Bacigalupi Vineyards

4353 Westside Rd, Healdsburg, CA 95448

Website: http://bacigalupivineyards.com/

A very momentous event in California wine history was the 1976 Judgment of Paris.  Historians refer to this event as the one that put the California wine industry on the world map after a Californian Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay took first place in a blind tasting against the most famous wine houses in France.  Books and movies were made about this incredible tasting. The chardonnay that won first prize came from the Calistoga winery Chateau Montelena in Napa Valley and was produced by famed winemaker Mike Grgich who soon after left to start his own winery.  The piece of this story that is often left out is that the large majority of the grapes used to make the wine actually came from Sonoma instead of Napa. Forty percent of those grapes came from Bacigalupi vineyards. For over 60 years the Bacigalupi family has sat quietly in the background sourcing grapes to some of Napa and Sonoma’s most acclaimed wineries.  Three generations have carried on operations since Charles and Helen Bacigalupi purchased the property on Westside Road in the Russian River Valley in 1956. After so many years of producing grapes for other wineries, the family opened its own tasting room in June 2011.

Bacigalupi Tasting Room

This history is exactly what drove me to visit the winery.  After reading about the story of the Bacigalupis I really felt the need to go to the source to sample the wine that propelled California forward.  What truly surprised me about my visit is the humbleness of the winery. There was no fanfare about the 1976 Paris Tasting, although they still produce a chardonnay whose grapes were grafted from the same vines.  The overall atmosphere was very casual. The tasting room from the outside looks like it could be someone’s house. It was surrounded by trees with the vineyard behind it. The tasting room inside was rather modest with a wood paneled tasting bar, tiled floors, and a small fireplace.  Glass doors led to an outdoor patio where my husband and I had our tasting. It was a nice, mildly warm day. The family’s French bulldog “Ace” came by to visit us. We ordered a Baci plate of small bites to sample with the wines. Our hostess was one of the 3rd generation family members.  We were the only ones seated outside for most of our tasting and were able to move at our own pace. Another couple arrived as we were finishing up. It was very peaceful sipping wine on a sunny day right next to the vineyards.

Our tasting flight included five wines – a Rosé, a Chardonnay, two Pinot Noirs, and a Zinfandel. The Chardonnay came from the same clone as the 1976 Paris tasting grapes. My favorite of the flight was the full-bodied 2015 Goddard Ranch Pinot Noir that was loaded with black cherries and plums plus some earthiness.  It paired really well with cranberries and dark chocolate. Even now that the Bacigalupis are producing their own label, they still sell 90% of their grapes to other wineries. I truly value vintners like this family whose years of hard work have shifted the California wine industry.  If you see the name Bacigalupi on a wine label you can trust that it will be a premium wine. I’m thankful for getting to visit this winery and for the cordial experience they provided.