The Tasting Panel magazine

November2010

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into a trust; other wineries have since followed Concannon’s lead. The Conservancy line-up includes a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Chardonnay and a Merlot as well as a Livermore Valley Petite Sirah. All of the Conservancy releases have an SRP of $15 and are among the fastest growing 750-milliliter wines in North America. “This Conservancy tier is my attempt to take a reserve program on a national basis,” John explains. “We don’t have the feet on the street or the discretionary dollars that other winer- ies have; we put everything we have into the bottle. We just want to give you the best product we can at a fair price.” Jim concurs: “We’ll never jeopardize The winery was registered as historic landmark number 641, by the State of California. not something a marketing department made up—this is family and history.” This history includes Jim and his late brother Joe having received the torch themselves, 55 years ago, from their own father. “Captain Joe,” as he was jocularly known, was a former cavalry officer who counted the future General George Patton as one of his lieutenants during World War I. How Concannon has managed not to implode into familial rancor over the years, as have several other high-profile wine dynas- ties, comes down to a simple phenom- enon: They get along. “We never had an argument in our lives. We always stuck together,” says Jim, who adds with a laugh, “We don’t brainwash anybody to any great extent.” The elder Concannon adds, “We could have surely gone into another professions and done much better financially, but we just have a love for the property and we’re mov- ing. Our sales are way up.” Bolstering Sales: The Conservancy Tier Indeed, bolstering those sales is Concannon’s recently released Conservancy tier, using grapes sourced only from Livermore vineyards protected from urban encroachment. Concannon has spearheaded the movement toward land conservancy by being the first winery to place its estate quality. If you goof up in winemaking, you have to wait until next year. With distilled spirits and beer, you just dump it; if you screw up, you just make some more. That’s not the case with wine.” Into the Future . . . Sustainably With a focus on renewable energy and sustainability, Concannon has installed solar panels on 80% of the winery’s roofs and utilized reclaimed materials in the construction of the tasting room. As part of The Wine Group, Concannon has completed a $30 million revitalization program of its facility, preserving the best of its winemaking heritage and practices while incor- porating state-of-the-art technology. Moreover, Concannon Vineyard was one of the first 17 wineries certified by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance for its sustain- able practices including, environmental stewardship, conservation of natural resources and socially equitable busi- ness practices. Ultimately, however, Concannon Vineyard puts its stock in its own story, which, of course, comes with its own brand of foreshadowing—almost literally, as Jim recounts a time when his seven- year-old grandkids were following him around the vineyard. “They were walking behind me the other day—in my shadow. I figured it was because they wanted to keep cool because it was a hot day,” Jim recalls. When he asked the kids why, “they responded, ‘We want to walk in your shadow, Poppy, so we can give tours pretty soon.” The Concannon story continues. www.concannonvineyard.com Jim Concannon led Concannon winery to produce America’s first varietally labeled Petite Sirah (a 1961 vintage released in 1964). Concannon 2009 Conservancy Chardonnay ($15) Smooth and creamy with clean flavors of oak, spice and ripe fruit; pleasant and balanced. Concannon 2007 Conservancy Merlot ($15) Clean and tangy with black plum and blueberry fruit; edgy and juicy with bright structure and a long, racy finish. Concannon 2007 Conservancy Cabernet Sauvignon ($15) Bright plum and berry fruit with lively acid structure and good balance; clean and fresh with lift and a racy finish. Concannon 2007 Conservancy Petite Sirah ($15) Velvety and lush with black raspberry and juicy acid- ity; long and balanced with mellow fruit and good length. november 2010 / the tasting panel / 67 The Conservancy Series The Conservancy series wines from Livermore Valley are excellent values and make a wonderful and timely statement about Concannon’s dedication to preserving open land in Northern California. —Anthony Dias Blue

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