Wine & Spirits magazine once again placed Calera Wine Company on their annual list of the top 100 wineries in the world. It is the ninth time in the 33-year history of the list that the Hollister winery has appeared. Wineries are scored based on “performance,” but no criteria were identified.
“It is always an honor for us,” said Mike Waller, winemaker for Calera. “It is a sign that we are still making great wine and doing special things in the wine industry.”
Waller has been with Calera since 2007, working closely with founder Josh Jensen. He scored an instant success with his inaugural release, the 2007 Mt. Harlan Selleck Vineyard Pinot Noir, which was awarded an impressive 98 points by influential wine critic Robert Parker.
Calera was founded in 1975 when Jensen planted his first grapes in the Cienega Valley region. Jensen spent two years researching locations before settling on limestone-rich Mt. Harlan, the site of a 100-year-old quarry, as the perfect combination of geology and climate to grow pinot noir. He took the winery’s name from a lime kiln, “calera” in Spanish, that still stood on the property.
Jensen sold the winery to Duckhorn Wine Company in 2017 and Waller continued in his role as winemaker.
“You never know what is going to happen when you change owners,” Waller said. “You don’t know how people are going to respond or what it will do to your reputation. We haven’t really changed our approach to winemaking and I think people understand that.”
Duckhorn’s Napa Valley winery also made the magazine’s list, which includes 20 wineries in California. There are 10 Central Coast wineries listed, as well as six from Napa, two from Sonoma, and two from Northern California. Calera is the only San Benito County winery on the list, a unique honor that Waller appreciates.
“It is hard for me to put it into perspective,” Waller said, “but it is pretty special when you consider how many wineries there are in the world. With all these great wineries, it is always about the specific site of the vineyards and the characteristics of that site. We are fortunate to have a site that makes us special in the eyes of the world.”
While he is pleased with the honor, Waller sees it more as validation for his ongoing work creating fine wines from Mt Harlan.
“It is not like you expect to be named to the list every year,” Waller said, “and I don’t take it for granted when we are. But we have gotten so many honors from Wine & Spirits and they have given us so much love over the years that it shows we are still on the right path.”
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