Perlis Picks: Membership with the Historic Vineyard Society

January 18, 2020 by Michael Perlis

I’ve written about the Historic Vineyard Society various times over the years. This organization is near and dear to my heart, dedicated to the preservation of California’s historic vineyards, so many of which have been lost to development or replanted to grapes that are currently in vogue and therefore more profitable. Karen and I have had the pleasure of attending some of the society’s events and we’ve encouraged others to do so as well. We’ve also made some great friendships along the way.

But now there is an opportunity for fans of these important historic vineyards to assist in the efforts of the HVS on an ongoing basis. I recently received the following email:

You are invited to become part of the HVS family

Dear friends,

Since HVS launched almost ten years ago, we have been driven by our commitment to preserving California’s historic vineyards. Many of these vines have been around much longer than we all have, surviving two World Wars, Prohibition and an ever-changing economy and climate. We started HVS to save historic vineyards, and our mission is even more important today as it was back then.

We are continually working to initiate projects that move this goal forward, but we need your help to do so. We have decided as a Board to open up an HVS membership, one that involves an annual commitment to HVS at various levels. Why? We continue to operate with almost no overhead, but we do have a small amount of expenses to keep HVS up and running.

For those who want to take their involvement with HVS one step further, click the link below to make a commitment to supporting HVS each year. For as little as a few cents each day, you can help keep these precious vines in the ground. Thank you for your consideration, and as always, let us know if you have any questions or feedback.

Best,
The HVS Board of Directors

Signed:

Mike Officer

Tegan Passalacqua

Morgan Twain-Peterson

Bob Biale

David Gates

Mike Dildine

For those of you who are fans of old vineyard sites, especially those dedicated to Zinfandel, Syrah and great old field blends, you’ll definitely recognize at least some of these names.

Emily Rasmussen, HVS Administrator, sent me some additional information:

We have been floored and so excited by the response to our newly launched membership. We’ve started to add our members to our new Supporters page, linked here.

Here is a bit more info than we have in the email:

We offer incremental benefits as follows, listed individually on each membership page:
- Old Vine ($50/year) and Centenarian Vine ($100/year) Members receive:
  - Your name listed on the HVS website’s Supporters page
  - A welcome gift from HVS
- Ancestor Vine ($500/year) Members receive:
  - Your name listed on the HVS website’s Supporters page
  - A welcome gift from HVS
  - First access to purchasing tickets to HVS events
- Historic Vine ($1000/year) Members receive:
  - Your name listed on the HVS website’s Supporters page
  - A welcome gift from HVS
  - First access to purchasing tickets to HVS events
  - One complimentary ticket to each HVS event

Membership is a way of committing to a yearly donation to HVS. Donating is completely optional: all are welcome to support HVS by receiving our emails and attending our events, or by making a one-time donation at any amount using our Donations Page. Donating/not donating, joining/not joining membership will not impact anyone’s status on the HVS mailing list or one’s ability to attend events. All those on our mailing list will receive the same offers to purchase tickets to HVS events (and wine, if applicable).

Let me know if I can answer any other questions. Thanks so much for your support, Michael!

For anyone who has an interest in helping with the preservation of these old vineyards, this is a great opportunity to participate [along with attending events and purchasing wine, of course]. I already see some names I know on the HVS Supporters page and I’m looking forward to seeing more.

Michael Perlis has been pursuing his passion for wine for more than 30 years. He has had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show him the way, as well as a wonderful wife who encourages him and shares his interest. After a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as he possibly could, he had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Now, as Contributing Editor for Eve’s Wine 101, he does his best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers. Michael is also President of MCP Financial, which provides outsourced controller services. Michael can be contacted at michaelthezinfan@aol.com or mcpfinancial@aol.com.

Perlis Picks: Historic Vineyard Society 2018 Year in Review and Upcoming 2019 Events

January 19, 2019 by Michael Perlis

This week, we’ll take a break from our Sonoma trip series to share with you the recent information received from the Historic Vineyard Society.

Karen and I have been fans of this organization for some time. Spearheaded by Mike Dildine, the HVS team of Bob Biale (Biale Vineyards), David Gates (Ridge Vineyards), Mike Officer (Carlisle Winery), Tegan Passalacqua (Turley Wine Cellars and Sandlands), Morgan Twain-Peterson (Bedrock Wine Company), Larry Piggins (Photography), Emily Rasmussen (HVS Executive Director) along with special consultant Joel Peterson (Ravenswood Winery and Once & Future Wine) do the important work, with YOUR help, to preserve California’s historic vineyards.

Here’s their latest news:

It’s hard to believe, but another year has come and gone! We at the Historic Vineyard Society have had another eventful, productive year, and we’re incredibly grateful to all those who joined us for our various events and tastings over the last twelve months.

The Year in Review

In February, a panel of HVS growers and winemakers gathered for a two-part event at Cadet Beer & Wine Bar in Napa: first, a private tasting of several wines with a panel discussion on historic vineyards, then an open-to-the-public tasting where locals had the chance to taste a selection of wines from historic vineyards.

In April, HVS hosted a magnificent, never-before-seen gathering of wines from California’s oldest vineyards. The tasting took place at Press Club in San Francisco and featured 30 wineries and 70+ wines across dozens of historical sites, from Cienega Valley Riesling to Contra Costa Carignan, Calistoga Petite Sirah and numerous eclectic field blends. The event sold out at 250 guests and was a great success.

In June, HVS Board members once again participated in an educational tasting for students in the UC Davis Viticulture and Enology program, working to spread the good news of historic vines to the next generation of the wine industry.

November marked another new event for HVS: a tasting at Sonoma’s Best Mercantile in the town of Sonoma. Keeping with the theme of the store’s name, this tasting featured wines from the oldest vineyards in Sonoma Valley: 100 attendees had the opportunity to taste wines from Monte Rosso, Old Hill Ranch, Pagani Ranch and Bedrock Vineyard.

What’s New for 2019

Upcoming HVS Events:

February 6th, 2019: HVS returns to Cadet Beer & Wine Bar in Napa, showcasing a selection of old-vine wines from the Russian River Valley to the Cienega Valley. More details on our website here.

June 8th, 2019: Save the Date for our 2019 Vineyard Tour & Dinner! After a year off, we’re excited to announce the return of this beloved HVS event. The 2019 Vineyard Tour and Dinner will take place high above Sonoma Valley at the beautiful Monte Rosso Vineyard on Saturday, June 8th. Tickets will go on sale in mid-January. We hope to see you there!

HVS on the Web: Be sure to follow HVS on social media to stay up to date on the latest HVS announcements and see behind-the-scenes photos from events and historic vineyards.

Facebook: Historic Vineyard Society

Instagram: @historicvineyardsociety

Twitter: @historicvineorg

Ways to Support HVS

Donate! Perhaps the most obvious answer, but we can’t overstate how much we value all your contributions. As a reminder, your tax-deductible donation directly supports historic vineyards through education, research and vineyard-related events. Help keep these precious vines in the ground!

Shop using AmazonSmile, where .5% of every eligible order will be donated to HVS. To get started, visit smile.amazon.com, then search for and select Historic Vineyard Society. Every penny counts!

Once again, we can’t thank you enough for all your support of HVS. We look forward to another great year to come.

Best wishes,

[Signed by]

Mike Officer

Bob Biale

Tegan Passalacqua

David Gates

Morgan Twain-Peterson

Mike Dildine

All donations will benefit the Historic Vineyard Society, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of California’s oldest living vineyards. For further information, contact the Historic Vineyard Society at (707) 494-1667 or info@historicvineyardsociety.org.

Perlis Picks: Historic Vineyard Society Newsletter – Winter 2017

December 23, 2017 by Michael Perlis

I’ve made little secret about how much Karen and I appreciate the work done by the Historic Vineyard Society to preserve California’s treasured old vineyards. Having just received their latest newsletter, I wanted to share it with Eve’s Wine 101 readers. So, with the permission of HVS’s Mike Dildine, here it is…

It’s difficult to describe the last several weeks throughout Sonoma and Napa. Horrific fires raged a path of destruction across our beautiful land, and while the fires are behind us, they left deep scars that will take a great deal of time to heal. But amidst the heartbreaking news were countless examples of heroism and generosity, along with astounding stories about historic vineyards being saved. A few specific examples:

Old Hill Ranch in Sonoma – Will Bucklin and members of his family stayed at the vineyard as long as possible, putting out fires as the Nuns fire threatened the vines. A few vines are scorched and several structures on the property burned, but the vineyard, and Will and Lizanne’s home, are still standing.
Pagani Ranch – a firefighting team made up primarily of prison inmates created a fire break just behind Norma Amantite’s home. While the fire came right up to the vineyard, these amazing vines – and Norma’s house – survived.
Puccini Vineyard – this tiny one-acre vineyard, was threatened by the fire but was unharmed. The stone ‘clos’ that surrounds the vineyard, built by Puccini’s planter in 1906, helped save the vineyard 111 years later.
Monte Rosso Vineyard – the fires burned up the Mayacamas Mountains, burning from Sonoma Valley to Napa, but Monte Rosso still stands.

We clearly have much to be grateful for, and can’t emphasize enough how much we appreciate all your messages this month. As we approach the end of another year, we’d like to remind you about a few ways to be more involved with HVS and continue to support our efforts to keep these important pieces of California history in the ground.

Ways to Support HVS:

Donate! Perhaps the most obvious answer, but we can’t overstate how much we value all your contributions. As a reminder, your tax-deductible donation directly supports historic vineyards through education, research and vineyard-related events. Help keep these precious vines in the ground!
Attend HVS Events! Save the date for 2018 HVS Events:
- February 7th, 2018, when HVS will be pouring at Cadet Beer & Wine Bar in Napa
- Date TBD: we’re looking forward to scheduling an HVS Tasting in San Francisco! Please stay tuned for more details to follow.
Shop using AmazonSmile, where .5% of every eligible order will be donated to HVS. To get started, visit smile.amazon.com, then search for and select Historic Vineyard Society. Every penny counts!

Once again, we can’t thank you enough for all your support of HVS. We look forward to another great year to come.

Michael Perlis has been pursuing his passion for wine for more than 25 years. He has had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show him the way, as well as a wonderful wife who encourages him and shares his interest. After a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as he possibly could, he had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Now, as Contributing Editor for Eve’s Wine 101, he does his best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers. Michael is also Vice President of Eve Bushman Consulting (fka Eve’s Wine 101 Consulting) http://evebushmanconsulting.com/ and President of MCP Financial. Michael can be contacted at michaelthezinfan@aol.com or michael@evebushmanconsulting.com.

Perlis Picks: Limerick Lane

June 3, 2017 by Michael Perlis

Limerick Lane, while it has been around for a long time, really burst onto the scene when Jake Bilbro acquired the property in 2011 from the Collins Family. The story of the timing of the escrow closing coinciding with bringing in harvest and then the destemmer breaking down is legendary enough that the annual Limerick Lane Hail Mary Syrah is named after it.

Jake Bilbro of Limerick Lane Cellars.

Bursting on the scene is what happened though, with immediate recognition from major wine publications that continue to happen, maybe even at an accelerated rate. Not unexpectedly though, as making great wine seems to run in Jake’s family. Starting with Marietta Cellars, which Jake’s dad Chris named after his great aunt, Jake and his brother Scot have long worked with their father to make delicious affordable wines that everyone can enjoy, growing the winery to 100,000 cases.

[Jake’s other brother Sam, who also worked with father Chris, owns Idlewild Wines, devoted to Italian varietals – I am looking forward to visiting during my next trip to the area. Yet another brother, Lucas, did not get bitten by the wine bug and pursues his own passion as a ballet dancer.]

When Karen and I last visited with Jake, there were not many wines to taste. Success will do that, especially when you are a small winery of only about 4,000 cases. I asked Jake if he planned to expand production given the demand for the Limerick Lane wines, especially with his involvement in last year’s Historic Vineyard Society event and his obvious connection to the great vineyards the organization works to protect. Jake respond that he greatly respects the work that people like Mike Officer of Carlisle and Morgan Twain-Peterson of Bedrock are doing with regard to preserving and sourcing from California great old vineyards. However, notwithstanding the fact that these guys all sell a certain amount of grapes to each other, showcasing the special nature of the Limerick Lane vineyard and the wines it produces is his driving passion and that will be the focus of his time, at least for the foreseeable future.

The vineyards actually consists of fourteen blocks, the oldest dating back to 1910. The Zinfandel blocks are true field blends that also include Alicante Bouschet, Peloursin, Negrette, Mourvedre, Carignane, Syrah and Petite Sirah.

The Russian River Valley sprawls over a large area, and Limerick Lane is at the Northeast corner of it, with hills providing southern and western exposure. The soil is clay and rock, with the clay holding water and the rock providing space for the vines to dig deep. Cool nights and foggy mornings keep the acidity high and the wines vibrant while the warm afternoons allow the development of intense flavors.

Initially planted by the Del Fava family, the property was later purchased by the Collins Brothers in the 1970s. When Mike Collins was ready to sell, he wanted the property to be in good hands, which is why he approached Jake Bilbro. Escrow closed just the day before harvest in 2011. And, to complicate matters, as harvest was wrapping up a few weeks later, the winery’s destemmer broke, with 7 tons of Syrah still to crush. With rain on the way, Jake threw a “Hail Mary” and dumped the grapes, stems attached, into two open top fermenters and hoped for the best.

Personally, I love the complexity that stem inclusion can bring, especially to Syrah. And the Hail Mary bottlings from Limerick Lane live up to this trait. From that year on, Jake has made a Syrah labeled Hail Mary to pay homage to that first vintage. We got to taste the 2014 during our visit and it was great as always.

We also got to taste a few other wines during our visit…

2014 Russian River Zinfandel – from the original vines planted over a hundred years ago. Not your ordinary Zin, the field blend aspect makes this is a complex delicious wine.

2014 Syrah Grenache – it was the 2011 version of this that I raved about along with the RR Zin when I attended Sonoma In The City back a couple of years ago. This continued that tradition.

1910 Block Zin [2014] – You’ll rarely see specific tasting notes from me, but in this case it was just too obvious; it was just like fresh blueberries! Wonderful wine!

2014 Rocky Knoll Zinfandel – another field blend, with Mourvedre and Petite Sirah that give this wine wonderful structure.

These wines get very high scores from the wine publications. Production is small and the wines are very hard to find outside of the tasting room or the mailing list.

I asked Jake what he would like people to know about Limerick Lane. This would have been a perfect opportunity to talk about their great wines and brag about all their great scores and accolades. Instead, he said “Tell them that we’re really nice people. We’re small so we can’t have a lot of people stop by all at once so visitors have to make appointments. But we really do want to see them.”

Go see them. There should be new releases to taste, but don’t wait too long.

Limerick Lane

1023 Limerick Lane
Healdsburg, CA 95448

See photos of our visit to Limerick Lane and others from our trip here: Sonoma County Series.

Perlis Picks: Historic Vineyard Society Year in Review

January 21, 2017 by Michael Perlis

The Historic Vineyard Society is an organization that is very near and dear to my heart. Dedicated to preserving California’s old vines, the HVS Board members, led by Mike Dildine, have not only spearheaded the efforts to save these important properties but their wineries are responsible for producing some of California’s most exciting wines: Mike Officer [Carlisle], Bob Biale [Biale], Tegan Passalacqua [Turley and Sandlands], David Gates [Ridge] and Morgan Twain-Peterson [Bedrock]. Also on the project team is Joel Peterson [Ravenswood and Once and Future Wine].

I recently received the HVS year-in-review email and wanted to share it with Eve’s Wine 101 readers…

Happy New Year, Friends!

It’s hard to believe, but another year has come and gone, and as we reflect on the last twelve months, we’d like to update you on the latest HVS happenings and give a preview of what’s to come for the Historic Vineyard Society in 2017.

The year in review

In February, HVS board members conducted a tasting at the annual ZAP festival; this year, the premise was California Great Growths, showcasing exceptional old vine vineyards and wines made from them. Attendees very much enjoyed the discussion and a tasting of delicious wines from historic vineyards, and we look forward to participating at ZAP again in the future.
With the goal of educating the next generation of winemakers about historic vineyards, HVS Board Members conducted two educational tastings and presentations in 2016: the first, at UC Davis in March; the second, at Cal Poly in May. Both events were well attended by students eager to help carry the torch of preserving historic vineyards, and we plan to continue these tastings in the future, both in California and beyond.
May marked the 6th annual Vineyard Tour & Dinner, celebrating the historic vineyards and wines of the Russian River Valley. A record attendance of about 150 guests enjoyed an informative vineyard tour of Limerick Lane Vineyard, Carlisle Vineyard, Papera Ranch and Belloni Vineyard, led by the inimitable Jake Bilbro and HVS Board Members. Despite the inclement weather, a fabulous time was had by all.
In conjunction with the May Vineyard Tour and Dinner, HVS was excited to announce the release of the 2013 vintage HVS wine, a blend made by multiple HVS wineries from the old vines of Bedrock Vineyard. This is a project we hope to continue in years to come, with a different historic vineyard featured each year. Guests at the 2017 Vineyard Tour and Dinner will once again have the opportunity to purchase the HVS wine, this time from the 2014 vintage, a blend from Pagani Ranch.
HVS conducted a pop-up tasting at Cadet Beer & Wine Bar in Napa in November, with HVS board members pouring a variety of wines to showcase historic vineyards ranging from Napa (Hayne Vineyard and Aldo’s Vineyard) to Lodi (Bechtoldt Vineyard), the Russian River (Two Acres) and Sonoma (Bedrock Vineyard, Alta Vista Vineyard and Pagani Ranch).

What’s new in 2017

Save the date: the 7th annual Vineyard Tour & Dinner is scheduled to take place on June 10th, 2017 at Pagani Ranch in Sonoma Valley; as Morgan describes it, one of the most historically and qualitatively gilded vineyards in the Golden State. Stay tuned for further details on what is sure to be another memorable HVS event.
We are excited to announce that HVS was selected by Philadelphia-based freelance videographer Meredith Nutting for a video series on “Heritage Seeds,” with episodes on wheat, apples and grapes. The project will be pitched to the National Geographic Channel, the Smithsonian Channel and PBS, and we will most certainly keep you posted as the project develops in 2017.
We plan to schedule another tasting this year at Cadet Beer & Wine Bar in Napa, set up as a guided, classroom-style tasting to allow guests to hear from HVS board members about these historic vineyards and the wines grown therein.
Foundation Plant Services has invited HVS to send in clone selections from historic vines to be tested and treated/removed of any virus, then propagated. This has kept the HVS board members busy into harvest, as they’ve begun flagging vines to take cuttings this spring and sent into the FPS — this has the potential to allow public access to HVS selections and even create a special HVS clonal selection in years to come.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Historic Vineyard Society, we thank you for your support over the last six years. We invite you to visit the HVS website, where we are continuing to uncover new historic vineyards across California. We welcome your contributions in support of California’s historic vines, which can be made on the website.

We look forward to a wonderful year ahead.

Cheers,

HVS Board Members:

Signed by Mike Officer, Bob Biale, Tegan Passalacqua, David Gates, Morgan Twain-Peterson and Mike Dildine.

Perlis Picks: Historic Vineyard Society 6th Annual Tour and Dinner, Part 2

June 18, 2016 by evebushman

Let me start with some information about the vineyards we visited on our tour…

Papera Ranch – the vines were planted in 1934 by Celestino Papera. Head-trained and dry farmed, the vineyard is mostly Zinfandel with Carignane, Syrah, Petite Sirah and Valdiguie. Stuart Coulson purchased the property in 2007 and he and Chris Bowland of Bowland Vineyard Management have brought the property back to its former glory. Fruit is sold to Bedrock Wine Company, Carlisle Winery & Vineyards and William Selyem.

Belloni Vineyard – planted in the early 20^th Century by the Catabriga family, the vineyard in planted to Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Carignane, Alicante Bouschet and Mataro. The vineyard was eventually split into three parcels and passed on to the daughters. One of the parcels was purchased by Ricardo Belloni in 1971, who passed away in 1997. Ricardo’s widow Natalia manages the vineyard; her son-in-law Wil Dixon met us at the property with Joel Peterson of Ravenswood Winery, which has been producing a vineyard-designated Zinfandel from Belloni since 1991.

Limerick Lane – photo credit Dave Schachner

Limerick Lane Vineyard – five acres of the original 1910 planting of this vineyard are still in production. Mostly Zinfandel, but also with Peloursin, Negrette and Syrah, the vineyard was planted by the Del Fava family and later sold to the Collins brothers in 1977. Jake Bilbro acquired the property and winery in 2011. Most of the fruit is used by Limerick Lane Cellars but some is sold to Bedrock, Carlisle, Robert Biale Winery, Matthiasson and Siduri.

Carlisle Vineyard – okay, I admit it – this was the vineyard visit I was most looking forward to this day, and by the luck of the draw for our bus, it was the last one. And I am in no way throwing any shade at the other vineyards we toured as they are all incredible. But winemaker Mike Officer has probably been the single greatest influence on my own love of old vines with his Syrahs and Zins from California’s great old vineyards. So, to visit the home vineyard owned by him and wife Kendall was truly a treat. Please pardon my fanboy digression. Back to some details…the vineyard was planted in 1927 by Alcide Pelletti and consists mainly of Zinfandel but also has Petite Sirah, Alicante Bouschet, Grand Noir de la Calmette, Tempranillo, Peloursin and 34[!] other varieties, including 10 whites.

The tour was over and it was time to head back to Limerick Lane Cellars. We’d had a long day and we were not only hungry but very thirsty from learning all about these great old vineyards. Back at the winery, a delicious family style dinner was waiting for us, catered by Bay Laurel Culinary along with wine – lots and lots of wine.

Wines were available not only from the vineyards we visited but from many others as well. Wineries that generously shared the fruits of their labors included…

Acorn Winery

Bedrock Wine Company

Carlisle Winery & Vineyards

Limerick Lane Cellars

Martinelli Winery

Matthiasson Wines

Novy Family Wines

Ravenswood

Ridge Vineyards

Robert Biale Vineyards

Turley Wine Cellars

Y Rousseau Wines

I apologize for any I missed.

I’m not going to pick any favorites here, but a few real treats for me were the 1995 and 1996 Ravensood Belloni Vineyard Zinfandels being poured by Joel Peterson, the Y Rousseau Columbard made from 40+ year old vines, and the Zinfandels from Matthiasson and Novy – I do not get to taste their wines often. The other wines were outstanding as well, and having the opportunity to taste them in this setting just added to the experience.

And speaking of treats, a real highlight of this event is the socializing with not only fellow lovers of old vines but also with the winemakers and growers. If you thought I was getting a little fanboyish earlier writing about the Officers, imagine how I felt hanging out with not only them but with Tegan Passalacqua of Turley, Morgan Twain-Peterson of Bedrock, and Jake Bilbro of Limerick Lane. Not to mention I had the pleasure to meet and chat with Tres Goetting of Biale, Adam Lee of Novy and Yannick Rousseau of Y Rousseau.

But wait, there’s more…

Bedrock, Carlisle, Ridge, Biale and Turley teamed up to blend together a 2013 HVS wine from the Bedrock Vineyard. Three-packs of this wine were available for purchase, giving all of us a great souvenir of the evening.

Thank you to all the people who made this happen, especially the founders of this organization, as well as Jake Bilbo of Limerick Lane for hosting and giving up his license to sell wine for a day [crazy rules]. Kudos to Mike Dildine for putting together another great event. Thanks also to the Historic Vineyard Society for providing detailed information about the vineyards, which I used in these articles [although any errors are mine alone]. And special “thank yous” to my wife Karen for giving up her Mother’s Day weekend and to my own Mother for not making me feel guilty about not seeing her this year on Mother’s Day.

Perlis Picks: Historic Vineyard Society 6th Annual Tour and Dinner, Part 1

June 11, 2016 by evebushman

I find it interesting and somewhat ironic that some of the leading and most innovative winemakers of our time are making some of the most exciting wines from vineyards that were planted well before they were born, from varietals that are not exactly “of the moment” – many of these wines are labeled Zinfandel on their bottles, but are in fact true field blends, sometimes of dozens of varietals, with just enough Zin to hit that 75% mark. In fact, saving these vineyards before the vines were torn out and replaced with more trendy and profitable varieties [like Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon] or ripped out entirely for property development created a common cause and resulted in the formation of the Historic Vineyard Society.

Morgan Twain-Peterson at Papera Ranch.

The Historic Vineyard Society is dedicated to registering and preserving the historic old vineyards in California. Spearheaded by Mike Officer of Carlisle Winery & Vineyards, Tegan Passalacqua of Turley Wine Cellars and Sandlands, and Morgan Twain-Peterson of Bedrock Wine Company, along with Mike Dildine who holds this whole thing together, the project team also includes:

Bob Biale (Robert Biale Vineyards)

David Gates (Ridge Vineyards)

Jancis Robinson (author and wine critic)

Larry Piggins (photography)

along with special consultant Joel Peterson (Ravenswood and Once and Future Wine).

Once a year, the HVS holds an event giving attendees the opportunity to tour some of these old vineyards as well as spend time and dine with the winemakers and grape growers who make all this happen.

Two years ago, my wife Karen and I attended the event in Napa. We missed last year’s Lodi tour but this year we were able to make it to the event in Healdsburg in Sonoma County hosted by Limerick Lane Cellars. This time the theme was the historic vineyards of the Russian River Valley.

Photos from the event can be seen here.

We all met at Limerick Lane Cellars on a delightfully cool and overcast day and waited for the buses to arrive. As there were about 100 of us and we had four vineyards to visit, each bus had a different itinerary so we could all enjoy the vineyard visits in comfortably sized groups. When it was time board our buses, we sat in our seats waiting for the bus to fill and wondering who our tour guide would be. We would have been happy with anyone, but Karen quietly whispered “Cool!’ when Morgan Twain-Peterson joined us.

Morgan, son of Ravenswood founder Joel Peterson, produces outstanding wines under his Bedrock label, mostly from great old vineyards. [I don’t hold it against him that the first wine he made was a Pinot Noir; after all, he was only five years old at the time!]

According to the HVS website, for a vineyard to qualify for inclusion in the registry of Historic Vineyards it must have been planted prior to 1961, be currently producing wine grapes and at least 1/3 of the producing vines be traceable back to the original planting date. The website indicates that the Russian River Valley AVA has 45 historic vineyards, with 19 of them registered by the HVS. Of those 19, we went to four – Papera Ranch, Belloni Vineyard, Limerick Lane Vineyard and Carlisle Vineyard.

All four vineyards had two things in common, besides being old. They were all true field blends, predominantly Zinfandel but with lots of other grape varieties in the mix, including some whites. But the other thing is that they all have about them is that you feel a real “sense of place” when you visit them – at least I did. There are a lot of interpretations of “terroir” floating around, and I’m not qualified to opine on their validity. But to me, “terroir” means everything about the vineyard that makes the wine unique. And these old vineyards have a lot that is special about them. In Part 2 I’ll give you some more info about each property we visited as well as tell you about the rest of the event.