Old Lakeville Vineyard

Sonoma Coast

Guardians: The Sangiacomo Family

When I was five I told my dad I wanted to make wine. My father, being an up and coming producer of Zinfandel and Merlot, suggested I make a little of one of those varietals. However, I had heard him say once or twice, upon tasting the finest wines of Burgundy compared to those of California, that he would never, ever, make Pinot Noir.

Being a malfeasant little shit I told him that I wanted to make Pinot Noir.

A few days later, armed with about 4000 lire (about 2 dollars U.S. in 1986), I approached my dad’s landlord Angelo Sangiacomo. On top of being the owner of the little tin building my dad was working his ass of in to make Ravenswood a success, Angelo also grew Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. As the story is told to me (I was five after all), I approached him about selling me a little bit of Pinot that I could make into wine—I told him I wanted to make it like in Burgundy; like the wines that I saw my dad and grandma ooh and aah over. Though he declined my generous offer of the lire he did provide me with half a ton of Pinot Noir.

That was 1986. Until 2001, when I realized that making wine via proxy while in college on the East Coast was no fun, he gave me a half-ton of Pinot Noir for free every year.

I know, you thought you were reading about Old Lakeville Syrah, not some reflection on bygone vintages of Pinot Noir. But some stories are longer than others and the irreplaceable nature of Angelo and the rest of the Sangiacomo family necessitates a longer tale. Quite frankly, without the Sangiacomo’s generosity, Ravenswood would not have thrived and I would not be able to sit here, more than thirty years after Angelo and pop met and be able to tell a story like this. Quite frankly, the Sangiacomo’s make me love my town more than I thought I could already—I cannot imagine it without them.

It was natural, when it came to starting Bedrock Wine Co. that the first people I called were the Sangiacomo’s.

Now, years have passed, and the slew of vineyards created by the hard work and sweat of Angelo and his brothers Bob and Buck, have been passed to Angelo’s sons Mike and Steve. Since I was not looking for Pinot or Chardonnay I asked them if, on the off-chance, they might have some Syrah available.

“I do not know if you know it but there is a little vineyard we planted for Bruce Neyers out on Old Lakeville Road,” was the response I heard from Mike.

That pretty much sealed the deal. Not only did I know the vineyard, I adored the wines being made by Neyers (in fact, it is rare that I come across a wine from the winery I do not love). Then, because I am a fan of Syrah, I found out it was essentially across the street from Joan Griffin’s extraordinary Griffin’s Lair vineyard—the source of some of the most amazing Syrah in California.

As such, Old Lakeville Syrah, quite fittingly, is the first Syrah vineyard Bedrock Wine Co. decided to vineyard designate. The vineyard, which struggles to ripen (perhaps it is too busy admiring the view of San Pablo Bay a few thousand feet away and Mt Tamalpais in the distance?), is planted in a natural ampitheater on loamy soils made of ancient sedimentary deposits. The three clones of Syrah, 877, Noir, and Estrella, make aromatic, perfumey, and exotic Syrahs that boast as much substance as they do finesse.