Remove 2,000 acres of historic vineyards? Sonoma County winegrower says ‘No way’

For those most passionate about California’s oldest vineyards, Mike Officer’s story may strike a chord.

For years, the Sonoma County winemaker had been sourcing grapes from the historic Barbieri Ranch vineyard in the Russian River Valley. Planted in 1905, the 22-acre site provided “a treasure trove” of mixed black varieties, including Officer’s “finest zinfandel to date.”

“It had these gorgeous old vines and some of the most incredibly delicious grenache I’ve ever tasted,” said Officer, owner of Carlisle Winery & Vineyards in the Russian River Valley. “Then it was sold to a private real estate investment firm who ripped it out to plant pinot noir. It just broke my heart.”

California’s grape glut

As U.S. wine sales continue to decline, wine industry experts like Jeff Bitter, president of Allied Grape Growers in Healdsburg, have been searching for ways to keep grape growers afloat.

According to NielsenIQ data, sales of wine by volume fell 5% in 2023, marking a three-year decline that is expected to continue through 2024.

At Allied Grape Growers, Bitter works with 500 growers across California to sell and market their fruit. As many have struggled to keep up with supply and demand, they’ve faced a surplus of fruit they’re unable to sell.

“To adjust supply, we need to remove 50,000 grape-bearing vineyard acres across the state,” said Bitter. “Some are aging vines that are not producing, some are varieties that are not selling, some are just excess.”

While the majority of these superfluous vines are located in Lodi, the Delta and Lake County, a total of 5,000 acres are in Sonoma and Napa counties.

According to Bitter, 2,000 of those acres are old vines.

“Unfortunately, a lot of these heritage vineyards are not economically sustainable,” said Bitter. “Many have 50 or 60-year-old zinfandel vines, and zinfandel sales have been way down for the last five years. Consumer demand is just not there.”

Bitter also points out that old vines don’t produce a lot of fruit, so they’re often not worth the land they’re grown on.

“A lot of them aren’t making money, and honestly, they’re adding to the grape oversupply,” said Bitter. “The economics is forcing people out because there’s only so long they can tolerate the loss.”

But for old vine winemakers like Officer, Bitter sees a niche market.

“While mainstream red zinfandel is definitely dying, there are some high-end Dry Creek Valley and Russian River Valley old-vine zins that have a cult following,” said Bitter. “The vineyards are 100 years old and they produce one or two tons per acre, but the wine sells for $60 or $80 a bottle. Those are doing well, but that’s a small, upper-end segment of the market.”

129 years old and counting

With grapevines that date back to 1895, Seghesio Family Vineyards in Healdsburg has weathered many storms.

Today, fifth-generation family member Ned Neumiller oversees the company’s viticulture program, which includes nine acres of 129-year-old zinfandel and some of the oldest sangiovese in North America.

“The industry is pretty challenging right now. Even wine veterans are wondering what’s going to bring new clientele,” said Neumiller, whose great-great-grandfather founded the winery. “Even if we wanted to replant a vineyard, the price is sky-high right now.”

While Neumiller admits there are unique challenges to farming an old-vine vineyard, such as tight vineyard rows with little room for maneuvering and somewhat fragile limbs, removing Seghesio’s old vines is a nonstarter.

“Once a grapevine hits 40 or 50 years old, the concentration in the wine is so distinctly different,” said Neumiller. “Younger vines don’t produce grapes with the same body, guts or sheer volume of flavor that old vines do. ”

At Seghesio, a bottle of old-vine zinfandel ranges between $40 and $75, with the top tier produced with 100-year-old vines in the Russian River Valley. Their 1910 sangiovese, Chianti Station, runs $85. And while old-vine wines don’t make up Seghesio’s entire portfolio, Neumiller said they’ve found “a solid place” in their lineup.

“People still want to buy it, so it generally has a home,” said Neumiller. “I have to give some credit to the Historic Vineyard Society. They’ve given us a lot of direction and support on how to approach the market.”

Preserving history

When Officer experienced the loss of Barbieri Ranch vineyard, he knew something had to be done.

“I called Morgan Twain-Peterson (of Sonoma’s Bedrock Wine Co.) and told him we needed an organization dedicated to preserving old vineyards,” said Officer. “He said, ‘hell yes.’ That was the genesis of the Historic Vineyard Society.”

Established in 2011, the Historic Vineyard Society is a nonprofit dedicated to the preservation of California’s old vineyards through education, research and more. Visitors to its website (historicvineyardsociety.org) can search by AVA, date and other factors for details on hundreds of certified-historic vineyards.

One of those is Carlisle Vineyards, which Officer purchased in 1998. Planted in 1927, the Russian River Valley site is a field blend of 43 varieties — mostly zinfandel, with tempranillo, alicante bouchet, mission and other grapes sprinkled in for good measure.

“Before I knew what this vineyard was, I used to pull off the road on my bike just so I could look at it,” said Officer. “I remember staring out and feeling like the vines were calling out to me in some way. I feel incredibly honored to be the steward of this place.”

Today, Officer has garnered a devoted following for his complex, old-vine wines, which total about 8,000 cases per year. Old-vine zinfandel and red Rhone varieties, like syrah, grenache and mourvedre, are some of his most prized.

As the Historic Vineyard Society and globally-focused Old Vine Registry continue to promote the preservation of old vine vineyards, Officer is hopeful more people will catch on.

“The reason old vines have managed to survive this long is because they produce something unique, distinct and very special,” said Officer. They represent our viticultural heritage and give wine consumers the opportunity to drink history. That’s a pretty cool thing.”

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