{"title":"Kalin Cellars","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe wine world is very lucky to have the state of California. It is a land of incredible diversity and terroir, but it lacks the long-held traditions of Burgundy or Piedmont. That, combined with the American cowboy spirit, means that California is full of experimentation — and full of charming quirks. One of the most charming and quirky of them all is Kalin Cellars.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTerry and Frances Leighton, microbiologists by trade, operate on a timeline that defies modern commerce. They hold back wines for decades, releasing — and often re-releasing from their library — only when the science and the taste align.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo drink these wines is to step into a time machine, back to an era when California Chardonnay was often defined by aggressive oak, high alcohol, and buttery excess. The late 1990s were the peak of that \"cocktail wine\" style, but Kalin always looked elsewhere. While their neighbors were chasing Golden Delicious apples and heavy toast, the Leightons were chasing the elusive \"fifth taste\" of umami. They were crafting wines of high acidity and savory depth, designed not for the cocktail hour, but to age glacially alongside the finest white Burgundies.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[],"url":"https:\/\/nyc.flatiron-wines.com\/collections\/kalin-cellars.oembed","provider":"Flatiron Wines \u0026 Spirits NYC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}