Josh Jensen, founder of Calera, died June 11 at age 78.. Anyone who has tasted his extraordinary pinot noirs or who has benefited from his conversation understands the significance of his accomplishments.

Jensen graduated from Yale and then Oxford. During his time in England, he fell in love with French burgundy and even worked a harvest at Domaine de la Romanee-Contee. He returned to the States to find the same limestone soil as that of great burgundies. He found it on the slopes of Mt. Harlan and in 1974 he planted Jensen, Reed and Selleck vineyards. Those vineyards became synonymous with pinot noir wines that came as close as ever to burgundy.

Jensen sold his winery to Duckhorn (www.duckhorn.com) in 2017.

I’ve sampled these wines for decades and they never have failed to impress me. Their mineral quality makes them unique. May he rest in peace.