{"title":"Caleb Leisure","description":"\u003cp\u003eCaleb Leisure took the long way to the cellar. Raised in the East Bay, he studied English at UC Berkeley and was working on a Master of Fine Arts in fiction at NYU when he fell in with New York's natural wine crowd. A 2016 trip to the country of Georgia, where he tasted wine drawn straight from clay qvevri for the first time, changed his course for good.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCaleb returned to California and apprenticed under Tony Coturri, the Sonoma natural wine pioneer, before launching his own label around 2014. Determined to work the way Georgians have for millennia, he imported ten qvevri and buried them in the earthen floor of his cellar ahead of the 2017 vintage. He remains one of the only California vintners fermenting in authentic Georgian qvevri.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMore on how they farm and work in the cellar in our \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/natural-wine-producers-primal-wine\/caleb-leisure\"\u003eCaleb Leisure producer profile\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"mother-knows-caleb-leisure-natural-wine","title":"Caleb Leisure Mother Knows 2019","description":"\u003cp\u003eMother Knows is a skin-contact orange wine from Caleb Leisure, sourced from organically farmed Marsanne (80%) and Roussanne (20%) at Sumu Kaw Vineyard in El Dorado County, Sierra Foothills, California. The vineyard sits at roughly 3,000 feet elevation on decomposed granite soils — terrain that produces fruit with strong natural acidity and concentrated flavor even in white Rhône varieties.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFermentation takes place in authentic Georgian qvevri — terracotta amphorae buried underground at the Coturri Winery facility in Glen Ellen. The entire cluster goes in: 100% skins and stems. The wine stays in contact with its solids for 7 months before being racked and bottled without fining, filtration, or sulfur additions. Total SO2 is below 10 mg\/L. Fermentation is spontaneous, with no temperature control, and no additions or subtractions of any kind are made at any point.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe result is a deep amber wine with grippy tannin structure, dried citrus peel, stone fruit, beeswax, and a long mineral finish driven by the earthenware vessel and granite terroir. It sits in the tradition of Georgian amber wine but with fully ripe California fruit as its foundation.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Caleb Leisure","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":37042942410904,"sku":"LEISMOTH19C","price":36.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/files\/caleb-leisure-orange-natural-wine-primal-wine-natural-wine-primal-wine-copyright.png?v=1780896702"},{"product_id":"ab-ovo-caleb-leisure-natural-wine","title":"Caleb Leisure Ab Ovo 2020","description":"\u003cp\u003eAb Ovo is a co-fermented red made from 70% Mourvedre and 30% Marsanne, sourced from organically and biodynamically farmed vineyards in El Dorado County, Sierra Foothills. The grapes come from decomposed granite and volcanic loam soils at elevations reaching 3,000 feet, where cool fall temperatures extend hang time and retain natural acidity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFermentation and elevage happen entirely in authentic Georgian qvevri — handmade terracotta vessels buried in the earthen cellar at Coturri Winery in Glen Ellen. The blend co-fermented on skins for 8 days before being pressed directly into qvevri for 8 months of elevage. No additions of any kind were made at any stage.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe inclusion of Marsanne alongside Mourvedre is unusual and intentional: the white grape adds aromatic lift and textural weight to what would otherwise be a more closed, brooding red. The result sits somewhere between a Southern Rhone red and an amber wine, with tannic grip from the skins and a mineral backbone from the volcanic soils.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Caleb Leisure","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":37843507151047,"sku":"LEISABOV19C","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/files\/caleb-leisure-ovo-natural-wine-primal-wine-natural-wine-primal-wine-copyright_f66d0213-1ecb-4236-9b5d-65cae4234c1e.png?v=1780898781"},{"product_id":"obelus-caleb-leisure-natural-wine","title":"Caleb Leisure Obelus 2020","description":"\u003cp\u003eObelus is a field-inspired Southern Rhone blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Cinsault, and 20% Mourvedre, sourced from organically farmed vineyards in Calaveras County, Sierra Foothills. The three varieties are co-fermented together in a combination of qvevri (traditional Georgian terracotta amphorae) and macro bin, then pressed after 7 to 10 days of skin contact. After pressing, the wine moves into qvevri and neutral oak for elevage. No additions or subtractions at any point in the process.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCaleb Leisure operates out of the Coturri Winery facility in Glen Ellen, Sonoma, where in 2017 he buried 10 authentic Georgian qvevri in the earthen cellar. The qvevri are lined with beeswax, which has antibacterial properties and supports natural clarification. Buried underground, they hold a constant cool temperature that moderates fermentation heat and allows the wine to settle without intervention. Leisure is widely cited as the only California winemaker using authentic Georgian qvevri in this manner.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCalaveras County sits within the Sierra Foothills AVA, east of the San Joaquin Valley at the base of the Sierra Nevada. Vineyards here range from 500 to 3,000 feet in elevation, with soils of decomposed granite and volcanic material that drain well and force vines to root deeply. Warm days and cool alpine nights produce significant diurnal temperature swings that preserve acidity and concentrate flavor. Rhone varieties like Grenache, Cinsault, and Mourvedre are well-suited to these conditions.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eExpect red and dark fruit alongside earthy and funky savory notes. The qvevri-driven winemaking adds texture and a salty mineral quality, while the Cinsault keeps the blend lifted and aromatic. Mourvedre grounds the whole thing with structure and a meaty undercurrent. Medium-high acidity and low sulfur make this a lively, food-friendly bottle with real personality.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Caleb Leisure","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40610184429767,"sku":"CALEOBE20C","price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/files\/caleb-leisure-obelus-red-natural-wine-primal-wine-natural-wine-primal-wine-copyright.png?v=1780897184"}],"url":"https:\/\/primalwine.com\/collections\/caleb-leisure.oembed","provider":"Primal Wine","version":"1.0","type":"link"}