Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/688647
14 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } JUNE/JULY 2016 { sonoma scene } WHEN HELEN BACIGALUPI and her husband Charles pur- chased the old Goddard property in the Russian River Valley in 1956, their intention was to have a place to call home outside of the bus- tling town of Healdsburg. In addi- tion to fruit and walnut trees, the property came with 16 planted acres of vineyards, which were a classic mixture of Zinfandel, with smaller portions of Alicante Bouschet, Golden Chasselas, Muscat and Mission grapes. That changed in 1964 when the fam - ily took a leap of faith and began dev eloping what would become 14 acres of Chardonnay and the first Pinot Noir vines planted on Westside Road. When the vines were estab - lished, Helen began selling grapes to Rodney Strong and the Foppiano and Seghesio families. In 1973, Helen sold 14 tons of Chardonnay to Calistoga-based Chateau Montelena, which even - tually became 40 percent of the master blend in the famous wine that won over the French in the famed Paris Tasting in 1976. Special bottles of her 1982 Bacigalupi Vineyard Grapemaker Series Chardonnay were also served at the White House. While most of the Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel and Petite Sirah grapes grown on the estate are still sold to an impressive list of boutique producers, a smaller portion of the precious fruit is now bottled by the three genera - tions of the family and winemaker Ashley Hertzberg under the Bacigalupi label. In May, the same week Helen was honored at the Sonoma County Barrel Auction as a local "Icon" for her lifetime achievements, the family hosted a special "Return to Paris" tasting, which included blind tasting of Chardonnays from Burgundy, Bacigalupi Vineyards, Sonoma County and Napa Valley. The special panelists included David Breitstein, founder of Duke of Bourbon in Canoga Park, CA; Rod Berglund, proprietor/winemaker of Joseph Swan Vineyards; "Prince of Pinot" Rusty Gaffney; Frederick Ammons, winegrower, of Rudd Wines; and myself as the moderator. "I can't tell you how excited I was to be part of this movement," says Breitstein, who carried the Chateau Montelena in his shop. "In the old days, consumers were much more focused on the names of wineries. Today, it's more about the vineyards. . . wines produced from grapes that make wineries famous. So the pendulum has swung to the site, the climate, the soils and the talented people that are farming these premium grapes." Berglund concurred, "Success at the original tasting in Paris and the Bacigalupi Vineyard led us down a wonderful road to embrace the concept of terroir. The French term means that every site or block can have its own soul and personality. In our case, it's right here in Russian River Valley. "At Bacigalupi, they have old vines and old selections that were planted on a special spot of ground and farmed impeccably over the years. For that reason, I think the finished wines made with the fruit really reflect the soul of the vineyard and that special sense of place." Return to Paris TASTING AT HISTORIC BACIGALUPI VINEYARDS IN SONOMA'S RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY by Christopher Sawyer The current Bacigalupi Chardonnay is from the same vineyard that provided 40 percent of the grapes for the Chateau Montelena Chardonnay that won the infamous Judgement of Paris tasting in 1976. Author Christopher Sawyer (left) acts as moderator at the Return to Paris tasting at Bacigalupi Vineyards. Panelists included (seated left to right) David Breitstein, founder of Duke of Bourbon in Canoga Park, CA; Rod Berglund, proprietor/winemaker of Joseph Swan Vineyards; "Prince of Pinot" Rusty Gaffney; and Frederick Ammons, winegrower, of Rudd Wines. PHOTO: JENNIFER PECHETTE