Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/19027
Livermore Valley in autumn is something to behold. Passing clouds cast shad- ows on the broad valley below like bruises on a tawny peach. It’s easy to imagine the driven young Irishman, James Concannon, becoming smitten with the scenic valley, which is now framed along its easterly hilltops by windmills churning out carbon-free electricity like a bouquet of eco-pinwheels. That Concannon had the foresight and fortitude to plant the valley with wine grapes long before viticulture became a cornerstone of California’s agribusiness gives credence to the original meaning of the family name, which is as relevant today as it was in the 1880s, when Concannon fi rst broke ground. In Gaelic, Concannon means “wisdom without compromise.” The proof of this credo is in the bottle, or as John Concannon, the fourth generation of Concannons to shepherd the family enterprise, is as likely to aver, the proof is in “our story.” Irish Beginnings James Concannon was one of thousands of Irishmen who came to America as part of the Emerald Isle’s 19th-century diaspora. Were it not for the fact that the native Gaelic-speaker learned English sometime during his journey, he might not have comprehended the IRISH NEED NOT APPLY signs that dotted Boston, where he fi rst immigrated. Eventually, James Concannon would manage a hotel in Maine, marry and later traverse a still wild North American continent to settle in the once Irish-centric Mission District in San Francisco. There, he would embark on a venture that was the technological vanguard of its time: rubber stamps. Sales calls frequently took James out of the state (on horseback no less), far from his growing family, which would blossom to a small army of ten. At the behest of his wife Ellen, James successfully petitioned San Francisco’s Archbishop Alemany to produce altar wine for the church. James was advised to launch his nascent business in Livermore Valley given its similarity to the Rhône. In 1883, James acquired his fi rst 47 acres for the handsome sum of 5,000 gold coins (the original deed is proudly displayed at the winery). The fi rst iteration of Concannon Vineyard was born. Father to Son “We’ll never give up our love of this land,” says Jim Concannon, James’s grand- son and the third generation of Concannons to have helmed the winery since its inception. “Our father-to-son directive for the past 127 years has been one of great ease and respect representing our family’s heritage.” This heritage is dotted with “fi rsts,” including the development of Cabernet Sauvignon clones 7, 8 and LIVERMORE VALLEY’S CONCANNON VINEYARD PREFERS TO TELL ITS STORY WITH A HANDSHAKE Future by Daedalus Howell / photos by Ryan Lely november 2010 / the tasting panel / 65