I had to take my mother to the health clinic to get her INR number checked (she’s on blood thinners because her heart valve was replaced with a St Jude, artificial valve). While sitting in the waiting area I picked up a “Food and Wine” magazine (January 2016 issue) that was resting on the seat next to me, and started glancing through it. Came to a section titled “Wine Talk”. The article (which was actually an interview) was titled “Godmother of Pinot Noir” with this preface “HELEN BACIGALUPI HAS OVERSEEN ONE OF SONOMA’S DEFINING VINEYARDS FOR 50 YEARS. HERE SHE TALKS TO F & W’S RAY ISLE ABOUT THE OLD DAYS OF PRUNE FARMS AND DOLLAR-A-GALLON ZIN, AND HER FAMILY’S THRILLING NEW WINEMAKING PROJECT. This definitely grabbed my attention, but tell you the truth some of the food recipes and articles also seem pretty interesting. Well anyway back to the interview, it was interesting to find out that Bacigalupi’s grapes (from Sonoma’s Russian River Valley) might of played a supporting role in the production of the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay. Even in George M. Taber’s well-researched book “Judgment of Paris” there is no reference to this. George only makes references to only three growers for sourcing Chardonnay grapes – nearly 35 tons of Chardonnay grapes from Sonoma’s Alexander Valley grower Henry Dick and 5 tons from Napa (4 tons from grower John Hanna and 1 ton from Lee Paschich), no mention of Charles Bacigalupi.
Helen in the interview tells us that her husband Charles sold Chardonnay grapes from their 1973 harvest to Chateau Montelena of Napa. On the Bacigalupi Vineyard web site OUR STORY – HISTORY and VINEYARDS- Learn More, section (while scanning through the pictures) there is a photo of a receipt for the purchase of 14.165 tons of “Pinot Chardonnay 1973 Vintage” for a grand total $14,130.44 made by Chateau Montelena of Napa. In 1974 Chateau Montelena didn’t renew their contract with Charles Bacigalupi, but after the “1976 Judgment of Paris Tasting” tried to renew their contract but were told their grapes were all spoken for.
Salute
I hear they grow grapes there but of course they are not of the same quality, so they do sell for much less in the open market. I do hear they are working hard to raise the quality of their fruit and I praise them for their efforts. 