Josh Jensen was always an enthusiast of limestone soils. It took him two years of the journey before he started the Calera wine company. he started the wine company detached from the city. on the mountains south he found a place for his company.
Passion for pinot noir:
it was his passion to grow pinot noir grapes to produce an alcoholic beverage. In 1970 he worked to find a good land that can become his plantation center. He used these grapes in his alcoholic beverage and that also enticed other people to grow grapes and do a similar style of work. he took his last breath in his home in san Francisco. He is dead at 78.
He had been facing several health issues according to his daughter Silvie. Jensen visited France and he copied the idea from french to harvest good quality Pinot noir.at that tie pinot noir in the US was not on par with french.
Learning in France, implementing in US
While his time in France he understood that pinot noir has a special connection with limestones. after returning to the US he went on a journey to find limestone land. Once he found the land, it was easy for him to make complex alcoholic beverages similar to the french.
the land he chose for grape harvest had many disadvantages. they had no proper commute with weak roads, there was no electricity or water connection for him to run his operation. It was a dead shot but somehow it worked.
Josh Jensen shared a trailer with his wife and children before harvesting the first crop. He made three different crops covering the mountain. The mountain allowed him to hide some of its crops from the sun and that brought unique results.
“The isolation of Calera was striking,” “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.” shared Ted lemon who went on to start a similar product company in the same area.
“It is easy to forget how few prominent pinot noir producers there were in California in the 1980s and how few were able to maintain and improve quality over the decades that followed,”
“Calera did that. In that alone, Josh accomplished an extraordinary feat.” Mr. Lemon added. Multiple similar hills became a hub for similar drink-making companies. Jensen’s financial growth inspired other farmers to take a similar route
“Josh’s complete commitment and passion to take anything to the limit to achieve quality became an inspiration for many who followed,” “Few had the courage to strike out into such an intimidating, remote location, but many were inspired by his work.” Mr. Lemon added.
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