Well, here it is the week after Labor Day. Kathy and I have been physically in the Oakley homestead for one year, and all over the ‘hood, some vineyards are starting to be harvested. I can’t believe that we missed any of the telltale signs of harvest last year. You know, little things like swarms of workers in the vineyard, forklifts and grape bins by the side of the road, and huge long trucks being filled up with grape clusters. Maybe moving in to the new joint blinded us to all the activity. Hell, we were the ones who, when we finally noticed the grapes at the side of the road, thought that they were Concord or Thompson Seedless table snacks.

Last week, I saw a big crew cutting bunches in a vineyard a few blocks south of the house, and when I stopped to inquire who owned or leased the parcel, the Spanish/Inglès language barrier was too much to overcome.

So this week, with Kath unavailable for midweek photo chores, I grabbed the camera and toured some area vineyards in the hope of being able to snap an action photo or two of harvest in play.

The guys weren’t out at last week’s stop, and nothing was shakin’ at Stan Planchon’s or Rich Pato’s plots. But when I turned to head home along busy (and vine bordered) Laurel Road, I came across bins, a forklift and one long honkin’ truck being filled with big blue clusters.

I pulled over to take pix of this crazy, but efficient operation. On one side of this two-lane, 40-miles-per-hour thoroughfare was the vineyard, where workers were harvesting the grapes; on the other, just outside the fence surrounding the municipal playfield, was the forklift and the cargo truck in which the grapes would be transported. A tractor pulling three bins full of grapes would navigate across Laurel, release the bins beside the truck, reload with three empty bins, then cross the road to do it again. Rinse, repeat.

I introduced myself to a gent in baseball cap and shades, who just happened to be Tom Del Barba, the latest generation of Oakley grape growers who’ve been farming the family old-vine estates for decades. And he turned out to be both welcoming and informative when it came to describing the ins and outs of the grape-growing biz.

Although a Del Barba vineyard designation rarely graces a label, estate fruit has been a key component in several bottlings over the years. Cline, Bonny Doon, our pal Matt Cline at Three Wine Company, and most recently winemaker Tadeo Borchardt at Neyers are among Del Barba Vineyards clients past and present.

The stuff being picked today at the Laurel property was a prime ingredient in Bonny Doon’s Cardinal Zin, and the relationship with CZ’s new owners, The Wine Group, continues the love. In fact, Bonny Doon founder/winemaker, Randall Grahm is a big fan of the Del Barba Mourvèdre, having used it for his Old Telegram and Le Cigare Volant projects.

Tom popped a random grape from one of the Zin bins into his refractometer and invited me to sample the wares as I checked the sugar reading. Hovering around 26.5 to 27 brix, the reading did not belie the sweet ripeness in the mouth.

Tom was also a wealth of information and lore about some of the crazy-quilt vineyards we were trying to identify. Turns out that Duarte is located a few blocks over, also on Laurel, the other Del Barba parcels are situated all along Rose Avenue, and — wonder of wonders — because of the way Main Street curves, that post office plot of Alicante and Mataro is actually the back part of Del Barba! And that that post office plot is one of Randall Grahm’s faves! No further questions your honor.

Oh, and do you remember Mabel, that feisty, wrestling-loving 87-year-old who lives around the corner from us? We posted about her back in early May: She’s the one who lives beside the untended old vineyard that had been owned by her late sister. Turns out that Tom Del Barba contracted to farm the property for the sister’s heirs, but when a housing developer offered them a boatload of dough, the heirs tried to break the contract. Things got ugly, but were resolved somewhat when Tom was paid to walk away. Then the housing bubble burst, development fell through, and now the land sits neglected. But Tom did get to know Mabel, and, man, does he have a great story:

Seems that a fly-by-night paving crew stopped by to ask if Mabel would like her driveway done, not realizing that they had just finished scamming her son a few blocks over, promising a thick coat, then skimping on the amount of asphalt. Octogenarian Mabel lit into them with a string of F-bombs that’d have Jason Mewes going, ‘Whoa, too much, Bee-yotch!”

Kath spotted a pizza delivery vehicle at her house the other night; guess there was no F’in way she was gonna miss an F’in’ second of Smackdown to F around in the F’in kitchen. We love her.

Also back in May, we promised (threatened?) y’all notes from our tasting of the Jade Mountain 2006 Mourvèdre from the Evangelho Vineyard in nearby Antioch. I swung by Frank’s vineyard the other day, and it sure looks like harvest is ramping up. So, in keeping with the harvest theme this post …

The wine has a bit of a Beaujolais look to it: light plum, cherry highlights. There’s some distinctive soft dustiness on the nose hints of cinnamon and clove. In the mouth, there’s big acidity that has you anticipating the next sip. Tannins add some weight to an enticingly tart, reasonably long finish.

Parting shot: Before I took my leave of Tom Del Barba to let him get back to the TCB of harvest, he asked me, “Hey Tony, do wineries read your blog?”

Somewhat immodestly, and perhaps mendaciously, I replied, “Oh, yeah!”

“Well tell ‘em I’ve got an extra ton of Zin for sale.”

4 Sale:
Ripe, Old-vine Oakley Zinfandel from a Classic Del Barba Vineyard Property
Nice Brix, Nice Price
Ask for Tom

Cheers, neighbor.