Anderson Valley’s Breggo Cellars reacquired by original owner

When Douglas Stewart learned wine producer Cliff Lede Vineyards was exiting Anderson Valley this past June, his interest was piqued.

Napa Valley-based Cliff Lede Vineyards announced it had sold its renowned Savoy Vineyard in Anderson Valley to Sonoma-based Donum Estate. Cliff Lede also said it would end production at Fel Wines, its Anderson Valley winery.

That was music to Stewart’s ears.

During the economic downturn in 2009, Stewart had reluctantly sold his cherished Breggo Cellars winery to Cliff Lede, who renamed it Fel Wines.

If Fel was ceasing production, could Stewart resurrect Breggo?

“I’d been wanting the Breggo brand back for 10 years,” said Stewart, who named the winery after the word “sheep” in Boontling — an Anderson Valley folk language.

“I called Cliff Lede to see if the name was still in use and learned they were still selling library wines from every vintage,” he said.

In other words, Cliff Lede had inventory from Breggo’s first 2005 vintage to 2012, before they changed its name to Fel Wines.

“When I asked if I could buy the inventory, they said yes.”

Allure of Breggo

Located on an absurdly bucolic stretch of Highway 128 in Anderson Valley, Breggo Cellars sat on a 203-acre former sheep ranch that Stewart and his wife, Ana Lucia Stewart, purchased in 2000.

When they opened Breggo in 2005, it was among just 13 wineries in Anderson Valley and the first in 20 years to be built on Highway 128.

Focusing on pinot noir, pinot gris and other aromatic whites, Breggo quickly became the darling of both consumers and wine critics who heaped high ratings on the small Anderson Valley gem.

Food & Wine magazine named Breggo the Best New Winery in 2008. Wine critic Robert Parker claimed Breggo’s 2006 pinot gris was “the finest ever in the New World.”

The latter recognition was particularly meaningful to Stewart, who had developed a fondness for the varietal.

During Breggo’s first harvest, freezing temperatures stalled the pinot gris’ fermentation in the outdoor cellar. With brix (grape sugar) levels still too high, Stewart began to panic.

“The fermentation needed to continue for the wine to be balanced, so I wrapped the little round tank in blankets and placed it by the heater or the fireplace,” Stewart said. “I was really worried it would be too sweet.”

While the brix levels did fall, the final wine had about 8 grams of residual sugar, making it similar in style to French Alsatian pinot gris.

“We’d tasted other American pinot gris and thought they were totally uninteresting,” Stewart said. “But Alsatian pinot gris was so different, partly because of the region’s crazy cool climate, but also because they use residual sugar to balance out their wines. In the end, that pinot gris became our bestselling white wine. I knew I had to make it every year.”

Sudden breakup

By 2009, Breggo had become a phenomenon. The small Anderson Valley winery had racked up a leaderboard of high scores and accolades, which Stewart credits, in part, to the distinct style of its wines and his access to some of Anderson Valley’s most esteemed vineyards.

So when the news broke that Breggo was being sold to Napa Valley’s Cliff Lede Vineyards, fans were heartbroken.

But while Stewart sold the Breggo brand and all its inventory to Cliff Lede, he kept his 203-acre Anderson Valley property, including its 7-acre vineyard. Cliff Lede would lease the vineyard, tasting room and crush pad for five years. After that, the golden handcuffs would be removed.

In the meantime, Stewart launched Lichen Estate, a boutique Anderson Valley winery that would eventually focus on estate-grown pinot gris and pinot noir in a host of iterations — including sparkling pinot gris, white pinot noir, a Grand Cuvée Brut Rosé and a lush, multi-vintage pinot noir called Solera.

Lichen Estate is a brand, said Stewart, he launched in pursuit of balance, with wines that teeter in style between Anderson Valley and Burgundy.

“My friends will tell you one thing about both Breggo and Lichen — the wines are very distinct,” Stewart said. “Part of that is because of the way we farm our vineyards, their tannin structure and their phenolics (natural compounds). I’m not saying that’s great or bad. But you can pick them out in a lineup.”

Home at last

In August, Stewart officially reacquired the Breggo Cellars name, along with 85 cases of wine from the brand’s eight previous vintages.

The 2023 harvest will mark Breggo’s first under the familiar wing of Stewart, who processed about 26 tons of fruit from Ferrington, Golden Fleece and Hein Family Vineyards for the vintage.

For Guy Pacurar, whose father-in-law owns Ferrington Vineyard in Boonville, Stewart’s return to Breggo is “fantastic.

“Doug is such a great caretaker of our grapes,” said Pacurar, who has sold fruit to Breggo since its first vintage in 2005. “His wines are a really good reflection of our terroir, and I’m happy to see him have a larger footprint in the valley.”

While Lichen Estate will remain in its current location in Boonville, Breggo will move into the former Phillips Hill Winery tasting room on Highway 128 in Philo, with an approximate opening date around Feb. 1.

Until then, Stewart will get Breggo’s new winemaker, Shawn Phillips, up to speed in his new role. As assistant winemaker at Lichen Estate for the past two years, Phillips comes with much sparkling wine experience, which has Stewart “thrilled.”

For other local winery owners, like Kristy Charles of Foursight Wines, Stewart’s return to Breggo is a welcome one. While the region has been historically populated by family-run tasting rooms where winery owners can forge personal connections with customers, that has become more of a rarity in areas like Anderson Valley, Charles said.

“I am certain Doug’s re-imaging of Breggo will fit right back into the valley’s winery landscape,” Charles said. “I’m so happy to hear Anderson Valley’s newest winery will be by a local winemaker and friend.”

For Stewart, reacquiring Breggo wasn’t just a matter of ego. It was about reviving the once-successful brand he worked so hard to build.

“From the day Cliff Lede dropped the Breggo name, I’ve thought about getting it back,” Stewart said. “I was very proud of Breggo when I sold it. Now, I’m excited to continue where I left off.”

You can reach Staff Writer Sarah Doyle at 707-521-5478 or sarah.doyle@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @whiskymuse.