After gathering the info for the prior post, I decided to take a closer look at a couple of older articles I encountered in my readings.
It is amazing how optimistic some of the writing was ~20-years-ago with respect to the future of Contra Costa’s ancient, family-owned vineyards! Then again, a lot has happened in the world since then…
SF Gate
“Growth By the Glass In Oakley: Vineyard Revival Emerging Amid Stores, Subdivisions”
by John King
August 15, 1997
"Out in Oakley, you expect to see new subdivisions. You expect to see new high schools. New roads.
"But you don’t expect to see what Fred Cline shows off with pride: a new field of grapevines, 20 acres of pencil-thin stalks topped by large leaves.
"‘It’s petite sirah and zinfandel,’ the 40-year-old winery owner says with satisfaction in his voice. ‘We planted it last week, and it’s taking off quick.’
"Forget about suburbanization or the traffic jams on Highway 4 – the story in Oakley right now is the revival of vineyards. Sixty new acres have been planted this year, and more are likely to follow.
"The reason is simple: In the wine world, Oakley is hip. There’s a market for the grapes, the kind of market that makes it worth a farmer’s while to ignore those phone calls from developers.
"…So if growers love their land, they can stay where they are. County statistics show the average price per ton of Contra Costa grapes climbed from $427 in 1990 to $713 last year, and it’s even higher for grapes from Oakley’s distinctive century-old vineyards.
"…For Cline, the triumph is that any farmland at all remains – even if it’s mixed in a checkerboard pattern with housing and shopping centers.
"…Still, the land devoted to grapes in the county dwindled from 851 acres in 1984 to 771 in 1990.
"'It was painful back then [the early 1980’s],’ Cline recalls. ‘I’d be going up to everyone who had five acres, saying “grow grapes,” and all this great land is being plowed under.’
"The Clines built their winery in Sonoma, because ‘it’s hard to establish your national brand if people can’t associate it with the wine country.’
"That was in 1991. Now, Cline’s production is reaching the 100,000- case level, and the wine is sold in every state except South Dakota.
"…In Contra Costa, meanwhile, the amount of agricultural land devoted to grapes last year totaled 975 acres. Besides Oakley, this includes the vineyards of Viano Winery in Martinez, which has been in production since 1946.
"True, Oakley will never rival Napa as a tourist destination; the Bridgehead vineyard, which produces coveted grapes for high- priced offerings by Cline and Ridge, sits behind a convenience store. But when Cline looks into the future, things look good.
“‘Oakley’s viable forever as a grape-growing area,’ Cline says. ‘I wouldn’t have been as confident saying that five or six years ago.’”
The construction of the BART line straight through the area, the recent boom in land prices, and the uncertainty of whether remaining farmers among the checkboarded blocks of vineyards, houses, and businesses holding onto their century-old vines all serve to cast a haze over the viticultural future of Contra Costa.
I have found other amazing photos of vineyards from the David Bayliss Photography website. Tonight, the “Evangelho Vineyard” was discovered among the various images…
v36QzdDnBvQ
Drew, here is a new drone video I did earlier this week from Evangelho.
(rabbit photobomb at the 9 sec. mark)
Thanks for the vid-jo, Hardy!!!
I saw the rabbit! Maybe he lives under the vine in the photo earlier in this thread…? 
I always appreciate your cool overhead-cam videos of vineyards.
Seeing the “Evangelho Vineyard” video that Dirty & Rowdy’s Mr Hardy Wallace posted above ↑↑ reminded me of a recent epiphany of sorts.
As pointed out previously in this thread, and confirmed by Ms Shauna Rosenblum of Rock Wall Wine Company, the “Carla’s Vineyard” (adjacent to the “Evangelho Vineyard” in Antioch) is more or less gone. The fate of the vineyard was always uncertain according to the words of the late Dwight Meadows, husband of Carla Cutino-Meadows and father of Aaron, who owned the site.
I re-read a Wine & Spirits magazine article from October of 2005, written by Patrick J. Comiskey and entitled “Age Before Beauty”. In the piece, the author writes that, in 1979, when Mr Meadows and a few partners first purchased the plot of land that included the 10-acre vineyard (then 80-years-old), the plan had always been to tear out the vines. An economic downturn led to the delay. In the meantime, old-vine Zinfandel became a hot product, and Rosenblum Cellars contracted with Meadows to buy the grapes…
“… Meadows is understandably pleased, but he’s also a pragmatist, and he knows that one day he’ll pull out the vineyard. ‘There’ll come a time when we have to,’ he says, ‘It’s just basic economics. The price of land is already at ten or fifteen dollars a square foot. When the right opportunity presents itself, it will be time to make that decision.’…”
Well, Mr Dwight passed away and his son is a commercial development guy. The ~120-year-old vines are going to the concrete-covered fate that they evaded twice in their lifetime.
After the City of Oakley’s September 12, 2017, update and approval of the “Agricultural Conservation & Viticulture Program (ACVP) Phase 2” Sub-Committee final report, things kind of ground to a halt.
As indicated in the final report, the enticement to commercially develop vineyard land is very strong for some property owners, the community largely fails to demonstrate an enthusiasm for the preservation of old vineyards, and a few additional unforeseen complications have emerged. A lack of available funds is also an immediate obstacle in fulfilling some of the elements of the plan.
The mapping out of the target clusters of viticultural sites has to be refined; it cannot be just an survey of all the city’s ancient vineyards, as not every location will ultimately be included in the program. One only needs to consider the “Romiti Vineyard”, recently put on the market for millions of dollars.
At the time of the September “Oakley ACVP (aka OACVP) Phase 2” report, the following was included in the Progress Report Summary:
• The “Walnut Meadows” site (a transplanted collection of old Alicante Bouschet vines) would not be able to receive the needed electricity support for lighting and a solar-radiation irrigation pump system. This unique component of Oakley viticulture is no longer able to fulfill its intended role as a cultural showcase to the community at-large or to tourists at the moment.
• General research leading to funding assistance: little to no Conservation Easement funding opportunities were deemed possible; discussions with NRCS for “Walnut Meadows” development have been opened.
• “O’Hara Cluster” easement plans have not been positively received by the landowner (Mr Lucchesi) after several attempts.
• Vineyard property values were assessed and outreach made by OACVP: the “Planchon Vineyard” in particular was evaluated for value; ANRT presentations were conducted at the Brentwood Harvest Festival, the Heart of Oakley, and via the ANRT website and Facebook page; the “Ancient Vine Historical Designation” was established for the “Planchon Vineyard”.
The report states: “The Program was initially built on the prospective that landowners within each cluster would commit to a conservation easement, thus increasing the amount of acreage needed to secure grant funding. With only one cluster potentially available for an easement and the city not able to participate in creating the Walnut Meadows Vineyard Showcase to program has come to a halt.
Discussion on how and why to move forward is needed.” 
I will follow this post up with the “Discussion points for next meeting with the sub-committee.”
I am going to try to reach out to Ms Liz DiGiorgio (ANRT) and Mr Kenneth Strelo (Senior Planner, City of Oakley) in order to gather more up-to-date info on the fate of Oakley’s vineyards.
Photo of the “Planchon Vineyard”:
Mr Morgan Twain-Peterson of Bedrock Wine Company posted this picture of a Carignan block in the “Evangelho Vineyard”.
Mr Morgan Twain-Peterson of Bedrock Wine Company posted this image of some 2018 Carignan from the “Evangelho Vineyard”:
Morgan Twain-Peterson of Bedrock Wine Company posted this aerial photo of the “Evangelho Vineyard” in Antioch.
The following notes come from a recent Wine Access email promoting Mr Matt Cline’s Three Wine Company’s 2015 “Ancient Vine Field Blend”, composed of 100% Contra Costa grapes:
"…Matt’s ‘Old Vine Field Blend’…Deep ruby to the rim with piercing, high-toned aromas of boysenberry, raspberry, and exotic spices. Zinfandel, Carignane, Petite Sirah, Mourvèdre, and Alicante Bouschet from heritage vineyards planted by first-generation Italians make for a truly opulent wine and a massive attack, showing off all of its century-old-vine pedigree.
"…When you first see the vineyards, you can’t help but do a double-take. There’s no dirt, no gravel, no galets roules. Everything is sand. The varieties include Spanish Mataró, Carignan, Zinfandel, and Malvasia Nero. Purportedly hauled down in buggies from the old Buena Vista Winery to Contra Costa 100-125 years ago, 6-inch budwood was twisted into Delhi sand by Portuguese and Italian immigrant families. The family names were ‘Spinelli’, ‘Lucchesi’, ‘Evangelho’, and ‘Jacuzzi’. Today those vines eke out a few clusters each, the tiny berries packed with dense red-fruit concentration.
"It would be almost 100 years before a young California enologist named Matt Cline, the grandson of Valeriano Jacuzzi, would walk us through which vineyards were best and why. ‘Contra Costa summers are hot, the best vineyards are those planted closest to the river,’ Matt told us a while back over an all-you-can-eat ribeye lunch at Mac’s Old House. ‘The best vintages come from the dry, mild years. 2012 and 2013 were superb. 2015 was a roller coaster, but the end results were just miraculous.’
“The early winter was rainy, replenishing hydric reserves, before drying out in a very warm January. By February, the rains were back at it, followed by cool spring temperatures that dropped yields severely in some places. July turned the burners on, putting ripening into hyperdrive and making for an early harvest that wrapped up by the last week of August and the first week of September. While the dust hasn’t yet settled, some have already called it the best of an incredible four-year run of brilliant vintages beginning with 2012 in the Central Coast…”
Wine Access Catalog Special Entry for Three Wine Company’s “Ancient Vine Field Blend” Contra Costa County
Three Wine Company website: http://www.threewinecompany.com
I guess this is the best place to put this -On my way back from picking some grapes in the Oakley area this morning I passed a big rig loaded with Bedrock macro bins coming back on Highway 4.
Did you join the pick with Cal Wine Broker? What varieties did you end up picking, and how was the overall quality?
No, I’ve picked with him before and might later this year but today I got Pinot Gris from a vineyard I’ve been getting grapes from for about 7 years. Quality was great 21brix under 3.4ph.
Thanks for the update, Matt!
I am always appreciative of your on-the-ground involvement with the vineyards of Contra Costa!!
Photos are a bonus, too!
Precedent Wines from Mr Nathan Kandler are the focus of this report from retailer K&L Wines:
K&L “On the Trail”
“A New Entrant into Old-Vine Winemaking”
April 12, 2018
"…Two wines from a new label named Precedent stopped me in my tracks. The first was an ‘Evangelho Vineyard Zinfandel’. Rich, layered and complex, it was a field blend of several varieties grounded in Zinfandel from a legendary vineyard site.
"…The opportunity came in 2010, when Tegan Passalacqua, winemaker at Turley and an old-vine treasure hunter, turned Kandler onto ‘Evangelho Vineyard’. ‘Evangelho’ is one of the most unique vineyards in California…‘The age, the fact that it’s on its own roots, the fact that it’s dry farmed, the mix of varieties there. It’s a dream. You just don’t find that very many places.’
"…After tasting through Kandler’s wines, I’m convinced Precedent belongs on the short list of old-vine winemakers who deliver exceptional quality.
“…Looking out past the vines to the San Francisco Bay below, I asked Kandler what was next for Precedent. ‘There’s a lot more land left to be explored in Lodi. You can make the wines at really good price points. I want to make wines that somebody like me would want to buy.’”
Precedent Wines website: http://www.precedentwine.com
In case it already is not apparent, the 2018 harvest in eastern Contra Costa County, California, has begun!
In a recent email from the California Wine Broker, Mr Mike (with his “enforcer”, a dog named Gentleman Jake) stated that red grapes are ready to be harvested, as he has notified his email list of “Wineo’s” of the second and third picks for the season.
From the email:
"…We are going to have the 2nd pick on Saturday, September 1st, and the 3rd pick on Sunday, September 2nd.
"Both picks will be held in Oakley, Ca, but NOT at the same vineyard.
"The 2nd pick will be held on Saturday, Sept.1st, at a vineyard that we have picked before. These Oakley Zinfandel grapes are mature grapes that have produced many award-winning wines.
"The 3rd pick will be held on Sunday, Sept 2nd, at a vineyard that we have never picked before. There will be two grape varietals on this pick; Zinfandel and Carmine. These grapes are authentic OLD VINE Oakley Zinfandel and Carmine grapes.
"Some of the Zinfandel vines on the Sunday pick are said to be around 150-years-old.
"I’ve been making and drinking zinfandel from old vine grapes for more than 20 years. I have had a bottle of zin made from the Old Vine vineyard we are picking on Sunday. I can honestly tell you that the wine was the best zin I have ever had.
"The other varietal on this pick is ‘Carmine’. This varietal is a clone created at Davis from Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignane, and Merlot.
"I had never heard of this grape before two weeks ago. I had a bottle of this wine from the vineyard we are picking on Sunday. It was very rich, deep, bold, black wine with an extraordinary fruit finish.
"A truly exceptional wine.
“…This may be your only opportunity this year, or ever, to get winegrapes of this quality. So, show up… ready to pick grapes.”
On the California Wine Broker website, the following grape varieties are planned to be available over the course of this year’s harvest:
Brentwood area:
Alicante-Bouschet, Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Mourvèdre, Petite Sirah, Syrah (“Chicken Coop Syrah”*; “Gold Medal”), Tinta Cao, Zinfandel
Oakley area:
Carignane (Old Vine), Mataro/Mourvèdre (Old Vine; “Double Gold”), Zinfandel (Old Vine, around 1890-1900’s vintage), Zinfandel (Oakley, 14-year-old vines; “Double Gold in 2011”), Chardonnay, Malvasia Bianco, Merlot, Muscato, Rousanne, Marsanne, Zinfandel, Malbec, Grenache, Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Touriga National, Tinta Cao, Tinta Roriz, Souzao, Valdepenas, Primitivo
I have included all of this information because, to my thinking, the use by vineyard owners of a broker guarantees that all fruit is purchased year after year.
I do not know how long the lease on life is for CoCo’s at-risk vineyards. The California Wine Broker’s website states that 100 tons of fruit were sold via his services in 2017. Given the vagaries of larger commercial grape sales, property holders (hopefully) are able to find a little peace of mind in keeping their vines in the ground due to access to grape brokers representing home winemakers and small wine producers.
California Wine Broker website: http://www.calwinebroker.com
info@calwinebroker.com
\
- I am scratching my head over what a "Chicken Coop Syrah" is - perhaps the phrase is a reference to a geographic marker for the vineyard’s location???
![[scratch.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/4/42a16863a8714da3c1604419e3eb9206bb87aa50.gif "scratch")
Continuing with the topic of the 2018 vintage in Contra Costa County…
Romick in Oakley
“The Grape Harvest Has Started in Oakley”
by Kevin Romick
August 22, 2018
"…Typically the harvest starts around Labor Day in Oakley, however; the hot summer has pushed the start of the harvest ahead a few weeks. Growers and winemakers are checking sugar content daily to determine which vineyard will be picked next.
“…The harvest will continue through the first of October so be wary of slow moving farmequipment on the roads. Oakley’s vineyards are dispersed throughout the community making the movement of vehicles including tractors, forklifts and trucks essential to a timely harvest and this means your friendly farmers will be sharing the road with you more frequently as they drive their ‘implements of husbandry’…”
Two new vid-jos of the “Evangelho Vineyard” from Mr Hardy Wallace of Dirty & Rowdy Family Wines:
Dirty & Rowdy Family Wines website: https://www.dirtyandrowdy.com
Okay, one more new video of the “Evangelho Vineyard” from Dirty & Rowdy:
