Josh Jensen, California Pinot Noir Pioneer, Is Dead at 78

In 1974, he found his site, 2,200 feet high on the remote slopes of Mount Harlan in the Gabilan Range in San Benito County, two hours southeast of San Francisco. Never mind the isolation, or the lack of paved roads, electricity and running water, or the fact that, as Mr. Jensen later put it, the site was “a Frisbee toss” from the San Andreas Fault. His vision outshined the potential pitfalls.

He bought the parcel, on which he found a well-preserved old limekiln. Soon after, living in a trailer with his wife, Jeanne Newman, and her small child, he began to plant his first three vineyards — Jensen (named after his father), Selleck (for a mentor) and Reed (for an investor) — circumscribing the mountain, each with different exposures to the sun. In 1975, Calera Wine Company was born, taking its name from the Spanish word for limekiln.

The first small crop arrived in 1978, a year after Mr. Jensen bought additional land 1,000 feet down the mountain to build a winery, a makeshift facility that was largely exposed to the elements.

“The isolation of Calera was striking,” said Ted Lemon, who worked briefly with Mr. Jensen in the early 1980s before working in Burgundy and establishing Littorai in Sonoma County, Calif., where he continues to make noteworthy pinot noirs and chardonnays. “There was no winemaking community, no one down the road to borrow equipment from if something broke. However, that also contributed to the sense of adventure and to the pioneering spirit.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/15/dining/drinks/josh-jensen-dead.html