Part one of a two-part interview with Calera winemaker Mike Waller
In the lead-up to the 25th anniversary of planting its first vineyards, Calera Winery has gotten much love from the press. Forbes has been particularly attentive, placing the winery’s 2022 Central Coast Vin Gris of Pinot Noir in their 4th of July roundup of the top American Rosés, featuring them in a May article about “discovering” the wines of San Benito County, and asking “What Makes Calera One of the Most Compelling Pinot Noirs on Planet Earth?” in a feature published in March.
“I love that that title,” said Calera winemaker Mike Waller. ‘On Planet Earth?’ That’s pretty good. But we are making wines that are unlike anything else. Winemakers can talk about site terroir, but we have the only vineyard up on Mt. Harlan.”
Waller said the Mt. Harlan vineyards, located on an old limestone quarry 2,200 feet above sea level, benefit from a unique combination of weather and geology that gives the wines a distinct character.
“We’ve planted on purpose around limestone because that’s how all the great burgundies are grown,” he said. “And being up higher elevation, we typically have a longer growing season because we have big diurnal shifts in temperatures, from highs of in the 90s to the nights that can get down into the 40s.”
The uneven topography of the mountain means that each of the six pinot noir vineyards on Mt. Harlan—Selleck, Reed, Jensen, Mills, de Villiers and Ryan—has its own temperament.
“That is why we make six single vineyard pinot noirs up there,” Waller said. “Each of those sites is unique in its own right. It varies from year to year, but you tend to get different fruit and spice notes from each of them.”
Waller said the 49-year-old vines in the Jensen and Selleck vineyards have softer tannins and less pronounced phenolics than those in the younger vineyards.
“Those roots are so deep,” he said, “Over the years, those wines from those vineyards have softened up, yet they still have good phenolics, ageability and really intense fruit characteristics. I think the most intriguing wines are the ones that are distinct both in character and in place.”
The Reed vineyard, also planted in 1975, tends towards strawberry notes with a dash of spice, Waller said, “really, more like old-school flavors with maybe a little rhubarb.”
Waller said that the Mills vineyard can have both light and dark fruit but tends to have more of a forest floor characteristic. “It’s our middle vineyard, and it has definitely softened up like the older vines.”
De Villers, planted in 1997, reminds Waller more of cherry cola but has stronger tannins than the older vines. The youngest vineyard, Ryan, was planted in 1998 and Waller says it is growing fast.
“Ryan will have lots of red fruit notes, a lot more like Jensen,” he said. “It’s on a western-facing slope and starting to act like the older vines, gaining those layers of complexity.”
Waller said that while there might be room for another vineyard on Mt. Harlan, the dry and rough terrain are limiting factors in its expansion.
“I can’t say we’ll never have another vineyard up there if we found water,” he said. “But right now, we’re focusing on these vineyards. We have a little replanting in Jensen and Mills, so we will give them some water. But we’re honing in on our usage and trying to be as sustainable as possible.”
The replanting is part of a cycle, taking out older, less productive vines.
“The older Vines have way more characteristics and complexity—if you can get them old,” he said. “The problem is that pinot really doesn’t want to grow. It’s not like a Zinfandel that will get its roots down and just kind of grow forever. You’ll see a decline in yields or quality, and sometimes you’ll see viruses, so there’s a point where you’re like, ‘Oh damn we have to replant.’”
As many of the old vines as possible are preserved, Waller said, because he wants to maintain the complexities, so the replanting is done as a cycle: “Let’s take out like a fifth of this Vineyard, replant, wait for five-six-seven years, take out another fifth, and replant again. Because we always want those older vine qualities.”
Low yields were a significant problem in 2022 when there were only enough grapes from the Mills and Chardonnay vineyards to produce one barrel each.
“We had frost and shatter, and we were also in a drought,” Waller said. “So instead of putting these out on the market, we decided to donate them to Gabilan Chapter Seneca’s 68th Annual Wine & Food Tasting.”
The choice of this charity may have something to do with Waller’s mother, BenitoLink trustee Kris Waller, being the co-chair of the Fundraiser. The wine, 25 cases per barrel, will be auctioned at the event. The wine is intended for private use, not resale, but it will represent the entire output of those two wines for that year.
“We’ve never done anything like this,” Waller said. “Mills sells for $95 a bottle; you are looking at 25 cases. This wine will never be for sale in the market; whoever wins, it will be a steal.”
The 68th Annual Wine & Food Tasting will be held on Saturday, August 24, from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. at Swank Farms.
In part two of this article, Waller will be tasting the current Mt. Harlan releases and comparing them to the previous release, as well as discussing how the characteristics of each vineyard shape the wines that Calera is famous for around the world.
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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