Indeed, it is limestone and its inextricable connection to the soils of Burgundy, that fixates Eden Rift’s owner Christian Pillsbury, just as it inspired Josh Jensen, the ‘godfather of Californian pinot noir.’ Like Pillsbury, Jensen had sought the ideal growing conditions for pinot noir in the Golden State, poring over geological charts and surveys with ‘monkish devotion’ according to the New York Times. Jensen was determined to create wines of captivating beauty and settled on a site just a few kilometres down the same road as Eden Rift. It was named Calera.

Calera’s fame stretches well beyond the United States to Japan, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom, the epicentres of Burgundy consumption and appreciation for great pinot noir per se. Pointedly, each of these markets has embraced Eden Rift. In the UK, Eden Rift is the only New World pinot noir in the portfolio of Goedhuis, an esteemed distributor of top-drawer Burgundy.

 

‘...Put simply, the quest here is one of mineral-infused chardonnay and ethereal pinot noir borne of limestone...’

While Jensen accreted considerable experience with stints at Domaine de la Romanée Conti, Dujac and other luminaries, his focus remained on the Cienaga Valley. With this, he graciously assisted Eden Rift with planting and clonal decisions at the incipiency of its current regime, overseen by Pillsbury, winemaker Cory Waller and Australian partner, Ed Sanders. Sadly, Jensen passed in 2022.

Ted Lemon of Littorai opined that the Cienaga Valley’s isolation ‘contributed to the sense of (Californian wine’s) adventure and to the pioneering spirit.’ Eden Rift is the continuum of that spirit, attested to with its inclusion in Wine and Spirits Top 100 Wines of 2022 and strong third-party endorsements from Suckling, Galloni at Vinous, The Wine Advocate and Ned Goodwin MW, who discovered the wines on his pre-COVID travels of 2019.