Contra Costa County Wine Heritage

WINE TALK
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This is my attempt to compose a roster of old-growth Oakley and Antioch vineyards. It includes the best-known sites, although plenty of other Contra Costa vineyards of merit exist.

Links are provided for old-vine sites found on the Historic Vineyard Society (HVS) website.

Please share any other local vineyards you are aware of, as well as their approximate locations. Thanks!


Directory of Contra Costa Vineyards:


• Big Break Vineyard: ~3000 Big Break Rd, Oakley; Oxfoot Associates LLC (Cline Cellars) (88.7 acres)

“Small Berry” block: 9-acre block of predominantly Mourvèdre vines, ~100 years of age. An additional planting of 40-year-old Grenache vines is harvested to produce Cline Cellars’ “Small Berry” designated bottling.

• Bigelow Vineyard: 3600 Oakley Rd, Oakley, CA (aka, “Oakley Road Vyd”)

• Bridgehead Vineyard: 2 parcels, ~5600 Bridgehead Rd, Oakley; Oxfoot Associates LLC / Cline Cellars (6.5 acres + 69.8 acres)

• Calisesi Vyd: 4961 Empire Ave, Oakley; across Empire Ave from the “Romiti Vyd”

• Carapinha Vineyard:

• Carla’s Vineyard (aka “Meadows Vyd”): E of “Evangelho Vyd”, S of former Gaylord Paper Mill, W of K-Mart, NE Antioch (Uprooted)

The late Dwight Meadows & Carla Cutino-Meadows owned and/or farmed several plantings in Antioch and Oakley under Diablo Vista Vyds, including “Carla’s Vyd”, “Cuti Vyd”, and “Duarte/Jesse’s Vyd”.

• Castanho Vineyard (aka, Castanho Farms): SW corner of Brownstone Rd and Anderson Ln, Oakley

Edit: Castanho Farms owns the “Castanho” and “Teixeira” vineyards, which appear to be one and the same property. More information is needed on this matter, as the “Teixeira Vineyard” appears to have been uprooted.

• Continente Vineyard: several parcels;

• Cortez Vineyard (aka, Corteza Vyd): 2560 Tule Ln, Brentwood

• Cuti Vineyard: 4449 Rose Ave, Oakley

• Dawa Ranch: 1100 Vintage Dr, Oakley

• Del Barba Vineyard: multiple vineyards farmed/owned by Del Barba family, including:

  • 4631 Rose Ave, Oakley (9.8 acres, includes “Fred’s Block”);
  • 4351 Rose Ave, Oakley (includes “Louie’s Block”);
  • ~801 Laurel Rd , Oakley (23.14 acres);
  • “Oakley Road Vyd” (farmed): see below

• Dobleman Vineyard: 400 Tate Ln, Oakley (2.51 acres)

• Duarte Family Vineyard (aka “Diablo Vista Vyd”): 1200 Vintage Dr, Oakley

• Elm Vineyard: (uprooted) 2 parcels, Gonsalves Real Estate:

• Enea Vineyard: South of 3110 E 18th St, Antioch

• Evangelho Vineyard: 3003 E 18th St, Antioch; owned/farmed by Bedrock Wine Co.

• Favalora Vineyards & Winery, Inc.:
300 Brownstone Rd, Oakley; see “Sophia Favalora Vyd”

• Ghidossi Vineyard (aka, Diablo Shores): Fischer Ave, Brentwood

• Ghilarducci Vineyard: 2141 O’Hara Ave, Oakley (11.69 acres); planned future site of Le Tre Sorelle, Inc.

• Gonsalves Family Properties (aka “Sandy Lane Vyds”): multiple vineyards owned/farmed by Gonsalves family (~100 acres):

• Jesse’s Vineyard (subsection of Duarte Vineyard): 401 Laurel Rd, Oakley (1.93 acres); the larger part of the original vineyard, just to the West, has been uprooted and converted to the “Duarte Ranch” residential complex

• Joaquin José Vineyard / Emerson Vyd / Lucchesi Vyd): NW corner of Dutch Slough Tidal Restoration Project, Oakley (13 acres)

• La Grande Weddings:
1799 Carpenter Rd, Oakley (9.50 acres); another property is situated immediately to the South of the “Pato Vyd” & CoCo Water District lands

• Live Oak Vineyard:

Edit: _Since the early 1990s, Cline Cellars’ “Live Oak” Zinfandel was composed of fruit from two locations, one being the “Romiti Vineyard”, which was sold in 2019. Grapes now are sourced from the “Marchetti Vineyard” and another old-growth planting nearby.

The “Marchetti Vineyard” is located at 20 Poco Lane in Oakley, off of Live Oak Ave (SW of the corner of Oakley Rd and Live Oak Ave). The vines are around 60-years-old._

• Lucchesi Family Farms / Mulehead Growers: Mark Lucchesi owns Lucca Winery, Alan Lucchesi owns and/or farms numerous plantings in Oakley, Antioch, Brentwood, & Knightsen:

• Madruga Vineyard: 1600 Carpenter Rd, Oakley (5.15 acres)

• Marchetti Vineyard: 20 Poco Lane, Oakley (4.75 acres); see “Live Oak Vyd”

• Massoni Vineyard: 2470 Tule Lane, Oakley @ Knightsen city boundary; Cline Cellars fruit source (49 acres)

• Mazzoni-Live Oak Vineyard(s): 2 separate parcels: Mazzoni 5181 Live Oak Ave, Oakley (8.89 acres); owned by Three Wine Co; see “Live Oak Vyd”

• Mori Vineyard: leased/farmed by Bedrock Wine Co.; parcel on CoCo Water District’s Randall-Bold Water Treatment Plant property: S of Laurel Rd, W of Empire Ave (5.242 acres)

• Oakley Road Vineyard (aka Bigelow Vyd): NW corner, Oakley Rd & Neroly Rd, Oakley;

3600 Oakley Rd, Oakley (46.53 acres)

Edit: This vineyard is planned to become a community center. The parcels still are designated for agricultural use. According to info from the CoCo Assessor’s Office:
· Rahma Community Center, purchased July, 2021 (14.344 acres);
· private owner, purchased December, 2017 (8.776 acres)

• Pato Vineyard: leased/farmed by Bedrock Wine Co.; 2 parcels on CoCo Water District’s Randall-Bold Water Treatment Plant property, 1 parcel on private property(?):

• Planchon Vineyard: 3800 Empire Ave, Oakley (6.65 acres)

• Romiti Vineyard: 2100 Oakley Rd, Oakley; (see “Live Oak Vyd”)

• Salvador Vineyard: 2371 Oakley Rd, Oakley (Uprooted; developed into The Vines at Oakley housing subdivision)

• Sandy Lane Vineyards: multiple vineyard sites owned or farmed by the Gonsalves family

• Sophia Favalora Vineyard: owned by Favalora Vyds & Winery, Inc:

• Spinelli Vineyard: SE corner of Main St & Live Oak Ave, Oakley (?)

• Teixiera Vineyard: 3023 Anderson Ln, Oakley (see “Castanho Vyd”)

• Trilogy/Trinity at the Vineyards: Club Meganos @ Marsh Creek, Brentwood; website


EDIT- Locations & Additions

Unidentified Vineyards:

• 3001 Oakley Rd, Antioch: N side of Oakley Rd; E of Honeynut St, W of Phillips Ln (Parcel 1), (Parcel 2).

• 351 Brownstone Road, Oakley; owned by Laurel Elementary School

• 30 Kay Court, Oakley

• 4370 Live Oak Ave, Oakley

• 4660 Live Oak Ave, Oakley

• 1100 Vintage Dr, Oakley