Saturday, August 7, 2010


Funny thing for an alleged “investigative wine blogger” trying to discover who owns what vineyards and grows what grapes here in Oakley to admit, but I hate making “Das Call”: that picking up of the telephone to make initial contact with a local winegrower/farmer who doesn’t know me from Marvin Shanken.

When Kathy and I started this thang in April, I likened our Bay Area Web caper as a case worthy of something out of Dashiell Hammett. Truth be told, it’s more akin to Rex Stout, with me being the agoraphobically housebound Nero Wolfe, and Kath doing all the Archie Goodwin research and legwork: She’s the real “little engine that,” never mind “could,” but actually "does."

So, when K came up with the phone number for an Oakley grower whose vineyard name has been appearing, for years, on a Rosenblum Cellars Zinfandel label, I studied my telephone script (not kidding), and dropped the dime.

I was hoping to speak to Stan Planchon (actually, I was hoping that I could leave a message for Stan Planchon), owner/farmer of an 8-acre vineyard that’s been in his family since 1904, and is located a few blocks west of our house.

I launched into my “hello-my-name-is … we have this wine-blog … we just moved to Oakley” rap, when the animated, dusky female voice on the other end of the line proclaimed, “Welcome to the big city!”

Gertie was in da house. And Stan’s wife and I spent the next hour swapping opinions and CoCo wine country gossip, all as she schooled me on some nuts and bolts of grape growing in CoCo. BTW: Stan couldn’t come to the phone because, at 88 years of age, he was outside BUILDING A FENCE!

The history of the Planchon Vineyard is a real study in wine trends. As noted, the property has been in the family for over a century. Currently, the 8 acres is mostly old-skool Zin, with a couple of rows of Cabernet Sauvignon, and vines yielding about a ton of Barbera.

Check this out: In the ‘80s, when White Zinfandel was the craze, Planchon sold his Zin for triple/quadruple the going rate to a particular Napa concern. Gertie always thought that it was a big waste of a great red grape, but when did you ever hear of a White Zin producer wanting great fruit? It’s crazy, yet they got top dough, so there were no complaints in Oakley.

Eventually the pendulum swung back to red, and that’s when Rosenblum founder, former veterinarian Kent Rosenblum, came a-knockin’. Stan Planchon had been making his own wine from the homestead for years; according to Gertie, when Dr. Kent stuck his nose in a glass, he contracted for half the Zin acreage, with a promise to put “Planchon Vineyard” on the label. Apparently, another Napa Zin-meister wanted a ton of Zin (contractually, Planchon was allowed to keep 3 tons for “personal use,” with no restrictions on what he did with it.). After vinting, Napa Boy wanted another ton. Word got out that someone else wanted Planchon fruit, and Rosenblum Cellars extended the contract, and terms.

Booze behemoth Diageo bought Rosenblum Cellars a couple of years ago, and founding winemaker Dr. Kent was retained as consulting winemaker for their vast portfolio of vineyard-designate Zins, Petites, Mourvèdres and other varieties sourced state-wide. But contracts will expire, and all parties are free to do the do (in a couple of years). Kent Rosenblum has already branched out to Rock Wall Wine Co., a separate venture spotlighting some small-production labels, with singularly visioned winemakers, including Shauna Rosenblum and Stefanie Jackson, sourcing grapes from This Old Hood.

I’m not the only one to hope that the big pockets of Diageo, who’ve enjoyed a long love affair with Planchon, pre- and post-Rosenblum-purchase, establish an Oakley-first tasting room/event facility surrounded by its ancient vines.

I read in today’s newspaper that Japan supposedly celebrates longevity in its citizens, but has lost track in documenting so many of them. We have 100-year-old vines in Oakley. Why can’t North America know when they’re drinking their wine?

It was an absolute hoot jawing with Gertie Planchon, and it was very satisfying to be able to finally wrap up one Oakley vineyard mystery in a straightforward fashion. Here’s one local grower whose residence is nestled within his vineyard. We know the vineyard address, we know what he grows, we know who he sells to. He doesn’t manage any other vineyards (though he and Gertie do have a property up in Oregon), and when I asked Gertie if they own any other local sites, she cracked me up. “Please, Tony! We’re dumb but we’re not stupid. Stan’s 88; he’s put his heart and soul into this place.”

Case closed, ma’am.

About an hour ago, Kath and I stopped off, after a grocery run to Trader Joe’s, for her to snap this post’s photo (above) of the beautiful Planchon grapes. What would be a better occasion to come home, and pull the cork on a 2006 Rosenblum Zinfandel Planchon Vineyard? I was doing the “winetasting” thang: look, sniff, taste. Kathy does it too, but she’s faster (and her tasting notes are better than mine). I was still working on the wine’s opaque purple color and a spicy nose of black pepper and smoky earth, when Kath proclaimed, “Hurry and get to the part where you drink!” Absolutely, uniquely delicious wine! All black licorice and baking spices, with acidity to hang it on for a long finish. Deeee-lish.

Oh, forgot to mention: Driving home after snapping the photo, we spotted Stan in front of his house. Working on a fence.

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