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{ SOMMjournal.com } 45 Concannon Vineyard 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles ($18) This wine is made from Concannon Cabernet Clones planted in the Hog Heaven Vineyard, located fairly inland from Highway 101. The vines are ungrafted, own-rooted and enjoy hot days and cool nights, which help achieve nice balance and acidity. A round velvety wine of red cherry, raspberry, ripe plum notes, boasting fine grained tannins, graphite, coffee and espresso notes, vanilla, spice and toasty oak on the finish. Concannon Vineyard 2013 Chardonnay, Monterey County ($18) Fermented in the barrel and aged on its lees, this wine is redolent of green apples and pear, underscored by tropical fruit notes, voluptuous on the mid-palate with nice minerality, spice and toasted vanilla and lemony curd notes on the finish. Concannon Vineyard 2013 Petite Sirah, San Francisco Bay ($18) Round and rich, with pretty purple floral notes, dense fruit of blackberry and blueberry character, chewy tannins, a "have your cake and eat it too" wine that John refers to as "a big wine, but a friendly wine—I call it the 'Saint Bernard that sits in your lap.'" The wine is finished with the "Concannon effect"—it's aged two additional months in 4,000-gallon, 55-year-old Bordeaux barrels, wood that is very porous, and speeds up some of the aging process, giving a softer mid-palate. Of note, it was Jim Concannon who intro - duced "America's First Petite Sirah" from his 1961 vintage. Behind John Concannon stands the 4,000-gallon, 55-year old French oak barrels responsible for imparting the "Concannon effect," which speeds up some of the aging process, giving a softer mid-palate to their top-tier wines. FOUNDERS' TIER WINES Prohibition," Concannon said. "We were one of a select few winer- ies legally allowed to stay continuously operating, making and sell- ing sacramental wines under the same family label. My grandfather, Captain Joe Concannon, was proud we were open and doing what we were doing; he built that gate to make a statement. We have also brought back the CV at the top of the label, a throw - back to our Prohibition-dated bottles, three of which have just been welcomed into the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian collection. Along the top is Concannon's early Gaelic motto— Wisdom Without Compromise—which is our way of say- ing that while you don't know everything, it is paramount not to compromise on your beliefs and values." John's legacy also includes additions to the property. Just five years ago he completed a ten-year revitalization project. "After 100-plus years of updating, we still had to do some housecleaning," explained Concannon. "We put a lot of energy into our vineyards. We are one of the original 17 wineries in the pilot program for the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance's Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing (CCSW) program. And, as America's oldest, ongoing winery under the same family label and steward - ship, we also had to build a new winery to take us into the future. It's hard to make wine in a 132-year-old building, so we built a 42,000-square foot state-of-the-art, solar-powered winery, which now sits just a hundred yards away from the old winery. We also built a premium small-lot fermentation and crush pad," he said. The original winery was restored and is now a historical land - mark which houses Concannon's tasting room and wine bar. "We have the fifth generation in the wings," said John speaking fondly of his niece, Shannon, who began attending Sonoma State this fall. Perhaps most impressive is the fact that Concannon committed all the family's land to the Tri-Valley Conservancy Land Trust. "We were very concerned about the level of urban development and were the first winery to put our winery in that land trust; we have consequently given up our right to build anymore on this land. We are in a key location—we laid down the gauntlet as our land goes right up to downtown Livermore, but it will remain farmland in perpetuity which I believe is essential for preserving these precious land resources for future generations," he said.