{"id":2785,"date":"2026-06-23T22:14:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T22:14:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/?p=2785"},"modified":"2026-06-23T22:18:33","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T22:18:33","slug":"winemaker-interview-series-mike-waller-calera-winery-march-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/?p=2785","title":{"rendered":"Winemaker Interview Series \u2013 Mike Waller \u2013 Calera Winery &#8211; March 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Calera-Winemaker-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-1839\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Calera-Winemaker-1.jpg\" alt=\"Mike Waller of Calera\" width=\"450\" height=\"348\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Calera-Winemaker-1.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Calera-Winemaker-1-300x232.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a>On Wednesday, March 26, 2026, we interviewed <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.calerawine.com\/our-story\/winemaking\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mike Waller<\/a><\/strong>. Mike is the Winemaker at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.calerawine.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Calera Winery<\/strong><\/a>. We covered the winery\u2019s 2024 vintage Chenin Blanc and their 2023 Mount Harlan Chardonnay. Then we covered six single-vineyard Pinot Noir offerings from the 2023 vintage. As it always is with Mike, it was another great tasting! In this post, Mike shared updates since our last chat. You can also read our reviews of all of these terrific Calera wines.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Before we get to the wine reviews, I thought I would share a few tidbits that Mike shared in the interview.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Tell us about these wines which come from the 2023 vintage?<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">2023 was a big vintage.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">It was their biggest rain year ever!<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">43 inches. The normal average is 16 inches.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The crop came in late.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">They got double the normal fruit.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">What about the subsequent vintages?<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">2024 was fairly average. Good temperatures and no crazy heat.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">2025 never got warm.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">2026 was the earliest bud break ever and they got 7 inches of rain towards the end of February.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Tell us about your winemaking process and decisions that you make?<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Calera-Winemaking.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-2790\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Calera-Winemaking.gif\" alt=\"Calera Winemaking\" width=\"350\" height=\"176\" \/><\/a>Picks are based on flavors.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">All Estate wines are processed as follows:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">We use native yeasts rather than inoculating.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">We prefer 100% whole cluster fermentations whenever possible.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Our wines are aged with minimal racking because we feel that every time you touch the wine you take more away from the grape.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Pinot Noir is fermented in open-top fermenters.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Single vineyard wines are aged in 60 gallon, 30% new French oak barrels for 16-18 months.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The wines are unfiltered, but they do get some fining.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Tell us about the Vineyards you use?<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Is the Chenin Blanc still coming from the \u201cGemelli Vineyard\u201d down the street? Yes!<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Have the Selleck Vineyard &amp; the Mills Vineyard been replanted?<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Selleck was replanted to just rootstock, later in the spring it should be grafted.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">2 acres of Mills has been replanted.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Are you still on track for a Santa Cruz Pinot Noir in 2024?<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Yes, the grapes were sourced from the \u201cCoast Grade Vineyard.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">2024 will be a blend of Muns and Coast Grande<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">2025 will be solely Coast Grande.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000; text-decoration: underline;\">Chalone Vineyard<\/span><\/strong><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Mainly Pommard and not doing whole cluster.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">This is the last single vineyard bottling of the Chalone.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000; text-decoration: underline;\">Sanford &amp; Benedict Vineyard<\/span><\/strong><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Mainly 115 clone and not doing whole cluster.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000; text-decoration: underline;\">De Villers Vineyard<\/span><\/strong><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Was planted in 1997. De Villiers is named for Marq de Villiers, author of &#8220;The Heartbreak Grape&#8221;, which tells the creation story of Calera.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Is between Mills and Jensen vineyards.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">It needs 5 or 6 passes to harvest it all. Usually the 2<sup>nd<\/sup> week of September and over 11 days.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In 2023, they finished on October 24<sup>th<\/sup>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000; text-decoration: underline;\">Ryan Vineyard<\/span><\/strong><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Was planted in 1998, Ryan is named after Jim Ryan, Calera\u2019s vineyard manager since 1979.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Ryan is on a gentle slope, so everything ripens evenly.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000; text-decoration: underline;\">Reed Vineyard<\/span><\/strong><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Was planted in 1975. (51 years old)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Reed is named after William (Bill) G. Reed, Sr., one of Josh\u2019s original partners and investors and a close friend.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Jensen-Vineyard.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-2788\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Jensen-Vineyard.gif\" alt=\"Jensen Vineyard\" width=\"300\" height=\"184\" \/><\/a><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Jensen Vineyard<\/strong><\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Was planted in 1975 (also 51 years old)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Jensen is named after Stephen Jensen, Josh\u2019s father. It produces impeccably balanced, rich, round and age-worthy wines.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">They replanted an acre of Jensen recently.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">They redirected the vines in the replanting to get more vines per acre.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000; text-decoration: underline;\">Viognier Vineyard<\/span><\/strong><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Was planted in 1983.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">This is some of the first Viognier planted in California.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Calera-50-Years-Logo.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-2792\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Calera-50-Years-Logo.gif\" alt=\"Calera 50 Years Logo\" width=\"250\" height=\"254\" \/><\/a>What does the name <strong>Calera<\/strong> mean?<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cCalera\u201d is Spanish for Limekiln. This kiln was built circa 1860 for use in processing limestone rock for use in cement and mortar.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The image of the Limekiln is on the label.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">What are some of Mike\u2019s favorites?<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Reed Vineyard &#8211; 2009 &amp; 2016<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Jensen Vineyard &#8211; 1997 &amp; 2017<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Below is a summary of the wine offerings from Calera that we covered with Mike. The links below are to our full reviews. If you are interested in ordering and trying these wines, you will find some of these wines via your favorite fine wine shop or on top quality wines lists. You can also purchase these wines on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.calerawine.com\/collections\/all\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Calera website<\/span><\/strong><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Calera-Logo.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2078\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Calera-Logo.jpg\" alt=\"Calera Logo\" width=\"250\" height=\"172\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">1. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/Calera-2024-Chenin-Blanc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Calera 2024 Chenin Blanc &#8220;Cienega Valley&#8221;<\/strong><\/a> $42 125 cs (RP 90) (<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>KWGTP 93.5<\/strong><\/span>)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">2. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/Calera-2023-Mt-Harlan-Chardonnay\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Calera 2023 Chardonnay &#8220;Mount Harlan&#8221;<\/strong><\/a> $70 800 cs (RP 93) (<strong><span style=\"color: #800000;\">KWGTP 93<\/span><\/strong>)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">3. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/Calera-2023-Chalone-Vineyard-Pinot-Noir\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Calera 2023 Pinot Noir &#8220;Chalone Vineyard&#8221;<\/strong><\/a> (Monterey County) $54 125 cs (<strong><span style=\"color: #800000;\">KWGTP 92.5<\/span><\/strong>)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">4. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/Calera-2023-Sanford-and-Benedict-Pinot-Noir\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Calera 2023 Pinot Noir &#8220;Sanford &amp; Benedict&#8221;<\/strong><\/a> (Santa Rita Hills) $54 150 cs (<strong><span style=\"color: #800000;\">KWGTP 93<\/span><\/strong>)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">5. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/Calera-2023-de-Villiers-Vineyard-Pinot-Noir\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Calera 2023 Pinot Noir &#8220;de Villiers Vineyard&#8221;<\/strong><\/a> (Mt. Harlan) $100 905 cs (<strong><span style=\"color: #800000;\">KWGTP 94<\/span><\/strong>)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">6. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/Calera-2023-Ryan-Vineyard-Pinot-Noir\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Calera 2023 Pinot Noir&#8221; Ryan Vineyard&#8221;<\/strong><\/a> $100 (Mt. Harlan) 1,750 cs (<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>KWGTP 94.5<\/strong><\/span>)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">7. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/Calera-2023-Reed-Vineyard-Pinot-Noir\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Calera 2023 Pinot Noir &#8220;Reed Vineyard&#8221;<\/strong><\/a> $100 (Mt. Harlan) (<strong><span style=\"color: #800000;\">KWGTP 94<\/span><\/strong>) <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">8. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/Calera-2023-Jensen-Pinot-Noir\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Calera 2023 Pinot Noir &#8220;Jensen&#8221;<\/a> <\/strong>$130 (Mt. Harlan) (<strong><span style=\"color: #800000;\">KWGTP 96.5<\/span><\/strong>)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000; text-decoration: underline;\">Additional Dry Creek Vineyard Wines Covered In Other Tastings<\/span><\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">9) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/Calera-2023-Mt-Harlan-Viognier\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Calera 2023 Viognier &#8220;Mount Harlan&#8221;<\/strong><\/a> $45 (<strong><span style=\"color: #800000;\">KWGTP 93<\/span><\/strong>)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">10) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/Calera-2023-Central-Coast-Pinot-Noir\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Calera 2023 Pinot Noir &#8220;Central Coast&#8221;<\/strong><\/a> $32 (<strong><span style=\"color: #800000;\">KWGTP 92<\/span><\/strong>)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">11) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/Calera-2024-Vin-Gris-of-Pinot-Noir\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Calera 2024 \u201cVin Gris of Pinot Noir\u201d<\/strong><\/a> $28 (<strong><span style=\"color: #800000;\">KWGTP 89<\/span><\/strong>)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">You can find reviews of past and future Calera wines that we cover on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine.php?winery=970\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Calera KWG winery page<\/strong><\/a> on our website. We hope you enjoy these terrific wines as much as we did. Cheers! \u2013 Ken<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Wednesday, March 26, 2026, we interviewed Mike Waller. Mike is the Winemaker at Calera Winery. We covered the winery\u2019s 2024 vintage Chenin Blanc and their 2023 Mount Harlan Chardonnay. Then we covered six single-vineyard Pinot Noir offerings from the 2023 vintage. As it always is with Mike, it was another great tasting! In this [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2077,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1476,92,1892,34,2530,3558,1846,2998,88,1928,3559,11,1477,12,2880,1187,3560,2368,2633,2492,107,31,2558,126,8,6,1292,1288],"tags":[3551,1479,1484,2370,1047,1921,2842,2372,3557,2840,1489,2374,3552,3547,3548,3553,1478,1485,2376,2371,2839,1924,1486,2571,3556,492,2373,2375,2838,3546,2378,1926,2841,3549,3554,3545,1272,3555,3550],"class_list":["post-2785","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-calera","category-california","category-central-coast","category-chenin-blanc","category-cienega-valley","category-de-villiers-vineyard","category-estate-wines","category-french-oak","category-high-end-wines","category-jensen","category-jensen-vineyard","category-kens-wine-guide-tasting-panel","category-mike-waller","category-pinot-noir","category-premium-wine","category-red-wine","category-reed-vineyard","category-sanford-benedict","category-santa-cruz-mountains","category-santa-rita-hills","category-vineyards","category-viognier","category-whole-cluster-fermentation","category-wine-ratings","category-wine-recommendations","category-wine-reviews","category-winemaker","category-zoom-wine-tasting","tag-bill-reed","tag-calera","tag-central-coast","tag-chalone-vineyard","tag-chenin-blanc","tag-cienega-valley","tag-coast-grade-vineyard","tag-de-villiers-vineyard","tag-french-oak-barrels","tag-gemelli-vineyard","tag-jensen","tag-jensen-vineyard","tag-jim-ryan","tag-limekiln","tag-limestone","tag-marq-de-villiers","tag-mike-waller","tag-mills","tag-mills-vineyard","tag-monterey-county","tag-mount-harlan","tag-mt-harlan","tag-muns","tag-native-yeasts","tag-open-top-fermenters","tag-pinot-noir","tag-reed-vineyard","tag-ryan-vineyard","tag-sanford-and-benedict","tag-santa-cruz","tag-santa-rita-hills","tag-selleck","tag-selleck-vineyard","tag-stephen-jensen","tag-the-heartbreak-grape","tag-vin-gris-of-pinot-noir","tag-viognier","tag-whole-cluster-fermentations","tag-william-g-reed"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2785","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2785"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2785\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2796,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2785\/revisions\/2796"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2077"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}