is in production between locations in the Jensen and original chardonnay vineyards.

The winery

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.

In 1977 Josh purchased property on which to build the winery. He chose a 100 acre site on Cienega Road halfway between the vineyard and the town of Hollister. Located 1000 feet lower in elevation than the vineyard, this property was blessed with the all-important attributes of a paved road, and both telephone and electrical service (services which to this day are unavailable on Mt. Harlan).

On the Cienega Road property. a multi-level rock crushing facility had been built into the steep hillside in the 1950s. The facility was abandoned before it was ever used for crushing rock, but 20 years later the walls and terraces, with some substantial seismic retro-fitting, (the San Andreas fault lies just 100 yards away) became the heart of Calera's gravity-flow winery. The multi-layered hillside construction has allowed for the gentlest possible handling of the Calera wines. Wines move through the winemaking process by the mere force of gravity, rather than by the use of pumps.

After decades of improvements and construction today the winery boasts barrel cellars built into the hillside, additional warehouse space, an underground wine library, offices and a laboratory (a major improvement over the previous 50' office trailer), a top-of-the-line German grape press, and most recently, a new Italian bottling line.

The Appellation

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. [Map]

The Heartbreak Grape, by Marq de Villiers is a history of Calera. The first edition was published 1993 with an updated edition released in 2006. Copies of the book are available at the winery. Please [email] us if you're interested in purchasing a copy.