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Our lovely 200 vine vineyard we affectionately call Tarabrook (named after the love street we live on in Orinda) was planted with the first one third of the vines going in 5 years ago, followed by the rest of the vines a year after that. Because our terraced hillside faces north, we were advised by the Novavine professionals to plant Tempranillo if we wanted to plant a red varietal.  Tempranillo, as you may be aware, is the noble grape of Spain.

Almost any red table wine from Spain will have Tempranillo as its backbone varietal.  Our harvest was rather small this year but we know it will only get better with the maturing vines.  My winemaking partner, Chris Cook, and I, along with our wives, have been picking grapes and sourcing grapes in Contra Costa County, Alameda County and beyond to places like Napa, Lodi, and the El Dorado Hills as we are approaching a 100 cases a year in our winemaking.  We are looking into the possibility of going commercial with our wines.  All of our wines (5 varietals) have received awards in the 2015 California State Fair, with our Livermore Petite Sirah getting

gold and Best in Class.  Our Lodi Zinfandel received a silver at the2015 International Home Winemaker’s Competition.  I’m the guy in the orange shirt with my wife, Penny and fellow winemaker partner, Chris Cook…..

We planted in 2010 and have 888 vines. Roughly 300 Merlot and 588 Cabernet Sauvignon. Initially we planted for our own consumption and may begin to sell as we accumulate several years. The wine is being made at Judd’s HIll Microcrush in the Napa area. 2012 was a field blend of our grapes and 20% purchased grapes. 2013 and 2014 were vinified separately and blended back to achieve the flavors we wanted. 2015 was a small harvest due to growing conditions and was crushed as a field blend.

https://www.facebook.com/Lamorinda-Wine-Growers-Association-1698395050389744/

Please add pictures and suggest additions.  Thanks.

Like most of us, The Haas’ had a vacant field that required weed abatement every year to keep down the high grasses.  They planted their vineyard in 2007. 

“So now we have 950 vines a combination of Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir.   We have a vineyard manager who helps us take care of the vines.   Separately, we have a winemaker who makes the wine for us. We will average a yield of about 750 bottles of wine per year.   The arrangement we have with the winemaker is he produces the wine and bottles it.  Then we split the bottles 60% for him to sell and 40% for us to consume.”

What We Like About Having a Vineyard:

• The vineyard is very pleasant to look at, no more rototilling. 
• It has been interesting to learn about vineyard management and the art of winemaking. 
• We enjoy drinking our own wine from our own vineyard.
• Bottles of wine make good hostess gifts and donations to charity events.
• We installed a gazebo , which looks over the vineyard, and enjoy sitting in the gazebo, with friend ,sipping our wine and eating cheese.
• Joining the Lomorinda Wine Growers Association has allowed us to meet  other vineyard owners and winemakers to taste their wines, enjoy their company, share ideas, and learn from speakers on subjects of mutual interest.
• When the AVA is approved  it should add to the interest of wine being made in Lamorinda

Cherry Family Winery is located in the Sleepy Hollow area of Orinda. Cherry pinot noir is 100 percent estate grown and consists of approximately 225 pinot noir vines planted to clones 115, 667 and 777 in a 45/28/27 proportion. Sleepy Hollow’s warm days and cool nights create ideal growing conditions for pinot noir. The vineyard faces southwest and is planted on a gentle downslope with good sun exposure.

Brian Cherry established the vineyard in 2009. While he has a love for wine, he didn’t have a background in grape growing or winemaking. A fan of California’s fruit driven pinot’s, he also appreciates the complexity of a great Burgundy. Brian believes great wines start in the vineyard but are also completed under the steady hand of a skilled winemaker.

The inaugural bottling of Cherry pinot was the 2014 vintage and based on initial reviews, it looks like the terroir is well suited to growing pinot noir. Cherry pinot noir is finished in new French oak barrels and bottled by hand on site. Yields were low in 2014 and are even lower in 2015, but yields should increase as the vines get older.

Being a small grape grower and a winemaker is both challenging and hard work, but the reward of being able to open a bottle of your own wine after a long, tough day is worth working for.

JOAO MAGALHAES, VILLA CALACOLA: Joao planted his vineyard in 2004.  The Magalhaes’ have 500 vines of Pinot Noir, Syrah & Merlot.  In early 2005 he became one of the Founding Father’s of what is today our LWGA.  He and Dave Parker (Parkmon) developed the vision, mission and goals for the Association and developed the first generation of By-Laws.  Joao’s work with the Moraga Town Council has led to much improved relations and lighter controls on Grape Growers and Wine Makers in Moraga.  He is also involved in the preliminary planning for the new Hacienda renovation and expansion.

The Napa Valley Grapegrowers is thrilled to announce the 2015 ROOTSTOCK, a revolutionary symposium and exhibition designed for top-quality grapegrowers, vineyard and winery owners, and winemakers worldwide. Timed just as the 2015 harvest finishes and the industry begins to look towards the future, ROOTSTOCK provides access to high-level, provocative seminars and industry experts, wine trials and tastings, networking opportunities, and an exclusive exhibition featuring over 120 of the industry’s highest quality viticulture and enology companies.

As a regional trade association, we are pleased to share with your members complimentary ROOTSTOCK Exhibition-Only tickets and a 10% discount to attend the full day seminar program to be held November 12 from 8am to 3:30pm at the Napa Exposition Fairgrounds. To register online, visit the link below and use discount code: LWA. Please share this discount information with members of Lamorinda Winegrowers Association.

https://napagrowers.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/Home/IndustryAssociationsSponsors/tabid/717682/Default.aspx

We appreciate your help in promoting ROOTSTOCK as well. Below is a promotional postcard that you can use to share information about the event on your website, newsletters, and social media outlets.

For more information about this important industry event, please visit www.rootstocknapa.com or contact the NVG office at info@napagrowers.org or 707-944-8311.

We look forward to seeing you on November 12!

Thanks to Daniel Howsepian for being the first to provide history on his vineyard and family.  I would like to see these from all members, so we can document our efforts as a group to turn Lamorinda into a (small but thriving) appellation.  Once again, any family or property history or grape growing.  Why you decided to jump in to this, and a picture or two.  Thanks!

Couloir Vineyards; Lafayette, CA;   Established 2011

Having spent the better part of my youth with my family in France during the summer months of July & August, I was fortunate enough to be able to visit and stay in many parts of France where my family lived.  One of my favorite memories there were the times spent with my Aunt, Renee and her husband Jojo, who worked in a local winery in Nuit St. George as the cellar master.  Jojo would take me through the ancient Roman caves, once used to store military goods in case of attacks, now converted to wine cellars. These were long, rambling arched roofed, earthen, moss lined caves, full of wine barrels, bottles, aromas,  and interesting wine making apparatus.   He would show me around, and we would occasionally stop here and there to sample wines that were very fine indeed!  Once, he stopped to plunge his hand into what looked like a moss covered wall, and withdrew a concealed bottle of their wine, which we thoroughly enjoyed that evening.

Renee & Jojo’s sons would each work a small parch of land near their homes and were always eager to share their own wines with their American cousin.  This would be the inspiration that I carried all my life to someday have a small vineyard of my own, and enjoy the bounty of our hard work.

And so when I found the home we purchased years ago, I saw the potential for a vineyard and pursued the realization of my dream!  Thus Couloir Vineyards was born.  Couloir, in French means canyon, where the vineyard is located, and is also a winter mountain gully for steep powder skiing for advanced skiers like me.

Our vineyard is currently three years old, and we expect to have our first true harvest in 2016.  We have 260 vines of Cabernet Sauvignon and 75 vines of Merlot, which we hope to blend with the Cabernet Sauvignon.  The vines are progressing with lots of promise and we should have our first drinkable wine as early as 2018.  I am also very lucky to have my son, Julien, as a graduate of UC Davis, in the Viticulture and Enology department and is currently working  at Kosta Browne in Sebastopol as their Cellar Master.  He has been very supportive of our efforts and has been a great family project. We will be processing our own wines in our wine cellar with great love and care.

It is with great pleasure to be a part of the Lamorinda Appellation, creating our own Terrior,  which we can all be proud!

We look forward to many enjoyable times with our friends and family with the bounties of Couloir Vineyard!

Daniel & Annemieke Howsepian