Calera Winery, one of San Benito County’s hidden gems, debuted its new wine caves Saturday at its Annual Open House. An estimated 800 people attended the event from all over California to see vinter Josh Jensen’s stunning new facility. To see more photos, CLICK HERE.
“It took more than a year and half to complete,” Jensen said. The caves were built by drilling directly into the hillside at the Cienega Road facility and will be used to store, cool and age the world-class wines.  Jensen uses the winery’s landscape to implement a unique gravitational method of making world-class Pinot Noirs and other varieties, grown in the limestone soils of the area.
“In a gravity-flow winery, of which Calera’s unique building is the world’s most complete example, moving grapes and then the resultant wine by gravity means moving it simply and naturally by letting first the grapes, then the wine, drop, slide, or flow downward (by gravity) rather than having to be moved or pumped mechanically (by force). To be able to do that you need several different levels, with the grape receiving level being the highest up the hill and the bottling line at the bottom, on the seventh level,” the company’s website explains.
Â
“Calera’s vineyards soar at an average of 2200 feet above sea level and are cooled by the direct flow of cold marine air off the Pacific Ocean through the Monterey Bay coast, towards the upper elevations of the Gavilan Mountain range and Mt. Harlan. The elevation further moderates the climate in what many expect would be a hot growing region reducing the temperature about three degrees for every 1000 feet of height in elevation.“
Â
You must be logged in to post a comment.