Contra Costa County Wine Heritage

WINE TALK
41

Possibly a new name for an old-growth planting in eastern Contra Costa County: “Bigelow Vineyard”?

The “Oakley Road Vineyard” is the same property as Matt Cline’s “Bigelow Vineyard” from Three Wine Company.


from a WineAccess email received today:

"On one side of Neroly Road, east of Antioch in Contra Costa County, 130-year-old gnarly bush-trained vines are rooted in entire fields of white beach Delhi sand. The other side is mix of auto body repair shops, a convenience store, and single-family modular homes.

"But if our good friend Matt Cline of Three Wine Company has anything to do about it, those ancient Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Alicante Bouschet, Carignane, and Mataro plants will stay right where they are another 130 years.

"…‘“Bigelow” takes its name from a gentleman farmer and fiddle player named Marcus James Bigelow,’ he told us. 'Marcus planted the first vines on the property in the mid 1880s. Today, these 130-year-old vines eek out minuscule quantities of tiny, thick-skinned berries. And this is the result.

"…The 2014 ‘Bigelow’ Zin is a brand-new release for Three Wine Co. The wine was deep purple to the rim, and as we swirled it, it stained the glass with long, slow tears. A red blend, 77% is devoted to Zinfandel while a smattering of Petite Sirah, Alicante Bouschet, Carignane, and Mataro round out the cuvée. From three inches away aromas of ripe plum, violets, and hint of vanilla lifted out of the glass. Supple on the entry with velour-like texture and staggering ancient-vine concentration, loaded to its dark-fruited core with ripe boysenberry, sweet spice, and cola, bracketed by round tannins and exuberant acidity, into a lengthy finish suggesting 6 to 7 years of longevity.

“93 points from Wine Enthusiast and an ‘Editors’ Choice’ (review to be released in the spring). 100 cases.”

Link

Trying to keep track of Antioch/Oakley area vineyards can be confusing. I often fear that the region’s old-vine sites will be ripped out during a future economic boom. Many vineyards are owned to property development companies, and their survival stems from events like the 2008/09 crash.

I sincerely hope that communities along the Delta’s sandy banks preserve their agricultural heritage beyond assigning residential communities evocative names like “Stony Vineyard” or “Harvest Ridge”. :neutral_face:


EDIT: from the Three Wine Company’s downloadable tech sheet on the 2015 “Bigelow Vineyard” Contra Costa Zinfandel…
05_61240_HRE_zinfandel_15BW_750F_TTB.JPG

“Marcus James Bigelow was a gentleman farmer and hoedown fiddler who enjoyed playing cards with friends more than farming. While he moved and worked slowly, he was reported to have been a very fast driver. Originally planted in the mid-1880’s, his vineyard on Neroly Road in Oakley is still producing a minuscule quantity of small berry Mataro, Carignane, and Zinfandel. This 130 year-old vineyard is dry-farmed and grown in Delhi Sand series loam soil, which is similar to beach sand. These vines produce a mere 1.5 to 2.5 tons of fruit per acre and are some of the first grapes to arrive into the winery.”

Three Wine Company website’s “Tasting Notes” page for the “Bigelow Vineyard” Zinfandel


*** EDIT: “Oakley Road Vineyard” ***

Wine Berserkers
“Re: What, No Mourvedre Appreciation Delegation?”
“Oakley Road Vineyard” - al Dente blog

al Dente blog
“Joel Peterson & Mataro: The Weird Orchard of Oakley…”
by Tony Poer

“Part One”
April 9, 2021
http://www.aldentewine.com/joel-peterson-mataro-the-weird-orchard-of-oakley-part-one/

“Part Two”
April 30, 2021
http://www.aldentewine.com/joel-peterson-mataro-the-weird-orchard-of-oakley-part-two/

42

I’ve had a Bigelow vineyard wine years ago, most likely Zin but maybe Mataro, from Cline or Rosenblum.

Thanks for keeping this thread alive Drew. It is very cool to see all these ancient vineyards in and around Oakley.

43

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

44

The team at Bedrock has revamped their website. The following link takes you to a “Study” of the Oakley area vineyards:

https://bedrockwineco.com/the-study/the-vines-of-oakley/

Thanks for the devotion to this awesome region!!!

45

This photo of the Evangelho Vineyard was posted by Mr Morgan Twain-Peterson of Bedrock. The image shows cover crops growing in the Delhi Sand soils. :astonished:
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46

Another bottle of this tonight and it’s even better than it was 3 months ago. More integrated and less brooding after only a little bit of air. Brambly blue fruits with a savory streak (probably from the syrah) and enough acidity to keep this from being over the top. Good now but more upside down the road, as the tannins are still noticeable on the finish.

For $9, this is just a silly good deal. Every time I open it bottle, It makes me want to grab another case (local Costcos here in AZ).

47

Thanks for the note, Rich!!

When I discovered that I could not qualify for the discount price for the Cameron Hughes “Lot 522” Contra Costa Red Blend, I decided to pass on buying any.

Perhaps I was a fool…

48

Drew, not sure these articles have come up here before, on vineyards in the “Lamorinda” region of Contra Costa County. Lamorinda is a portmanteau of the three largest communities in the area, Lafayette, Moraga, and Orinda.

From the Edible East Bay publication in 2008:
The Hidden Vineyards of Lamorinda

From the East Bay Times in 2015:
Grape growers, winemakers thrive in Lamorinda

As you know, this region was approved for an AVA about a year ago. As that 1903 map of Contra Costa County (posted earlier) shows, there were vineyards and wineries in the area at that time. I don’t know whether any old vines still remain though.

1 Like
49

Those are good articles, thanks Ken. The Captain vineyard has such an amazing view. I love those steep hillsides from the Caldecott tunnel to Mt Diablo. I’ve been to Captain and had the wines from Bill English and Bullfrog but would like to explore the area more. They are so close by but I rarely think of visiting the wineries when I want to go tasting. I’ll have to change that.

50

So much good wine out there may man - I probably would not have taken the extra step to order the wine either…but when it’s staring at me with that ridiculous $8.99 price tag every single time I walk through the wine section in Costco…it’s hard to say no to :slight_smile:

51

These two photos are from MTP at Bedrock, taken at the sandy soils of Contra Costa. :astonished:

Compare the evolution of the earlier vineyard shots (just Delhi Sand and vines) to the following stages of cover crop soil rejuvenation:
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From an email sent by

"The Neyers 2015 Carignan ‘Evangelho’, and Some Thoughts on Maxime Magnon

"My life with Kermit Lynch has been intertwined with scores of talented winemakers from France and Italy. At a tasting recently, I was asked to name one producer that in my mind stood out from the rest. It’s an impossible task – like naming a favorite wine, perhaps, or selecting a favorite child – but I confess to hesitating briefly when I thought of Maxime Magnon. Maxime lives, grows grapes and makes wine in Corbières – Villeneuve les Corbières to be exact – and he farms nine parcels of very old Carignan vines in these rugged hills overlooking Perpignan, 15-20 km inland from the Mediterranean. He farms organically, without a tractor, using instead the farm animals he raises on the property. His vines range in age from 60 years to well over 100 years, and the three separate bottlings he produces are simply ethereal, wines of great complexity and finesse, loaded with flavor. They go down so easily you can think only of silk.

"Tadeo, Barbara and I spent a lovely spring day with Maxime a few years ago, exploring his vineyards, tasting his wines, and finishing up with an al fresco lunch that he cooked in the vineyards over vine trunks that had been pulled out the preceding winter. On the way up to the top of the hill in his mud-spattered old Range Rover, we stopped at his local bakery to pick up a few baguettes, then he ran into the cellar to draw off a couple of bottles of his homemade olive oil and grab a few bottles of wine. By the time we arrived at his lunch site, the fire had been burning for a half-hour or so and was ready for the first course, grilled Calamari that had been marinating in olive oil, garlic and his personal wine vinegar. The next course was grilled brisket of veal from one of Maxime’s fall calves. ‘This one did not mind,’ Maxime told us, turning the strips of veal over the red-hot coals. ‘He ran away, so now we eat him.’ He was delicious too, especially accompanied by a slice of grilled baguette dipped in olive oil. To this day, I look at this meal as one of the best I’ve ever been served in France.

"Carignan is the second* most-widely planted red grape in California, and a few weeks after our return, Tadeo called me to say that he had found a Carignan vineyard in Oakley, in the northeast corner of Contra Costa County. The vines were own-rooted (not grafted on to Phylloxera-resistant rootstock) and thought to be more than 130 years old. The grower, Tadeo told me, would love to sell them to us.

"Tadeo makes this wine traditionally, crushing the grapes by foot over a period of a month or so while they ferment using the native yeast collected on their skins during the ripening.

"The finished wine is soft, aromatic, complex and silky, and I don’t mind saying that the 2015 Carignan from the Evangelho vineyard is one of the most important successes ever at Neyers Vineyards. We still have some available for purchase. Now if we can just find a disobedient calf.

  • Bruce Neyers"
  • I don’t believe that this is true, but I leave that for more knowledgeable folks.
    2b668c01-1bb9-4cdc-920d-ae57b7837ad6.png
53

Thanks for the post Drew. As per your note-yeah not true. A useful link https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/California/Publications/Grape_Acreage/

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Two photos of Contra Costa vineyard, from the Facebook page of Mr Cody @ Bedrock…
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55

I stumbled upon this place not to long ago…

Old School Family winery

Sean

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Thanks Sean!!

I have contacted the winery in the past, but they don’t ship to my alligator-filled cabin on the Muscadine-covered levees of Louisiana.
:frowning:

The prices of the wines are insanely affordable, so I was incredibly tempted to try them out.


Morgan Twain-Peterson Instagram post:
https://www.picuki.com/media/3100640333604463601

“Had a wonderful visit to the old-school and lovely Viano Vineyards in Martinez today. With dry-farmed vines going back to the 1880s on what was once known as Vine Hill, Viano is the last survivor of what was once a great winegrowing tradition in this part of Contra Costa County. The wines are a bit rustic but offer a glimpse into what redwood aged reds of yesteryear tasted like, and the core of fruit and natural freshness infused by the nearby bay is clear to see…”.

Image: “Viano Vineyards, Martinez, CA”

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57

Dirty & Rowdy posted this video* of the Evangelho Vineyard, the “CoCo Grand Cru”.

:astonished: :astonished: :astonished:

  • I have no idea how to embed a vid-yo. :neutral_face:
58

The following photos were taken from a post on Mr Morgan Twain-Peterson’s Facebook page. He stated that the dominant grapes in the Bedrock “Pato Vineyard” blend are Petite Sirah, Mataro, and Zinfandel. :slight_smile:
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An East Bay Times article details plans by the City of Oakley to dedicate two separate plots of public land to the cultivation of wine grapes.

Since the 1980s, many ancient vineyards in eastern Contra Costa been ripped out to accommodate the growing population of Bay Area commuters.

Oakley’s leaders decided that bestowing newly-paved roads with wine-themed names does not sufficiently honor the area’s viticultural legacy. Mr Alan Lucchesi, who manages many local vineyards, has been approved to carry out the ambitious new plantings…but for only a few years.


East Bay Times
“Vineyards to Pop Up in Vacant City Lots”
by Aaron Davis
March 1, 2017

“…The first, one-acre lot is located northwest of the intersection of Neroly Road and Live Oak Avenue and sits adjacent to recently owned parcel purchased by Lucchesi. The lot was set aside by the county as a possible future site for a fire station, but the city said that the station would not be financially feasible within the next five years. Until then, the city felt that leasing the property to Lucchesi would save on maintenance costs as well as bring in a little revenue from the license fee.”

Neroly Rd and Live Oak Ave Vineyard


Before you get your hopes up, Mr Lucchesi has not been hired to establish permanent vineyards. In fact, he will be paying for the privilege to cultivate grapes from the first site for +/- 5 years.

The project’s long-term goal is for the City to collect extra revenue. The venture might sufficiently fund the fire station’s construction, in which case the grapevines will be uprooted.

"…Another lot that the city leased to Lucchesi was a 17-acre triangle lot, dubbed the ‘Cunha Donation Parcels’, that sits just west of the Ironhouse Sanitary District building on Main Street.

"According to the staff report, only three acres of the lot along the border with the sanitary district building are able to be planted…".

Cunha Parcel Vineyard Site


“Lucchesi has been tending vineyards in Oakley for over two decades as part of the Lucchesi Family Farms [now Brownstone Growers, LLC], which was passed down from his grandfather Dionisio Lucchesi. Lucchesi looks after over 400 acres of private and publicly owned vineyards, ultimately sending some off to his brother Mark, who crafts wines at the Lucca Winery in Ripon.”


I found my heart swell with pride upon initially reading this article’s title. However, my hopes were shattered almost immediately. I will have to be content with the limited span of this endeavor. :neutral_face:


City of Oakley
“5.2 Consideration of License Agreements with Alan Lucchesi to Plant Grape Vines on certain City-owned Properties, specifically on a 1-acre Parcel located on Live Oak Avenue (APN 041-021-014) and within a portion of a 17-acre parcel north of the BNSF Railroad at about 7th Street (APN 037-191-025) (Bryan Montgomery, City Manager)”
February 28, 2017

EDIT: Added article details & map images of the leased plots.

60

I was able to snag a 2013 Bedrock Evangelho Vineyard (Heritage) while I was in another state…has anyone had this wine? What time (if any) does it need/deserve in the cellar?