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This year, there was one bright piece of news regarding the San Benito County wine industry: Calera Wine Company scored a place on Wine Spectator’s list of the Top 100 Wines of 2024 for its 2021 Calera Mount Harlan Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir. It is the winery’s sixth appearance since the list’s inception in 1988, earning the wine a 96-point ranking.
The wine was featured in an extensive two-part interview with Calera winemaker Mike Waller for this series, “A Look at Calera Winery on the Eve of its 50th Anniversary” and “A Tour of Calera’s Mt. Harlan Vineyards with Mike Waller,” both published last July.
“What better way for them to kick off their 50th anniversary in 2025,” said Mike Kohne, co-owner of Hollister’s Crave Wine Co. “I am so very excited for them. It obviously speaks to the greatness of San Benito County, and we are lucky to have them here.”
“Founder Josh Jensen did what everybody was striving to do,” Kohne said. “He paved the way for so many things, and it is interesting that, here in Hollister, we don’t realize the global importance of Calera. They are in the pantheon of the greatest California wineries.”
The honor was announced just a month after the Duckhorn Portfolio, Calera’s parent company, announced its sale to Butterfly Equity, a Los Angeles firm specializing in food and beverages, for $1.95 billion.
Duckhorn, which includes Duckhorn Vineyards, Decoy, Sonoma-Cutrer and Kosta Browne, distributes wines to 50 countries across five continents. Butterfly, which describes itself as a “seed-to-fork food ecosystem,” has a diverse portfolio that includes $5 billion in food ventures.
The previous appearances by Calera on Wine Spectator’s list:
- 1991 – The 1988 Calera Mount Harlan Jensen Pinot Noir (92 points)
- 2000 – The 1998 Calera Central Coast Chardonnay (91 points)
- 2012 – The 2010 Calera Central Coast 35th Anniversary Pinot Noir, (93 points)
- 2015 – The 2013 Calera Central Coast Chardonnay (90 points)
- 2022 – The 2019 Calera Mount Harlan Jensen Vineyard Pinot Noir (93 points)
- 2024 – The 2021 Calera Mount Harlan Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir (96 points)
It comes at a period of transition for the wine industry in general, with several local wineries, like Gilory’s Dorcich Family Vineyards, closing and local treasure Siletto Vineyards being offered for sale.
“These changes with Calera and Siletto,” said Kohne, “shows the industry’s toughness. But at the same time, both properties show how globally iconic they are to the identity of San Benito County.”
The dissolution of the 125-acre property leaves winemakers across California who depend on the vineyard for its selection of 45 historic and unique varietals in a state of uncertainty.
“Stiletto finds itself on the labels of seemingly everything,” Kohne said. “They did an excellent job of getting a lot of cool producers to come into this area and source fruit. This will be kind of a surprise to many, but, you know, it’s an interesting time in the wine business.”
Kohne said that one thing that might help shore up the faltering industry is that last year’s harvest was generally a shorter crop, which could paradoxically be beneficial.
“It could firm up things,” he said, “It could help people move through what they’ve got, knowing there’s not as much behind it. And it also helps the bulk markets. But it is a good time to engage people by showing them new wines.”
Crave’s quarterly “20 Club” is a step in that direction, celebrating the best from wineries or vineyards within 20 miles of Hollister. The last two club selections detailed below, drawn from wines sourced by local vineyards like Siletto, Enz and Gemelli, have bottles ideal for the holiday season, from light whites to very dignified reds.
Recent 20 Club Selections
2023 Bottle Jack Viognier – Primarily known for its Santa Cruz Mountain wines, this viognier is sourced from Cienega Valley’s Gemelli Vineyard. This full-bodied wine has an aroma of tangerine and melon with a bright peach-pear taste, a mild acidity and a beautifully smooth finish. Though the flagship viognier made by DeRose is more traditionally associated with the area, this is a credible competitor.
2023 Blade & Talon Vino Blanco – A blend of falinghia and Greco di Tufo from Calleri vineyard, in a previous BenitoLink interview, winemaker Nat Wong described this wine as “laser in the glass—it’s always super electric.” Brisk and vibrant, the grapefruit aromatics lead to restrained tartness and medium acidity. This charcuterie board wine plays well with savory deli meats, sharp cheeses and bright fruits like strawberries and grapes.
2023 Coterra Chardonnay – This chardonnay and the cabernet pfeffer below are sourced from Gimelli Vineyard and produced by Côte West in Oakland under the Coterra label. Using wild yeast fermentations, the wines are unfined and unfiltered. This is a wonderfully textured and seamlessly smooth wine with a vibrant aroma and just a hint of butteriness. “I love the expression of this wine,” Kohne said. “It’s not due to minerality per se, but it has all the flavors, not a lot of acid and it lingers on the palate forever.” It is a stylish, elegant wine and is the pick of the eight I tried in this tasting. I liked it well enough to pick up a couple of bottles for my own Thanksgiving dinner.
2023 Chalone Vineyard Estate Chenin Blanc – “Chalone is not in San Benito County,” said Kohne, “but in the Gablian Mountain Range on the Monterey side. They like to claim they are Monterey’s oldest winery, which is true, unless you backdate it to when Cienega Valley was part of Monterey.” Lacking a Chenin blanc’s usual tropical fruit notes, this wine has more of a jagged texture softened by lightly honeyed citrus blossoms, pears and apples with a subdued acid and minerality. It could be served with light appetizers before the meal or as a dinner wine paired with turkey or steamed fish.
2022 Birichino Old Vine Mourvedre – “This is a late ripening grape from Enz Vineyard,” Kohne said, “which can give it more of a dried fruit characteristic. But in the hands of Birichio, it has a beautiful freshness and a lot of acidity, giving it vibrancy.” Birichino has quickly become one of my favorite wineries due to the owners’ sense of adventure in seeking out old vine varietals and using them to create beautifully distinctive wines. Silky smooth, with notes of plum and cherry, the acidity is so integrated into the texture of the wine that you could not vary it without losing its beauty. It’s a standout wine that would go with just about anything you want to serve it with.
2021 De Rose Cabernet Franc – Made from grapes from De Rose’s Cardillo Vineyard, Kohne describes this as having “a leafy character that makes it one of the best examples of Cabernet Franc in California.” Fruit forward with a beautiful texture and body, there are cassis and cherry notes to give depth, all combining to make this an eminently approachable wine. “There are a few places in Napa that do a good Cab Franc,” Kohne said, “but on the Central Coast, nobody does as good a job as DeRose.”
2023 Coterra Cabernet Pfeffer – The notes in this wine are more subdued in pepper than many other cabernet pfeffers, which allows more of the herbal and stone fruit flavors to shine through. There is a hint of Sweet Tarts raspberry and an appealing lightness in the texture and tannins. “There is a potpourri of floral characteristics,” said Kohne. “It’s like a cranberry cocktail and is very much a Holiday Thanksgiving Wine.”
2023 Ryme Frappato – “The grape is found mostly in Sicily, but it’s also made in mainland Italy,” Kohne said. “These grapes are sourced from Siletto and make for a light-bodied wine in the pinot noir style.” The wine is similar to the cabernet pfeffer but with more generous notes of strawberries and rhubarb, with a finish reminiscent of baking spices.
More Holiday wine suggestions from Crave:
- Antinori 2002 Bramito Della Sala, Chardonnay, Umbria – $29.99
- Blade & Talon 2022 Lucky Tiger, Circle S Vyd, San Benito Co – $33.99
- Tyler 2022 Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills – $37.99
- Private Property (Caraccioli) 2021 Brut Rose, Santa Lucia Highlands – $41.99
- Assiduous 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon, Bates Ranch, Santa Cruz Mtns – $43.99
- Ramey 2022 Chardonnay, Russian River Valley – $44.99
- Bodega Trenza 2017 Family Collection (Monastrell), Yecla – $47.99
- Orin Swift 2022 8 Years in the Desert (Red Blend), California – $49.99
- Bernardus 2022 Chardonnay, Sierra Mar Vyd, Santa Lucia Highlands – $49.99
- Samuel Louis Smith 2022 Syrah, Coastview Vyd, Gabilan Mountains – $49.99
- Ridge 2021 Lytton Springs (Red Blend), Dry Creek Valley – $54.99
- Rochioli 2022 Sauvignon Blanc, Estate, Russian River Valley – $54.99
- Daou 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon, Reserve, Paso Robles – $56.99
- Occidental 2021 Pinot Noir, Freestone-Occidental – $69.99
- Pol Roger NV Brut, Reserve, Epernay, Champagne – $74.99
- Williams Selyem 2022 Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast – $104.99
- Heitz 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, Lot C-91, Napa Valley – $104.99
- Calera 2020 Pinot Noir, Jensen Vyd, Mt Harlan – $114.99
- Alpha Omega 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford – $144.99
- Louis Latour 2022 Chateau Corton Grancey, Grand Cru, Corton, (Red) Burgundy – $224.99
Crave Wine Co is located at 616 San Benito Street in Hollister. Upcoming holiday events include:
Dec. 1 – Champagne Wishes & Holiday Dreams: Wine & Food Pairing with Chef David Jamrock
Dec. 5 – Wine Tasting Pop-Up: Vina Los Chanchitos Redux with Al Derose
Dec. 15 – Top 100 – “Best Of The Best”: Wine & Food Pairing with Chef David Jamrock
Dec. 6, 14, 20 – Music At Crave: Holiday Stylings By Sarah Smith
Check Crave’s website for times and tickets
Hours:
Wednesday: 1:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Thursdays: 1:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Friday: 1:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Saturday: 1:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Sundays: Noon – 6:30 p.m.
Closed Monday and Tuesday
Recommendations for future Eat, Drink, Savor articles can be emailed to roberteliason@benitolink.com.
BenitoLink thanks our underwriters, Hollister Super and Windmill Market, for helping to expand the Eat, Drink, Savor series and give our readers the stories that interest them. Hollister Super (two stores in Hollister) and Windmill Market (in San Juan Bautista) support reporting on the inspired and creative people behind the many delicious food and drink products made in San Benito County. All editorial decisions are made by BenitoLink.
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The post Eat, Drink, Savor: Holiday wine recommendations from Crave Wine Co. appeared first on BenitoLink.