Santa Clara & San Benito Wine Heritage

[Drew_Goin]

From the Internet Archive website:

History and Biographical Record of Monterey and San Benito Counties : and History of the State of California : Containing Biographies of Well-Known Citizens of the Past and Present, Vol II* (1910)

by JM Guinn, AM
Secretary and late President of the Historical Society of Southern California
Member of the American Historical Association of Washington, D. C.

History and biographical record of Monterey and San Benito Counties : and...

• I have not been able to locate the first volume of this work.
  
  
  The following site contains numerous resources for topics related to historic Santa Clara.

The Valley of Heart’s Delight website
Santa Clara County, California, History, Biographies, Communites, Townships, Transportation, Newspapers

THE VALLEY OF HEART's DELIGHT- Santa Clara Valley History , Early Settlers,...

· Website Term Search Results for:
“Vineyard”

· Biographies of Early Santa Clara Residents

· 1914 County Maps of California

[Drew_Goin]

Monterey County Weekly
“Inside an Obsessive and Semi-Secret Organization”
by Walter Ryce
September 10, 2015


Monterey County Local History Directory
of Archives and Resources *

"A project of the Monterey County Historical Advisory Commission in conjunction with the Monterey Regional Collections Roundtable. Updated from the 2010 printed version to the online version in 2014.

“This directory lists local archives and local resources pertaining to Monterey County History. It is a successor to the Union Catalog of Historic Documents, Monterey County, California.”

https://www.co.monterey.ca.us/government/departments-i-z/library/learn-explore/local-history/directory

\

• Though Monterey County is not the titular subject of this thread, the history of Monterey undeniably is intertwined with that of Santa Clara, as the two were once part of the same political entity.

*** EDITED *** to correct a dead link and add extra info about the directory.

[Drew_Goin]

Map of the Santa Clara County Ranchos

http://www.losaltoshillshistory.org

Full size map available via:
http://www.pinsdaddy.com/biographical-lockeford-ca-map-of-historic-victorian-homes_dltq0K28z5rZaLcBInGrDcxhk498txCoYdZZFcYi4GLPSmIsLbJt|wsT|kw2SHryDtG|tdaweLppHs9PrMJSdQ/

Historical Map of Santa Clara County:

[Drew_Goin]

From the “Wayward Tendrils” viticultural history website:

“A History of the San Francisco Viticultural District”: (Alameda, Monterey, San Benito, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz counties).
332pp, 31 illustrations [PDF file download]

This file is a very comprehensive look at the wine growing/making history of a large part of the state of California, including tables, photos, etc.

The Wayward Tendrils Newsletter Viticultural District Histories

[Drew_Goin]

From Mr Ryan Stirm’s “Spring 2017” Newsletter for STiRM:

"The Enz Vineyard’s mixed Mataro block, planted 1922, flanked by the Gabilan Mtns."


From an email Mr Stirm sent me…

"Original planting was 4 1/2 acre blocks, two are Zinfandel (with Muscat, Mission/Rosa del Peru, other table grapes) and the Cabernet Pfeffer (another story on it’s own, with 4 varietals out there) planted in 1895. Those blocks still exist, and make excellent wine (I took all of it in 2016). The Old vine mataro was planted in 1922. It was originally a field blend of everything out there, Mataro, Carignan, Alicante Bouschet, Mission, Muscat, Palomino, Zinfandel, and a few others. A lot of those vines we’re then grafted to the Mataro about 20-30 years ago, hence the Ken Volk story*. The vines are guaranteed old as s***, no doubt. The Sauvignon Blanc out there was planted in 1967 or so, and grafted to Pinot Noir about 20 years ago as well. The SB is probably way better suited to that climate than Pinot, for sure.

“The new plantings (less than 30) are Zin and more pfeffer. As far as I know, the Enz family just purchased Chardonnay from neighbors, not very close to the Lime Kiln Valley. They’ve never had Chard out there.”

• Ken Volk oversaw the planting of a separate plot of Mourvedre/Mataro on the Enz Vineyard in 1992.

[Drew_Goin]

From the STiRM Winery website:

“Wirz Vineyard looking South towards the head-trained old-vine Riesling during spring before budbreak”


“Farmed by Pat Wirz, this old-vine, dry-farmed vineyard was planted in 1965 on its own roots. It’s located at about 1000’ in the Gabilan Mountains about twenty miles north of the Pinnacles National Monument in the Cienega Valley AVA (San Benito County). Although it lies only twenty five miles east of the cold waters of the Monterey Bay, the coastal influence is dampened by the mountain topography and geology surrounding this site. The San Andreas fault runs through the property highlighting the convergence of two giant tectonic plates. Granite and limestone are the dominant geologic influence here. As these rocks eroded over the eons, they weathered into very deep sandy loam (Salinian granite) and clay loam (limestone) with plenty of fist-sized granite and limestone cobbles remaining. The rocky, nutrient poor soil forces the roots to grow deep in search of water and minerals. These old vines ripen late and are extremely low-yielding, around 1 ton/acre annually.”

Stirm Wine Co. Vineyards

[Drew_Goin]

From the Big Basin website:

“Wirz Vineyard is located on the north eastern side of the Gabilan Mountains in the Cienega Valley. The old head-trained vines are dry farmed with organic farming practices.”

Data on the Wirz Vineyard (also from Big Basin):

• Planted: 1904 to 1952
• Hillside Mourvedre: planted 1904
• Carignan: planted in the 1930s
• Zinfandel: planted in the 1930s
• Riesling: planted in 1952
• Elevation: 1094 feet
• Exposure: East and relatively flat
• Spacing: Varies; approximately 8 x 8
• Soil: decomposed granite and limestone

Wirz Vineyard | Big Basin Vineyards

[Sean_Devaney]

Thanks for all the research Drew! Love this thread.

[Drew_Goin]

From the “Michael Short Photography” Blog:

"Wirz Vineyards Harvest"
February 25, 2015

“Covered a harvest of Riesling grapes hand picked from dry-farmed, head trained vines at Wirz Vineyards in Hollister, California back in October. These folks worked fast fast fast.”

[Drew_Goin]

From the “Michael Short Photography” Blog:

“Wirz Vineyards Harvest” part 2
February 25, 2015

If the harvest photographs were taken the previous harvest, then this appears to be the 2014 Riesling pick for Bedrock Wine Company.

Wirz Vineyards Harvest

[Drew_Goin]

The DeRose Winery website says this about the estate vineyard:

"DeRose has 100 acres of vineyards including 40 planted before 1900. All of the old vines are dry-farmed in deep sandy-loam soils on terraced hillsides. Situated directly above the San Andreas Fault, they lie in one of the world’s most active earthquake areas.

"Both sides of the infamous fault are under cultivation. Soils east of the fault line contain fragmented granite and crumbled sandstone, while those west of the fissure are mostly granite and limestone. Relatively young in geologic time, these soils contain very little clay and are absent of unwanted hardpan layers, promoting thorough drainage. They are a wonderful medium for growing ripe, well-balanced grapes.

Principal Grape Varieties

"Zinfandel
The 15 acres of zinfandel vines were originally planted on their own roots in the late 1890s. They grow in an assortment of soil types including a rocky mixture created by the San Andreas Fault and a fine sandy-loam that contains fist-size chunks of dolomite. This brilliant white mineral is mostly calcium, an essential element found in all great vineyards. Head trained and spur pruned, the dry-farmed vines yield only three-quarters of a ton per acre.

"Negrette
DeRose has a handful of ‘old-vine’ varieties, but none is more exotic than the 115-year-old negrette. These vines are even rare in their native land of France where records show less than 100 acres planted in the Toulouse region on the Garonne River. Adding to the mystique, the variety was called pinot St. George until the BATF changed its name effective with the 1997 vintage. Ten acres of negrette are planted in gray clay-loam soils that contain large chunks of dolomite. The dry-farmed vines, head trained and spur pruned, grow on their own roots and yield about one-half tons per acre.

"Viognier
The three acres of viognier were planted before 1900. These ancient vines are dry-farmed in deep sandy-loam soils on terraced hillsides. Now on bilateral trellising, they produce wines with enormous concentration and viscosity. Annual yields are less than two tons per acre.

“Cabernet Franc
A temperamental grape variety in many locations, cabernet franc thrives on the DeRose estate, creating heavily extracted wines with wonderful viscosity. The 15-year-old vines grow east of the fault line in loosely packed loam where the drainage is excellent. Trained on bilateral trellising, the six acres of cabernet franc average 3.5 tons per acre.”

Derose Vineyards

[Sean_Devaney]

One clarification on the DeRose Vio. The vines were planted before 1900 but the Vio was grafted onto the vines recently. Tom Hill posted about this a while ago.

[Drew_Goin]

@Sean Devaney

One clarification on the DeRose Vio. The vines were planted before 1900 but the Vio was grafted onto the vines recently. Tom Hill posted about this a while ago.

Thanks, Sean! That was floating around in the back of my head when I posted it.

[Drew_Goin]

Something exciting is just around the corner from the Santa Clara Wine folks!

_"Thank you for you email to the Wineries of Santa Clara Valley. I’m the new marketing manager and one of the items I need to create is a varietal list of all our wineries.

"…Please check back in another 3 months and we should have it up on the santaclarawines.com site.


Thank you,
Stacy Giannini

Home
Creative Fools
https://instagram.com/one_creative_fool_

In the first quarter of 2018, “Wines of Santa Clara Valley” should provide a roster of wineries along with the variety/varieties produced!

[Drew_Goin]

I recently received an email from Mr Phil Gregory, whose “Vineyard Under the Mountain” site on Redwood Retreat Road in Santa Clara County is currently on offer from Bedrock Wine Company:

"Drew,

"I’m grateful to have received your email. And yes we are excited and joyful about Morgan’s announcement (Bedrock’s announcement).

"Our family bought Under the Mountain in early 2013 (renamed of course by our family). Seth (my son and copied on this email) has made a tremendous effort to ‘recover’ the remaining vineyard, all of which was either poorly cared for or, in some instances, returning to forest.

"To answer your question our vineyard contains blocks of mostly Zinfandel, Carignane, and Petite Sirah, Within those blocks we have several varietals interspersed such as Grenache and Alicante Bouschet. We even have a scattered handful of old white vines we have not been able to identify.

"Additionally, Seth is taking back a small block from the forest (which requires taking out trees, brush, and digging out stumps. All by hand). That particular block is Muscat and Palomino.

"In total the vineyard covers about 15 acres with much of it surrounded by forest. In our opinion, it’s a beautiful setting. Additionally, the weather/climate is absolutely affected by Mount Madonna which is just west of the property. And makes the Redwood Retreat area entirely unique within the larger Santa Clara Valley appellation. Hence the name of the vineyard.

“In order to further your work, we would love to show you the property and discuss both the vineyard and the larger surrounding area. Additionally, we have involved ourselves in quite a lot of investigation into the history of both our property and the surrounding area (with a view towards creating an Under the Mountain website) and would love to compare notes and knowledge with you.”

[Drew_Goin]

Wines and Vines of California: A Treatise on the Ethics of Wine-Drinking (1889) by Ms Frona Eunice Wait features a good amount of detail on the grapes, wineries, etc, that were in fashion during her time. Chapter 12 highlights the “Other Wine-Making Counties”, beginning with Santa Clara County.

I strongly recommend this book, as it is free to peruse online and offers information that I have not seen anywhere else!

Wines and Vines of California

[Drew_Goin]

The following book focuses on the early history of Santa Clara Valley, yet offers little wine-related information. The importation of grapevine cuttings, what varieties were cultivated, and the identitfication of major growing sites rarely are given attention.

Internet Archive
History of Santa Clara County, California
by Eugene T Sawyer (1922)


The “For the Love of Apricots” blog focuses on the early years in Santa Clara County. Once known as the “Valley of Heart’s Desire”, author Wallace Stegner eulogizes the disappearance of its orchards and vineyards:

"Silicon Valley is probably good. The Valley of Heart’s Delight was a glory. We should have found ways of keeping one from destroying the other.“

Edible Silicon Valley
“Aging to Perfection: Tasting History of the Region”
by Peg Champion
June 28, 2017

Fans of Santa Cruz & Santa Clara wines are strongly encouraged to read this article.

[Drew_Goin]

I found a map resource from UC Santa Cruz Library for Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, San Benito, and other South Coast counties:

1939-E Santa Clara County Flight CIV Topographic Index

If, on the ↑↑↑ above map ↑↑↑, one wishes to see a particular aerial map parcel up-close, please request the specific image on the following webpage.

Additional years’ worth of aerial photos, standard maps, etc are also available below:

UC Santa Cruz Library
“Aerial Photo Flights for Santa Clara Valley”


*** EDIT ***

In addition to amending certain defunct links from the UC Santa Cruz Aerial Mapping archives, I have added a handful of fascinating cartographic resources.


In the early 20th Century, the father-and-son team of McMillan & McMillan helped survey various locations along the West Coast. I have included their intricately detailed 4-page map from 1929 below:

Internet Archive
Official Map of Santa Clara County California
by McMillan & McMillan Civil Engineers (San Jose, Calif.), 1929

“Shows property owners, districts, railroads, roads, trails, schoolhouses. Index of roads, land grants, and subdivisions.”

The USGS website features geological maps of the entire United States. The quad maps of Santa Clara County can be of service to nerdier enthusiasts:

USGS
“Preliminary geologic maps of the Gilroy Hot Springs Quadrangle, the Gilroy Quadrangle, the Mount Sizer Quadrangle, the Morgan Hill Quadrangle, Santa Clara County, California, and the Mount Madonna Quadrangle, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties, California”
Product Description page: link

· Plate 1: Gilroy, CA, 1973 Quad Map

· Plate 2: Gilroy Hot Springs, CA, 1973 Quad Map

· Plate 3: Morgan Hill, CA, 1973 Quad Map

· Plate 4: Mount Madonna, CA, 1973 Quad Map

· Plate 5: Mount Sizer, CA, 1973 Quad Map

The Santa Clara Local Agency Formation Commission website includes a selection of high-resolution maps detailing specialized topics:

Santa Clara LAFCO
“Maps”

“Interactive Mapping Tool”


Many old-school wineries of South Santa Clara County are located along Hecker Pass Hwy (West of Gilroy), as well as Morgan Hill’s downtown area. A number of Santa Clara County vineyards can be found using the Google Maps link on Dave Tong’s older blogspot:

Santa Cruz Mountains & Santa Clara Valley Wines blog
“Introduction”
by Dave Tong
February 17, 2008

· “Santa Clara Valley Vineyards Map”

· “Santa Clara Valley Winery Map”

[Drew_Goin]

Though I have cited this website before, I must stress the overall value of its content to those interested in the history of winemaking in the Santa Clara area.


Evergreen Mural Walk website
“Through the Grapevine – Pellier Contributions”
May 5, 2016



“Redundant Theme – Evergreen’s Vineyards”
May 6, 2016




Another survey of Mission San Jose wine history can be found in the following blog entry.

Purple Tongue Press
“History in the Vines: Fremont’s Wine Legacy”
by Ralph de Unamuno
December 1, 2015

“Figure 2: Map of Washington Township Wineries. Key: 1. Beard/Gallegos/ Palmdale Winery; 2. Grau-Werner (Los Amigos); 3. Rosa Bez; 4. DeVaux; 5. Riehr Winery; 6. McIver/Linda Vista Winery; and 7. Stanford/Weibel Winery”

[Matt_Wood]

Thanks for posting these Drew. I’ll have to look through them.
My family ranched in San Jose since the early part of the 1900’s, First in the (what is now) King and Story road area and then later in the south San Jose area. (About where “Southern Pacific” is in the “Edenvale” area on your post 63 map. I think our story is similar to many that were from that area. My grandparents and great Aunt and Uncles owned a ranch of mostly fruit trees that they sold in the mid 80s. With the development of San Jose and it turning from “The Valley of Hearts Delight” into “Silicon Valley” it pushed many ranching families out. At least in my families case eminent domain cut land holdings in such a way as to make it impossible to farm and make a living. Land was taken to build highway 101 (one of the major n/s freeways in CA) that just about cut the property in half and other small pieces were nibbled up by it also. It made more sense to sell while you had something to sell than to wait for it to be taken piecemeal and get pennies on the dollar for the land. I’m sure other families had similar experiences and others had their own unique ones. It seems now most of the things in San Jose are named for what used to be there.