On Wednesday, June 19, 2024, we had the opportunity to meet and interview Cory Waller. Cory is the winemaker for Eden Rift Vineyard. Cory is also the brother of Mike Waller over at Calera. Mike introduced us to his brother, and we are glad he did. We covered his 2020 vintage wines. We covered a Pinot Gris, three Chardonnays and four Pinot Noirs with Cory. We have since covered a 2019 Chard that I am also adding to the post. Check out what we learned from and about Cory.
Before we get to the wines, I thought I would share some tidbits that Cory shared in the interview.
- Mike is 3 years older than Cory.
- Cory started his wine career at Pine Ridge working with Josh Widaman.
- He also worked at Chimney Rock, Stags Leap, and then Etude as a cellar hand with Jon Priest.
- Next stop was as an assistant winemaker with Tony Soter at his Soter Vineyards for 3 years.
- After that, he was at Calera as an associate winemaker for 4+ years.
- He became the winemaker at Eden Rift in April of 2017.
- We talked about the Cienega Valley.
- It was one of the earliest premier growing regions for grapes in California.
- By 3 pm the wind cools down the valley. The nighttime temperatures are in the 40’s and 50’s.
- Eden Rift is the oldest continually producing vineyard in California. Planted in 1849 by Theophile Vache, the 120-acre estate rests on the San Andreas Faultline and is part of the Cienega Valley AVA.
- Some vintages of note per Cory are: 2019 was epic (So, we had to try the Chard Dave had acquired) and in 2023 they were picking in October.
- They use 60% to 70% of their grapes each vintage. They now produce about 10,000 cases per year.
- The Palmtag wine uses Mt. Eden clone grapes.
- Lansdale has Calara grapes from Calera’s Reed Vineyard. The Block Q vineyard is their highest vineyard.
- Finally, Cory likes to pick at night and use whole clusters.
Below is a summary of the wine offerings from Eden Rift that we covered with Cory. The links below are to our full reviews. If you are interested in ordering and trying these wines, you will find some of these wines via your favorite fine wine shop or on top quality wine lists. You can also purchase these wines directly from their website.
1) Eden Rift 2020 Pinot Gris “Terraces” (Cienega Valley) $32 (KWGTP 91)
2) Eden Rift 2020 Chardonnay “Estate” (Cienega Valley) $42 (KWGTP 92)
3) Eden Rift 2020 Chardonnay “Terraces” (Cienega Valley) $54 (KWGTP 92.5)
4) Eden Rift 2020 Chardonnay “Reserve” (Cienega Valley) $65 (KWGTP 93.5)
5) Eden Rift 2020 Pinot Noir “Estate” (Cienega Valley) $48 (KWGTP 93)
6) Eden Rift 2020 Pinot Noir “Terraces” (Cienega Valley) $64 (KWGTP 93)
7) Eden Rift 2020 Pinot Noir “Palmtag” (Cienega Valley) $78 (KWGTP 94.5)
8) Eden Rift 2020 Pinot Noir “Lansdale” (Cienega Valley) $78 (KWGTP 94)
Wines Covered In Other Tastings, Post Interview
9) Eden Rift 2020 Chardonnay “Estate” (Cienega Valley) $42 493 cs (KWGTP 92.5)
You can find reviews of past and future wines of the Eden Rift portfolio that we cover on their KWG winery page on our website.
We hope you enjoy these terrific wines as much as we did. Cheers! – Ken