Just saw a link to this San Jose Mercury News article a little while ago about a new program called Livermore Valley Vintners’ Collective (LVVC):
SJ Mercury News article - A Livermore Valley wine experiment three years in the making
The program takes a group of local vintners who each make a wine from Livermore Valley fruit, working within a set of parameters in the selection and blending of grape varieties and in the winemaking. The wines are all released at the same time - the first wines from the program will be released in mid-March. Aspects of the program sound similar to parts of both the Coro Mendocino and Lodi Native wine programs, more similar to Coro Mendocino in the blending restrictions, more similar to Lodi Native in the limitations on winemaking additions and new oak. More info on the program here:
Livermore Valley Vintners’ Collective website
The six wineries participating in the inaugural vintage of the program are 3 Steves, Fenestra, John Evan, Las Positas, Page Mill, and Wood Family. Fenestra is the only one of the six that I have much familiarity with. I visited John Evan / Big White House and tasted there once (over ten years ago), and I’ve heard about a couple of the other producers but haven’t tried any of them. Anyone here have any insights on these six wineries or know more about the LVVC program?
Don’t know much and I’m a bit skeptical about projects to create a signature regional blend (although, I have bought and enjoyed a number of Lodi Native Zinfandels). But, the six LVVC wines from the inaugural vintage (2017) were submitted to the 2020 SF Chronicle Wine Competition and received two Bronze, two Silver, one Gold, and one Double Gold medals (Bronze to Fenestra and Las Positas Vineyards, Silver to 3 Steves and Wood Family Vineyard, Gold to John Evan, and Double Gold to Page Mill).
Apparently, they will first be poured at the wineries on the weekend of March 13-15.
-Al
Ken, thanks for posting this. Living out in Livermore, it’s good to know. I had no idea this project existed until now.
Based on their criteria, it seems like the group believes Merlot and Syrah grow the best out here. Usually people here talk more about Cabernet, Petite Sirah and Chardonnay (wente clone). I actually have never even bothered to taste a Livermore Merlot
The project was born in 2016 when about 25 winemakers from Livermore came together to discuss launching a project. We brought in two of the Lodi project winemakers to talk about their experience in the Lodi native project. The idea in Lodi was to showcase the terroir of single vineyard wines. In Livermore the focus is to showcase both the appellation and the winemakers’ skill. The group decided to focus on a Merlot/Syrah blend because that is rarely made, and they each took it as a personal as well as group challenge to produce good wines within the rules. The rules have remained basically the same for 2018, which is currently being bottled, and 2019 which is in barrel. More wineries have joined the project.
All six 2017 wines were entered into the San Francisco Chronicle competition and all medalled. One double gold, one gold, two silvers and two bronze. The group website is lvvc.net. A limited quantity of boxed sets of all six wines is available from any of the participating wineries (while stocks last).
Thanks for the insight on how the project came about, Colin.