Here is the link to the independent thread on the recent passing of Mr Frank Evangelho, one of the last of the “old guard” of multi-generational families farming old vineyards in the Antioch/Oakley area of Contra Costa County:
“RIP Frank Evangelho”
Other figureheads of Contra Costa old-vine family farming who are no longer with us:
• Joseph “Joe” Duarte: “…Joe was born on the family ranch at Big Break, Oakley, Ca and attended local schools. He is one of 5 generations of Duartes in Oakley. Joe was an agriculture farmer in Oakley for over 60 years…”
• Dwight Meadows: “…He managed several vineyards in East County and was proud of the grapes he grew. His four grandchildren were the joy in Dwight’s life…Dwight is survived by his wife Carla, son Aaron Meadows (Amy), daughter Stacia Ruffolo (Craig), grandchildren, Isabella and Anthony Meadows, Jake and Nicole Ruffolo and father Jesse.”
Dwight Meadows and his wife (Carla Cutino-Meadows) farmed the “Jesse’s Vineyard” and “Carla’s Vineyard”. According to an [u]East Bay Times[/u] article commemorating his life’s achievements:
"…Meadows also had a head for grapes, says Brentwood farmer Tom Bloomfield, who recalls the extensive research he did to develop the vines best suited to Oakley’s sandy soil.
“‘He really put Oakley on the map as a prime Zin location,’ he said.
“Indeed, a bottle of Zinfandel that Alameda’s Rosenblum Cellars made from Meadows’ grapes not only won best of show at the 2003 California State Fair but also was named among the top 100 wines in the world that year by Wine Spectator Magazine…”
• Rich Pato: “…He was employed with the Contra Costa Water District from 1977 until 2004. He retired to concentrate on the loves of his life: family, his vineyard, and watching sports, namely, the SF Giants.”
Rich Pato leased the eponymous vineyard from the Water District. Bedrock now has a ~10-year-lease on the “Pato”, “Mori”, and “Calisesi” plots.
The Co-CoFermented Blog says this about the “Pato Vineyard” (based on a phone conversation with the late Rich Pato:
“…Originally planted in 1896, back in the days when Oakley was a convenient railhead for shipping grapes back east, Rich’s plot comprises 26 acres planted to old-vine Petite Sirah, Zinfandel and Mourvèdre. Located directly across busy Empire Avenue from Stan and Gertie Planchon’s vineyard, it’s also a textbook study in Oakley’s past and present: Directly adjacent to majestic vines looking forward to their 115th birthday, there’s an ongoing engineering-and-asphalt development designed to widen Empire to double its traffic capacity.”
• Stanley “Stan” Planchon: “…He had been a builder for the late Clint Sudweeks, constructing marinas and other buildings throughout the Delta. He also was a grower, raising wine grapes, both in Oakley and in southern Oregon. Mr. Planchon managed 40 acres of family-owned vineyards off Empire Avenue that were planted by his grandfather in 1902…”
• Ben Romiti: “…He was a native and the oldest lifelong resident of Oakley, CA. Ben was a self-employed rancher, working 83 years on the family ranch. He also worked 26 years for Contra Costa County Public Works as an equipment operator…”
Remember that the Romiti property, mentioned elsewhere in this thread, was recently placed on the market for $5,000,000?
According to a news article from ABC-7, the sons of Ben Romiti noted that, although the grapes continue to be bought by wineries, the family has lost its desire to continue working the land:
"…Six generations have enjoyed farming there but the two brothers who own the land are reluctantly selling.
"…Frank Romiti says, ‘At this point, the fourth generation is not interested in farming anymore and we’re getting surrounded by housing so we decided to put it up for sale.’
“Bernard Romiti added, ‘I can’t work the ranch no more and it’s getting harder for him. We think the best thing to do is to sell.’”
Even though these individuals are gone, many of the grapefarming families of Oakley are interconnected in elaborate ways.
Consider Mr Stan Planchon’s obituary from the [u]Mercury News[/u] article:
“He is survived by: daughters, Linda Seeno, Diane Lovejoy and Carol Planchon; stepson Dino Del Barba; stepdaughters Vicki Mann, Cindy Del Barba and Juli Del Barba Favalora and numerous other relatives.”
When patriarch Louis Del Barba, father of Tom Del Barba, passed away in 2010, the family continued to work its vineyard properties. Son Dino Del Barba passed away last year; here are family members that (as of 2017) had passed away as well as those who have survived his tragic death:
"Dino is preceded in death by his father, Louis Del Barba, his mother Gertrude Planchon, step-dad Stan Planchon, and his niece Sophia Favalora.
"He is survived by his sisters Vicki Mann, Cindy Del Barba, and Juli Del Barba-Favalora. Nephews Robert Cloutier (Rachel), Nick Cloutier, Venanzio Favalora, nieces Rochelle Sikes (Brad), Giannina Favalora, great-nieces Hailey, McKenzie, Kylie, Remedi, Leyla, and great-nephew Bradley.
“Uncles and aunts Fred and Shirley Del Barba, Rico Cinquini (Rose deceased), Tino and Josie Bacchini, Janice Preszler and Nick Sacchetti, as well as many cousins.”
It is apparent that the Planchon, Del Barba, and Favalora families are all inter-related, via marriage or otherwise.
Another anecdote shared by the Co-CoFermented Blog explained how many vineyards - and their owners - were interconnected:
"…Until a couple of weeks ago, when I ran into Tom Del Barba during harvest at one of his own neighboring properties, and had the [“Duarte Vineyard”] site confirmed by Rock Wall winemaker, Shauna Rosenblum. Turns out that we’d been driving past two big old-vine vineyards on busy Laurel Road for almost a year: One is Tom’s; he told me that the eastern one is ‘Duarte’.
"The ‘Duarte Vineyard’ story is one that’s being retold a lot in Oakley. According to Tom Del Barba, Joe Duarte had been farming the land for years, when local developer Seeno Homes offered him big dough for the vineyard, intending to rip out the vines and build McMansions (there’s a big development already built just behind the vineyard). Well, the housing collapse put the boots to that plan, so rather than let the land sit fallow, Seeno leases the (currently) intact ‘Duarte/Jesse’s’ vineyard site out to a local grower and county land commissioner named Dwight Meadows. Dwight has vine interests in several parcels countywide (In fact, Shauna Rosenblum’s oh-so-tasty Montepulciano mentioned here months ago sources from younger vines planted in neighboring Brentwood and managed by Dwight Meadows). Completing the small-town vibe is the fact that Dwight is married to the former Carla Cutino, whose family ran the eponymous tire shop in town, and whose given name graces ‘Carla’s Vineyard’, located beside the Kmart. ‘Carla’s’ is yet another of Rosenblum Cellars’ vineyard designates. "
As many the region’s vineyard owners pass on, it is natural to wonder if the current increase in land values will end multi-generational farming in Antioch and Oakley.
• Aaron Meadows has shifted his focus to commercial land development, eliminating the “Carla’s Vineyard” piecemeal.
• The Romiti brothers are selling their land, which includes the home they grew up in and a parcel of ~150-year-old Zinfandel vines.
• The “Evangelho Vineyard” was purchased by Bedrock Wine Company, perhaps the best news I’ve heard coming out of the county in the lifetime of this thread. Bedrock is also leasing the “Pato”, “Mori”, and “Calisesi” parcels from the CoCo Water District.
• The City of Oakley has begun its “ACVP Phase 2”, a project whose ultimate goal aims to save as many of the old vineyards as is possible.
• Favalora Vineyards Winery has been established recently, injecting youthful vigor into the farming and bottling of some local viticultural sites. Other small wineries have been purchasing grapes from remaining ancient vineyards of the county.
• The Historic Vineyard Society continues to provide opportunities for vineyard owners and those wineries who offer old-vine wines a chance to increase public awareness of California’s treasures.
Only time will tell what fate awaits the shrinking number of Contra Costa wine grape-growing families.