California’s great old vine Zinfandel vineyards

WINE TALK
681

Jancis Robinson’s website hosts an annual essay contest, accepting wine writing submissions on different topics. 2021’s theme was “old vine vineyards”. Each year’s published Wine Writing Contest articles are free to read.


"…Inspired by the Old Vine Conference, an initiative designed to emphasise the value of old vines and to try to keep them in the ground rather than being pulled out in favour of higher-yielding young vines, we are proposing to make old vines the topic of this year’s competition.

"…What we’re looking for is:

"An account of an old vineyard, or parcel of old vines – the less well-known the better

"The Old Vine Conference initiative is designed to increase the perceived value of old vines in the eyes of growers, wine professionals and wine lovers … You will find links to recordings of the proceedings on oldvines.org. Further down the WWC21 webpage is a list of over 70 separate profiles of ancient-growth vineyards from around the world.


A handful of the WWC21 essays explore California’s Zinfandel / “field blend” plantings:

· “Scherrer Family Vineyard, California” by Jillian Riley

· “Ray Road, California” by Miranda McCage

· “ZinStar Vineyard, California” by Gwendolyn Alley


“The Shortlist”: 20 WWC21 Finalists:

“…It was tough enough to decide which of the 136 entries to publish. But the toughest job of all has been to cut the 74 published entries into a manageable shortlist. Jancis, Julia, Andrew and I now have the equally difficult task of selecting the winner and runners-up with the help of Sarah Abbott MW, champion of old vines and founder of The Old Vine Conference.”

Of the finalists, it appears that three vineyards are from California; 2 are interplanted with Zinfandel:

· “Compagni-Portis Vineyard, California” by Mary K. Miller

· “Evangehlo Vineyard, California” by Chris Howard

· “AJ Duckhorn Vineyard, California” by Ezra Wicks


Jancis Robinson website:

Old Vineyard Conference website:
oldvines.org

1 Like
682

The May issue of San Joaquin Magazine featured an article on the “Save the Old” organization, a collaboration between the Historic Vineyard Society and Lodi Wine Grape Commission…


San Joaquin Magazine
“Saving the Old Vineyards”
by Suzanne Ledbetter
May, 2021


Save the Old website:

683

Max Reichwage posted a beautiful aerial image of the old-vine “Mancini Ranch” on Instagram a month ago.


209994620_1190588458047344_5240215322666262488_n.jpg
209994620_1190588458047344_5240215322666262488_n.jpg640×640 189 KB

Reichwage Winery will release a new bottling in the near future: a 2020 “Bâtard Mancini” mixed whites field blend is currently ageing in stainless steel at the winery. Though the old-vine site features numerous grape varieties, the blend is composed only of French Colombard, Palomino (aka “Golden Chasselas”), and Muscadelle.

6 white and 15 red grape varieties date back to the original 1922-24 planting; 8 new varieties were planted to the 16-acre vineyard in 2018.

225603486_214736217241236_178418768062055361_n.jpg
225603486_214736217241236_178418768062055361_n.jpg640×640 81.6 KB

Historic Vineyard Society profile: “Mancini Vineyard”


Reichwage Winery website:

684

Is anyone familiar with an old interplanted vineyard in the Russian River Valley known as the “Peugh Vineyard”?


from Anthill Farms’ November 3, 2021, email announcing the release of its “Peugh Vyd” Mixed Blacks wine:

"…Ancient vines form 1887 planted traditionally to 14 different varieties from old neighbors’ cuttings are scattered ten feet apart at Peugh. Dry farmed Zinfandel, Grenache, Petite Sirah, Alicante Bouschet, Carignan, Mourvèdre, Negrette, Malvasia Nera, Barbera, a handful of unknown white vines (maybe Palomino, or a mutation of Gewurtztraminer, or something completely different) make up the smattering of head trained vines. This broad mix of plantings that was done for decades in early California viticulture contributes to an overall balance, inherent texture and distinct depth and breadth of fruit flavors in the final wine.


"…2019 ‘Peugh Mixed Blacks’

“Vivid dark red color. Effusive aromatic intensity with a perfume that translates to the palate in notes of red cherry liqueur, black plum, sage, violet and peach blossom that both lift from the glass and linger on the finish. This wine is satin textured in the mouth with fine, integrated tannins. For all the plushness, the old mixed vines have maintained an incredibly bright acidity that both balances the wines texture and refreshes the palate. All neutral puncheons and barrels were used to age the wine, allowing the striking character of the site to take center stage. This is a deeply pleasurable, versatile, crowd-pleasing wine for your holiday gatherings.”


On the winery website, the “Peugh Vyd”, which has served as the source for Anthill’s Chardonnay, is described as follows:

“This head-trained vineyard sits smack dab in the middle of the Russian River Valley, on the plains that make up the northwestern outskirts of Santa Rosa. The faded brown soils, known as Huichica loam, offer an excellent mix of low fertility and rapid drainage. Most notable about the site, however, is the age of the vines: we don’t know the exact age, but the best indication is that they were planted in the early 1940s, making it some of the oldest producing Chardonnay in the state.”

Apparently, the “Peugh” Chardonnay vines were grafted onto rootstock dating back to the 19th Century. I presume that the “Mixed Black” wine is from what remains of the site’s original planting?


Anthill Farms website:

685

Never heard of the Peugh vineyard. Not listed on the 1998 SCGGA RRV 1998 map or on Everyvine…

1 Like
686

Drew, see if you can get Anthill to divulge the location of the Peugh vineyard. We should be able to determine what it was called in the past via the 1998 SCGGA map.

687

With the kindest intentions, I must tell you that I have played that game too many times to have much faith in producers divulging the true identity of any vineyard that has been labeled with a proprietary vineyard name.

IF I provided the folks at Anthill with a site that likely matches up with the “Peugh Vineyard”, perhaps they would be willing to confirm my suspicion.

Honestly, there can’t be many RRV sites that:
A) are near Santa Rosa;
B) that date back to 1887;
C) were partially grafted to Chardonnay in the 1940s;
D) have some surviving mixed varieties.


“Asking a winery for a list of their growers is like asking someone for the location of their best fishing hole!”

  • Charlie Tsegeletos
688

It’s odd that they say “Ancient vines from 1887” and then “we don’t know the exact age, but the best indication is that they were planted in the early 1940s”.

Their location of “northwestern outskirts of Santa Rosa” sounds like it’s more south of the Wood Rd area up near Fulton (and those are all very well known - and spoken for - vineyards). I wonder if it could be that weird SR city owned OV vineyard on the south side of Piner Rd, near Fulton Rd. We discussed that vineyard at one point in this thread and you discovered that the parcel was once owned by an Imwalle and it was labeled as the Imwalle vineyard on the 1998 SCGGA RRV map. Somebody who has ampelography skills (that would not be me) could walk the vineyard and see if they can spot chardonnay vines among the mixed blacks. All the vines are definitely old head pruned vines. It’s trivially easy to access by driving south from Piner down Paradise Ln.

1 Like
689

As those two statements were made at different times/contexts, and address separate varieties, each statement could be true:

  • “Peugh Vyd’s” interplanted red varieties were established circa 1887;

  • A section of the “Peugh Vyd” was grafted over to Chardonnay in the '40s; vacancies in that block, due to lost vines, theoretically could have been replanted to Chardonnay.

I do not believe that they’d say the “Peugh Vyd” was in the “northwestern outskirts of Santa Rosa” if the actual location was as far South as the “Imwalle Vyd”.

I’d be willing to bet that Anthill bought grapes from a rather well-known site, under the agreement that a proprietary designation be used on the label.

I suppose I’ll have to ask Anthill’s staff where they are getting the grapes…

** EDIT **

Perhaps a clue to the location/identity of the “Peugh Vineyard” can be found in this older SF Gate article?


SF Gate
“Making a Mountain Out of Anthill”
by Janet Fletcher
January 23, 2009
By-line: “Three upstarts have a formula for producing some of California’s most compelling single-vineyard Pinots.”

690

While the southern boundary of “northwest Santa Rosa” might be considered as north of Piner Rd, the Imwalle vineyard, literally bordering the south side of Piner Rd, is very close.

691

Not to make too much of it :wink:, but I’ve lived in Santa Rosa for quite some time and “northwest Santa Rosa” could be considered to be south of Piner Rd in my opinion.

Here’s the city of Santa Rosa’s latest emergency evacuation map, which shows the region north of Piner Rd as “Northwest-1” and the region between Piner and Guerneville as “Northwest-2”.

https://srcity.org/DocumentCenter/View/29462/Evacuation-Zones?bidId=

They even named the region south of Guerneville Rd down to Hwy 12 “Northwest-3”, but that’s a misnomer. It’s really due west of the city center. In any case, the intersection of Fulton and Piner Roads is definitely northwest of the city center.

Edit: Here’s another example from the city. The city council is made up of 7 districts. District 6 includes most of the “northwest” area, including a majority of the area from Piner Rd down to Guerneville.
https://santarosa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/InformationLookup/index.html?appid=bbafb3ff89054766977c176d8f0fd56d

1 Like
692

Here are a few internet resources related to Zinfandel and old-vine plantings.


Press Democrat
“Berger: A Reminder Why Zinfandel Is So Important to Sonoma County”
by Dan Berger
October 4, 2010

Press Democrat
“Berger: Lighter Zinfandels Are Back in Favor”
by Dan Berger
August 2, 2016

Press Democrat
“On Wine: The Ups and Downs of Zinfandel”
Gerald D. Boyd
April 5, 2016

Google Search Results
“zinfandel site:https://www.pressdemocrat.com”

If you do not have a way to access articles behind a paywall, might I suggest trying 12 Foot Ladder?

Internet Archive
Grape Culture and Wine-Making in California; A Practical Manual for the Grape-Grower and Wine-Maker (1888)
“Zinfandel” p. 152
by George Husmann
San Francisco, Payot, Upham & Co.


I believe I have referenced this book before.

Google Books
California Vines, Wines and Pioneers
“Chapter 5: Historic Vines”
by Sherry Monahan
Arcadia Publishing, 2013

Not much of this brief chapter is viewable on Google Books, unfortunately. The author appears to devote most of her attention to famous old-vine plantings the Sonoma Valley area (“Old Hill”, “Bedrock”, “Barricia”, “Pagani”).

693

Well, now you’re just showing away! neener

Please do not think that I believe myself to be an expert on lands my feet have never touched.

You have demonstrated on countless occasions to be incredibly knowledgeable of CA vineyards and producers. Aside from actually living in old-vine Zin country and frequently visiting area wineries, you have all those cool Sonoma vineyard maps, to boot!

694

^ The one SCGGA map that got away from me (I did have it once) is the Alexander Valley map. Mike Officer has a set of the same maps and has promised to look for it. He says it has to be in one of 4 locations :wink:. So if he ever finds it I’ll borrow it from Mike. take photos of it and upload it here.

1 Like
695

Nothing grates the nerves quite like an almost completed collection!

[head-bang.gif]

696

I’m surprised there is no Ridge or Rombauer Zinfandel’s in that list. Are they too new to make the cut?

697

North of Guerneville Rd works for me.

698

The Ridge Vineyards blog includes some details about the old-growth “Mancini Vineyard/Ranch”, situated at the intersection of Piner-Olivet in the Russian River Valley:


Ridge Vineyards Blog
“‘Mancini Ranch’: 16 Acres of Old Vines in the Heart of Russian River Valley”


“‘Mancini Ranch’ is a truly distinctive vineyard. Situated in the Russian River Valley among Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vineyards, ‘Mancini’ is home to a host of interesting grape varieties like Cinsault, Peloursin, Carignane, and Zinfandel. Its history is just as unique; the first vines on the ranch were planted in 1922, in the midst of Prohibition! The old vines at this historic site are protected by the Historic Vineyard Society.”

Mancini Ranch Map from Ridge Vineyards.jpg
"Location: Piner & Olivet Neighborhood, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County

"Climate/Terroir: The Zinfandel grapes at ‘Mancini Ranch’ are some of the last in the county to be harvested each vintage because of the vineyard’s cool climate in the Russian River Valley. The foggy mornings and cooler temperatures allow for long, slow ripening, maintaining excellent acidity in the fruit.

“The Vines: 16 acres of dry-farmed field blended vines, planted by Luca Mancini between 1922 and 1924, with new plantings added in 2018. The vineyard is made up primarily of Zinfandel vines, inter-planted with several mixed black and mixed white grape varieties. Some of the grape varieties found in the oldest blocks include Valdiguié, Peloursin, Cinsault, Trousseau Noir, and Palomino. The property is also home to walnut, apple, pear, plum, and oak trees.”

699

I was perusing an old issue of Pacific Rural Press, and read a report from 1904 wherein Mr Leopold Justi praised his success cultivating Zinfandel grafted to Lenoir rootstock.

At the time, California was still reeling from the devastation of Phylloxera, and rootstock trials were being conducted with St George, Lenoir, etc.


Google Books
Pacific Rural Press, Vol. #67-68 (1904)
“The Re-Establishment of Vineyards” (p.165)
by Bismark Bruck


I found this to be interesting, as some of these Sonoma Valley vines continue to bear fruit over 100 years later - whether the site is referred to as “Justi Creek Vyd Heritage Block”, “Morse Vyd”, “Mancuso Vyd”, or “Lasseter Vyd”.

Sometimes the rootstock overtakes the vine material originally grafted on top, allowing the “Black Spanish” component to bud, flower, and fruit.

To my understanding, Lenoir has been identified in a handful of old-growth vineyards in the area, such as “Pagani Ranch”, “Wellington Vyd”, etc.

700

Ms Elaine Chukan Brown covered a Historic Vineyard Society event and explored the virtues of old-vine plantings years ago on her blog:


Waka Waka Wine Reviews
“Tasting Wine w/ the Historic Vineyard Society: Pebble Beach Food + Wine”
by Elaine Chukan Brown
April 21, 2014

“Ray Isle, Executive Wine Editor for Food & Wine Magazine celebrated heritage wines of California on a panel at this year’s Pebble Beach Food and Wine. Bringing together Morgan Twain-Peterson and Tegan Passalacqua of the Historic Vineyard Society, with Master Sommelier and wine educator, Gillian Balance, the discussion offered an introduction to terroir specific vineyards of California through ten wines of Northern California…”.


Wines Featured:

· Hanzell “Ambassador” 2007 Pinot Noir;

· Bedrock Wine Co “Gibson Ranch” 2013 Grenache;

· Idlewild “Testa Vineyard” 2012 Carignane;

· Neyers “Evangelho Vineyard” 2012 Mourvedre;

· Turley “Library Vineyard” 2012 Petite Sirah;

· Turley “Kirchenmann Vineyard” 2012 Zinfandel;

· Limerick Lane 2011 Zinfandel (1910 Planting);

· Carlisle Winery “Carlisle Vineyard” 2012 Zinfandel;

· Ridge 2012 “Geyserville”.


The following post includes some interesting comments on the advantages and vulnerabilities surrounding the cultivation of older grapevines.


Waka Waka Wine Reviews
“Considering the Role of Vine Age: #IPOB SF 2014”
by Elaine Chukan Brown
March 12, 2014

"The morning at In Pursuit of Balance began with a fascinating seminar on Vine Age, facilitated by Alder Yarrow. The panel proved particularly special for its participants, and their wealth of experience both in winemaking, and with vineyards that have helped define the possibilities for California terroir, including the oldest continuously producing Pinot Noir vineyard in the state. The panelists included Michael McNeill of Hanzell, Steve Matthiasson of Matthiasson, Adam Tolmach of Ojai, and Pax Mahle of Wind Gap.

“The center piece of the discussion came in distinguishing between three general age ranges of vines…”.