Last week, Katey and Nicole Bacigalupi welcomed me to their Russian River Valley tasting room. I remembered the first time I met these twins, when at five years old they attended horse camp at Hoofbeat Park. Seeing these adorable girls all grown up with families of their own, and managing sales and marketing for their family business of wine offered a much-appreciated small town memory.
There are many connecting branches to this generational farming story. Charles and Helen Bacigalupi purchased land on Westside Road in 1956. A few years later, established farmer Paul Heck of Korbel Champagne Cellars, who was a patient of dentist Charles Bacigalupi convinced Charles to plant 16 acres of Wente clone Chardonnay and Pinot Noir on the 121-acre property previously planted to obscure varieties. Replanting grapes was a risk at this time when land was far more valuable planted to prunes.
Through this longtime friendship seeds were also sown for a deeper family bond, and their children John Bacigalupi and Pam Heck fell in love as Healdsburg farm teens and eventually married.
Flash forward 61 years and the Bacigalupi heirs, still under the tutelage of Helen, are about to launch their first Bacigalupi sparkling Blanc de Noir Méthode Champanoise. Brillante, named to honor the brilliance of Paul Heck and his legacy with sparkling wine, with a nod to the vibrancy of the wine itself, is a tribute to both families. With a 36-month disgorgement, a new vintage will be released every three years, as a reminder of the rich history of two families united by a love of the land.
With 125 acres now planted to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel and Petite Sirah, they’ve come a long way from when their grapes commanded $50 a ton and sold to neighbors and friends, primarily the Foppiano and Seghesio families. One year when offered $100 a ton, the Bacigalupi family realized they had an asset with grapes.
This asset became internationally apparent in 1976 during the famous Paris Tasting. In a blind tasting, the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay from Napa with 40 percent of the grapes cultivated from Bacigalupi Vineyard triumphed over many French wines. This historic wine tasting was a landmark event for the California wine industry.
The twins were grateful that their grandmother Helen saved everything in files and had a weigh tag showing the Chardonnay sale for $800 a ton. Many years later, when Nicole read an historical account of this tasting she was confused that there was no mention of her family and their contribution with Bacigalupi grapes. This weigh tag proved the historical connection. The happy ending is that last year, for the 40th anniversary of the Paris Tasting, Nicole and her mother Pam were honored as guests at the Washington, D.C. celebration.
So what sets Bacigalupi apart from the hundreds of competitors in Sonoma County? John has nurtured the Bacigalupi estate vineyards for as long as anyone can remember. He now collaborates with winemaker Ashley Herzberg, who crafted their initial vintage 2011 Chardonnay and all subsequent wines.
Nicole and Katey believe it’s Ashley’s ability to coax the natural expression of the fruit from the vineyard, which she does by letting the vineyards speak for themselves with minimal interference, and in using native yeasts. They believe the sense of place is strong in their Russian River Valley haven. Equally important is the day-to-day commitment of the Bacigalupi family, who are on the property daily and cherish their role as farmers, involved with all aspects of winegrowing from grape to glass to the marketing of the wines.
Relevance for Today: In real estate it’s location, location, location. In farming it’s location, location, location, especially when the land is cared for by two of the most well respected grape families in Sonoma County.
Marie Gewirtz represents wine and food clients with marketing and communications in Sonoma County and throughout the world. She can be reached at wi*******@so********.com.
