The Winery Stephen Hemmert of Paso Robles of California

Josh Jensen was famed for producing elegant, silky Pinot Noirs at Calera Wine Company on the Central Coast.  Leading wine critic Robert Parker Jr once described Calera – the company that Jensen founded in 1971 – as ‘California’s Romanée-Conti.’ Jensen completed undergraduate studies at Yale, but his love of fine wine blossomed while completing an MA in social anthropology at Oxford University in the UK. He was a key member of the rowing crew at both universities, but he still found time to devel ...

In the produce aisle of most US supermarkets, choices are clear: the organic section is to the right, or at the very least, organic items are identified on packaging or shelf-talkers. Shoppers willing to pay a few cents more per pound for broccoli grown without synthetic chemicals know where to reach. In the wine aisle? Not so much. There’s more than a bit of confusion, to date at least, with little-understood labels announcing wines are certified sustainable or made from organic grapes. Scroll ...

The luxury wine group bought Bottom Line Ranch in the San Miguel District for an undisclosed sum. It is exclusively planted with Cabernet, featuring seven top clones on three drought-tolerant rootstocks. Alex Ryan, chief executive and president of The Duckhorn Portfolio, said the sub-appellation’s climate is ideal for producing world-class Cabernet Sauvignon. ‘There is a reason why Paso Robles has the most Cabernet Sauvignon acreage of any appellation in California outside of Napa Valley,’ added ...