The Continente Op

Finally, signage!

Even a Mensa dropout (Densa) like me could realize that when the big sign on the building screamed “Continente,” this might just be Continente.

Gnarly vines? Check
Sandy soil? Check.
Sign that reads “Continente”? Uh, check.

Went into the “gift shop” wherein one could purchase dried fruit, olive oil and grape vinegar — which we did — and tried to get some information about the vineyard history and plantings. We didn’t get any info from the friendly cashier, but, as we were driving out, Kath and I took a flyer on the SUV just pulling into the property.

Turns out that the SUV driver was John Continente Jr, owner of the spread, and third-generation grape farmer of the whole ranch. According to John, although planted a century ago, the property was purchased by John’s grandparents in 1920. The price: $2,000, two horses and a rifle.

Rosenblum Cellars used to do a Continente bottling, and when Dr. Kent Rosenblum visited (did I mention that he’s a veterinarian by training? Our two kitties loved him.), he hipped me to a cool fact: Like most old skool Cali vineyards, the only way they could stay solvent during Prohibition was to ship grapes around the continent for legal use by home-winemakers. Back east, the Italian immigrants wanted the blend of Zin, Mataro and Carignane. So that’s how Continente planted it: one row of Zin, next Mataro, next Cari. Kent said that it used to be fine if you were doing a blend, but if you were doing a Continente Zin, for example, having to harvest every third row was a real pain.

John Continente told us that he’s had contracts with a lot of big wineries over the years, but that these days, he sells virtually all his crop to Bogle Vineyards, run by the family of the same name. Bogle is an old Scot or Welsh word for “specter” or “apparition,”so the Bogle clan put out a red blend of Petite Sirah, old vine Zin and o.v. Mataro (Mourvedre) named “Phantom.” The 2006 bottling has a rich purple color (my tasting notes mention its “look of Gerber Strained Plum baby food”; apparently I’ve got a few ghosts of my own to deal with.) and nose of dried cranberry, oregano and other herbal notes. There’s a nice weighty bit of “tongue fur” from the tannins, and a medium-length finish. Boo!