Since 1883, Concannon Vineyard has been a trailblazer in California wine and is proud to be the home of America's First Petite Sirah®. In 1961, my father, Jim, recognized this luscious variety's potential and was the first to release Petite Sirah as a standalone varietal wine. As in life, it is true with grapes that some of the best gifts are found in small packages. And, as the name implies, these grapes are small in size but produce rich and intensely flavorful yet elegant wines. Enjoy this artful expression of voluptuous blackberry, blueberry, and layered spice leading to a long, velvety finish.

Enjoy this artful expression of voluptuous blackberry, blueberry, and layered spice leading to a long, velvety finish.

Celebrating over 130 years of Cabernet Sauvignon, Concannon's® winery is home to the acclaimed Concannon® Cabernet Sauvignon Clones 7, 8, and 11, propagated from vines James Concannon, imported from the renowned Château Margaux in Bordeaux. This balanced and food-friendly Cabernet Sauvignon has rich aromas and luscious flavors of intense red Cherry, ripe plum and black currant intermingling with hints of cocoa, vanilla and spice. Pairs well with grilled red meats, pastas and strong cheeses.

In 1883, James Concannon not only established the first successful winery founded by an Irish immigrant, but also established Concannon as a Founding Family of the California Wine Industry. Recognizing that the Livermore Valley terroir was strikingly similar to the premier vineyards of the Médoc in Bordeaux, he purchased our beautiful acreage where he helped introduce successful viticulture practices for the first time to California. After intense study of winegrowing in Bordeaux and with UC Berkeley, James became one of the first to craft red and white Bordeaux-style wines in California and was well-known for his meticulous selection of the world’s best quality vines imported directly from Bordeaux’s renowned, First Growth Châteaux Margaux, Lafite and d’Yquem. Convinced that California could become as great a winemaking region as Bordeaux, he also believed strongly in the cultural benefits of wine. As a result, James was one of a small group of wine pioneers who introduced high quality wine for the first time to the American table. Of James, the famous author, Seumas MacManus, wrote that his was “a lifetime of remarkable action and remarkable progress” and that “Honor was his guiding star.”

Since 1883, Concannon Vineyard has been a trailblazer in California wine and is proud to be the home of America's First Petite Sirah®. In 1961, my father, Jim, recognized this luscious variety's potential and was the first to release Petite Sirah as a standalone varietal wine. As in life, it is true with grapes that some of the best gifts are found in small packages. And, as the name implies, these grapes are small in size but produce rich and intensely flavorful yet elegant wines. Enjoy this artful expression of voluptuous blackberry, blueberry, and layered spice leading to a long, velvety finish.

Our Winemaking Philosophy
Since 1883, the Concannon family’s Bordeaux-inspired, winemaking philosophy has driven each generation’s commitment to excellence in crafting beautiful, balanced, food-friendly wines with a silky, lingering finish and vibrant sense of place.

Even today, we believe the most important aspect about the wine is balance ― the enduring harmony from vintage to vintage expressed in the elegant balance of fruit, tannins, acidity and alcohol. Believing that all great wines begin in the vineyards and that balanced wines are born from balanced vines, we are committed to sustainable winegrowing and advanced viticultural practices for bringing out the best expressions of fruit and terroir in the wines.

It All Begins In The Vineyard
Beautiful, balanced wines are born from balanced vines and grapes. This requires expertise and diligence in matching the right grape, clone and rootstock to the best soil, climate, site and microclimate, row orientation, canopy management, trellis system, pruning regimen and sustainable farming practices.

Intuitive Winegrowing
Determining when grapes are ready for harvest is one of the most critical decisions made towards the quality of an entire vintage of wines. It requires astute field observation from our winegrowing team along with our winemakers frequently walking the vineyards, block by block, to taste and evaluate the grapes for flavor and berry development, seed maturity and levels of sugar and acidity. Both the intuition and experience of gifted winegrowers are irreplaceable for knowing the precise moment to harvest the grapes ― a blending of nature, science, skill and art.

Night Harvest
For over 140 harvests, we have picked our grapes throughout the night ― incredibly beautiful under moon and stars. Everyone loves the cooler conditions, including the grapes! The colder temperatures preserve ideal sugar levels, fresh flavor, intense aromatics and crisp acidity so that when the grapes arrive at the winery, they are ready to commence fermentation. Harvest is an exciting time, and picking at precisely the right moment always results in better wine.

Artisanal Winemaking
Since the time of our founding, we are always combining the best traditions of those who came before us with the best of modern technology and state-of-the-art techniques to create new standards in flavor and bouquet in wine. At our small lot winery, grapes are either carefully hand-sorted or separated for optical sorting which elevates the purity of the fruit before going into the fermenting tanks. Important artistic and technical decisions are made regarding fermenting and barreling for bringing out the best in the fruit and enhancing the flavor, complexity and character in the wines. There are no short cuts. Just as it was in the 1880s, it requires great passion, skill and hard work from many people working together to craft beautiful, well-balanced wines with a sense of place.

Beautiful, Balance Red Wines
Approachable and Age-worthy
As soon as our red grapes arrive at the winery, they are stored in our 52-degree barrel room prior to sorting. Our small lot winery gives us the opportunity to either gently hand-sort or optically-sort the grapes, a decision based upon variety and vintage. If hand-sorted, our estate wines go through 3 separate stages of sorting to ensure that only the best-of-the-best grapes end up in your glass of Reserve wine.

After the grapes are gently crushed, they are taken to the winery’s small lot, 4-ton and 8-ton, open-top, stainless steel fermentation tanks where we select the best yeast strains for each vineyard block’s flavor profile. Here the crushed grapes, including skins and seeds, will ferment for 7-14 days. The temperature is warmer for reds in order to obtain rich flavors and deep color.
During fermentation, cap management is employed to increase the level of skin contact. This optimizes color and phenolic compound extraction. We release these phenolics with a pneumatic punch-down which gently breaks apart the skins that rise to the top and form a thick cap. With great care, we manually punch down the cap into the fermenting wine to provide more color pigments and flavor compounds with balanced tannin levels. The wine is then sent to our modern basket press where innovation is infused with old-world tradition. Our high-tech basket press gently releases the wine from the skins during a 180-minute, automated cycle.

The wine is then transferred into small French and American oak barrels to undergo malolactic fermentation for enhancing complexity, richer and creamier textures and rounder, fuller mouthfeel to the developing wine. Oak barrels are known as the winemaker’s spice rack for introducing flavors and aromas such as vanilla, coffee and mocha which also add to the structure of the wines. The key is always balance so that the oak refines the wine while never overwhelming it. Some of our red wines are also aged in “neutral” oak barrels that soften the wines without adding any additional flavor.
With time in the barrels, the wine’s fruit, tannins and acidity harmonize with increasing complexity. Silky tannins and a myriad of rich, layered flavors and aromas evolve, adding to the finesse, texture, character and inherent beauty of the softening wine. Our red wines are aged between 12-24 months prior to any further blending. They are then bottle-aged for a minimum of 3 months before release.

Rotary, French Oak Fermenters
While most of our wines are aged in 59-gallon and 132-gallon French and American oak barrels, we also use rotary, French oak fermenters for aging. These 237-gallon barrels are quite unique and permit us to whole-berry ferment some of our best lots allowing the grapes to ferment as they gradually crush upon themselves. This intricate process slows down fermentation, thereby increasing the beautiful complexity of the fresh fruit aromas. It also generates the delicate extraction of flavors as well as the elegant transformation of bitter and astringent tannins into velvety and silky tannins. After fermentation is complete, the wine is lightly pressed and returned to the same barrel for aging up to 24 months.

16 Upright, Handcraft, French Oak Barrels
Extremely rare to find in California, these magnificent, upright, French oak 3,198 gallon barrels were imported from Bordeaux in the 1960s for aging our estate Cabernet and Petite Sirah. These remarkable barrels were used to impart a special house character to these wines often called, “The Concannon Effect.” The extreme value of this wood is that it’s very porous, so it micro-oxygenated the wine to help smooth out the tannins and soften the mid-palate, making the wine more elegant and approachable.

History:
From Ireland’s Rocky Coast to the Land of Opportunity

James Concannon, our Founder, was born on St. Patrick’s Day in 1847. Our vineyard story all began in 1865 when James, an 18-year-old boy with only one golden guinea in his pocket, a heart full of adventure and “honor as his guiding star,” courageously set sail from the rocky coast of Ireland’s Aran Islands to seek opportunity in America.

He left with a tall order from his parents: to live his life according to an ancient Concannon principle, “Wisdom Without Compromise.”

A Founding Family of California Wine
James recognized that the terroir of California’s Livermore Valley was strikingly similar to the premier vineyards of Bordeaux. So, he established Concannon Vineyard, which not only became the first successful winery founded by an Irish immigrant, but it also established Concannon as a founding family of the California wine industry.

After intensely studying winegrowing while in Bordeaux as well as at University of California – Berkeley, James was one of the first to craft Bordeaux-style wines in California. He became well-known for his meticulous selection of only the highest quality vines, which he imported directly from Bordeaux, including from renowned Château Margaux and Château d’Yquem.

Winning a Place at the Table, At Home and Abroad
James worked closely with early California viticulture leaders Charles and Clarence Wetmore, as well as UC Berkeley, to prove that California could be as successful of a winegrowing region as Bordeaux. Then, at the 1889 International Paris Exposition, the Livermore Valley stunned California and the entire world when it became the first American Wine Region to win international, Gold Medal Awards, including Grand Prix. This gave California the confidence it needed to pursue winemaking and begin introducing wine to the pleasures of the American table. They changed American culture forever.

Surviving Prohibition with Sacramental Wine
Captain Joe Concannon (son of James) kept Concannon Vineyard continuously operating throughout Prohibition by making and selling sacramental wine. Remarkably, this prevented the destruction of our 1893 Château Margaux Cabernet Sauvignon, other historic Bordeaux vines and the vines propagated from them — and kept their promise alive.

Our Prohibition wines continued being bottled under our family label, and three of those bottles have were welcomed into the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian collection.
New Beginnings, Bottles and Benchmarks

To help re-launch the California wine industry after the repeal of Prohibition, Captain Joe became a founding member of The Wine Institute, and actively promoted successful winegrowing techniques to place wine back on the American table.

In the early 1930s, Captain Joe became one of the first in the world to bottle Cabernet as a single varietal wine. His leadership didn’t go unnoticed. Andre Tchelistcheff, the “Dean of American Winemakers,” used Joe’s description of how to find the perfect scent for Pinot Noir in setting the benchmark for California Pinot Noir.

Appointing One of America’s First Female Winemakers
As a man of remarkable action and progress, Captain Joe hired one of the first technically trained, female winemakers, Katherine Vajda, to serve as Concannon’s lead winemaker during the 1950s.
Captain Joe continued being a trailblazer during his time at the helm of Concannon Vineyard, which lasted through the early 1960s.

The Father of Petite Sirah
Jim Concannon, grandson of James, became lead winemaker in 1960 and immediately made one of his most significant contributions: introducing “America’s First Petite Sirah” in 1964 from his 1961 vintage.
Historically, Europeans and Californians had only used Petite Sirah as a blending grape. Jim, however, recognized this bold variety’s great potential. He was the first in America to release Petite Sirah as a varietal wine. To this day, he is affectionately known as “The Father of Petite Sirah.”

The Concannon Cabernet Clones and A California Resurgence
Concannon Vineyard became home of the renowned Concannon Cabernet Clones 7, 8 and 11. These vines resulted from a highly successful collaboration between Jim Concannon and University of California – Davis in 1965. They were prepared for heat treatment cuttings from a single vine, propagated from Cabernet Sauvignon that James Concannon had earlier imported from Château Margaux in 1893.
The Concannon Clones played a key role in helping California Cabernet flourish and achieve international recognition. Currently, an estimated 80% of California Cabernet Sauvignon is planted to the Concannon Clones.

A Steward of Progress and Preservation
In 2008, John Concannon took over the leadership from his father as 4th generation vintner. In 2009, Concannon Vineyard was one of the first in California to become Certified Sustainable. During this time the estate winery also completed a 10-year revitalization project which includes a cutting-edge, solar-powered, small lot winery and the restoration of the original, historic winery.

Remaining in the International Spotlight
In 2014, as a result of John’s close work with the world-renowned The Smithsonian Institution, three Concannon bottles dated from the Prohibition era are now at home in the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian collection.

Also in 2014, John was honored to present “The Concannon Cabernet Clones 7, 8, 11” as a keynote speaker at the 2014 International Cabernet Symposium in Napa.

The Legacy Carries On
Created to honor the pioneering spirit and unconventional wisdom of the generations before him, the new Concannon Vineyard portfolio of wines reflects John’s commitment to his family’s ongoing winemaking philosophy and offer an exceptional value for the price.

Trailblazing winemaking innovation, Concannon is responsible for introducing America’s First Petite Sirah® and the Concannon Clones, which now account for an estimated 80% of California Cabernet Sauvignon production. Today, we continue this legacy, dedicated to crafting sustainable, vineyard-driven wines.

As a strong advocate of sustainable farming, Concannon was honored to help pioneer the development of the Wine Institute’s “Code of Sustainable Winegrowing Practices.” This collection of best practices establishes a set of sustainable standards for all California wineries that also ensures third-party verification and a cycle of continuous improvement.
In 2009, Concannon participated in the CSWA “Certified Pilot Program” as one of the seventeen California wineries selected to test the certification requirements and offer feedback for introducing a statewide certification program.

On January 5, 2010, Concannon became one of the first 13 wineries to earn this rigorous certification by meeting a set of 58 prerequisites among 227 best management practices in environmental stewardship, conservation and socially equitable business standards.

Each year, Concannon must demonstrate sustainable practices; positive economic, environmental and social impact; and “continuous improvement” by third-party verification to maintain certification. As a founding member of the Wine Institute, Concannon is committed to encouraging sustainable winegrowing throughout California and helping change the way growers around the world think about their winegrowing and farming practices.

Soil Conservation & Soil Revitalization
We employ locally-sourced compost to reintegrate organic matter into the soil. This practice establishes a vital reservoir of essential nutrients for the vines. It enhances nutrient retention and uptake by plants, fosters improved soil conditions conducive to robust root development and function, and fosters a microclimate that nurtures plant growth.

Cover Crops/Erosion Control
Our employment of natural cover crops serves multiple vital purposes. It prevents runoff and soil erosion during winter rains, while also maintaining loose and porous soils for robust root development. This approach increases organic matter, nutrient and water retention, and suppresses weed growth. Additionally, it improves air quality by reducing dust from routine vineyard activities.

Minimal Tillage
Our adoption of minimal tillage practices increases the sustainability of our vineyard, reducing the cost to produce grapes. Minimum till soil management uses less energy, reduces dust, and increases the earthworm population, which naturally aerates the soil. Less tillage of the soil and leaves the soil biosphere undisturbed so things work together naturally.

Soil/Plant Tissue Analysis
Our comprehensive approach involves testing soils at 1-foot intervals up to a depth of 3 feet, offering valuable insights into soil health. Additionally, we conduct plant tissue analysis biannually, ensuring a holistic understanding of our vineyard’s condition. Our commitment to these analyses is the bedrock of our success. Thriving vines and fertile soils harmonize to yield consistently flavorful, well-balanced, and high-quality grapes, season after season.

Water Conservation
Sustainable practices include using extreme efficiency in our irrigation methods — this saves water while improving vine quality:
Drip Irrigation
We use pressure-compensated, drip line emitters on all vines ― these adjust automatically under varying pressures to distribute water evenly to each vine, greatly reducing water use.

Solar-Powered Sensors for Irrigation Scheduling
We utilize an on-site evapo-transpiration sensor/monitoring system, to receive site-specific readings using a cell signal to a web-based database. Using this reading along with other vineyard-specific info, the Tule system helps pinpoint our precise irrigation needs per vineyard block on a daily basis. Because these sensors upload data to the internet, we can remotely monitor crop water status to manage our 220 estate acreage with less water, less labor and less time.

Full-Time Observation
We have a full-time employee who monitors the irrigation system and fixes problems and leaks immediately as they arise. Our viticulture team uses technology and constant field observation to limit water use to precisely what is needed.

Cleaning Barrels and Tanks
In 2015, we changed our barrel and tank sanitation methods. Now, we steam clean our barrels at 220°F for three minutes and follow with a quick rinse. Steaming does a great job, and we’ve gone from using 30 gallons of water per barrel to only 5 gallons. To clean large tanks, we’ve switched to a natural, environmentally-friendly compound that breaks down quickly and allows us to reduce rinse water from 150 gallons per tank to 50 gallons.

Clean Energy
Solar Panels
In 2009, we installed a 150 kilowatt solar panel system on the rooftop of our new, high-end, production facility, our state-of-the-art, small lot winery, and original winery and barrel room. These panels capture the sun’s heat for regulating the perfect temperature for the grapes and wines.

As a strong advocate of sustainable farming, Concannon was honored to help pioneer the development of the Wine Institute’s “Code of Sustainable Winegrowing Practices.” This collection of best practices establishes a set of sustainable standards for all California wineries that also ensures third-party verification and a cycle of continuous improvement.
In 2009, Concannon participated in the CSWA “Certified Pilot Program” as one of the seventeen California wineries selected to test the certification requirements and offer feedback for introducing a statewide certification program.

On January 5, 2010, Concannon became one of the first 13 wineries to earn this rigorous certification by meeting a set of 58 prerequisites among 227 best management practices in environmental stewardship, conservation and socially equitable business standards.

Each year, Concannon must demonstrate sustainable practices; positive economic, environmental and social impact; and “continuous improvement” by third-party verification to maintain certification. As a founding member of the Wine Institute, Concannon is committed to encouraging sustainable winegrowing throughout California and helping change the way growers around the world think about their winegrowing and farming practices.

Clean Energy
Solar Panels
In 2009, we installed a 150 kilowatt solar panel system on the rooftop of our new, high-end, production facility, our state-of-the-art, small lot winery, and original winery and barrel room. These panels capture the sun’s heat for regulating the perfect temperature for the grapes and wines.

Refrigeration and Tank Temperature
Control systems were selected for both sustainability and energy efficiency. Tanks are computer-controlled to ensure that unnecessary cooling capacity is not used. Energy efficient HVAC systems meet or exceed local standards.

Energy-Efficient Lighting
Our winery, production facility, labs, barrel room, offices and break rooms have motion-sensor lights that automatically turn on when a door is opened and turn off with no movement. For outdoor lighting, we now use 80% less energy from having replaced our metal halogen lights with LED.

Fuel and Packaging Efficiency
We’ve updated equipment with the latest in emission controls and fuel efficiency. Also, we now buy bottles in bulk instead of in cases. The bottles are delivered shrink-wrapped, and we assemble the cases on the bottling line. You can get more bottles on the truck that way, so it’s a more efficient way to get the glass to our facility – less traffic, less fuel and fewer emissions towards lowering our carbon footprint.

Wildlife Protection / Natural Predators
We use owl boxes and hawk perches to encourage a self-regulating ecosystem of natural predators for vineyard prey and pests. We take precautions to control vineyard pests such as squirrels, gophers, deer and birds with eco-friendly, natural, safe and organic methods to protect the environment while simultaneously protecting the grapes for harvesting.

Ground Cover and Gardens
Throughout the estate, we provide plantings that attract beneficial bees and butterflies to promote pollination while giving them a protected place to thrive. We also plant for attracting hummingbirds and beneficial insects that help control unwanted vineyard pests. To promote the welfare of native wildlife species in the area and preserve water quality, we maintain safe strips of land for runoff protection and native vegetation along the estate’s Arroyo Mocho Creek. When we find injured animals or lost little ones, we work with animal protection to provide the care they need.

Recycling - Smart for the Environment/Smart for Business
At Concannon, we operate a large recycling center with three large compactors representing two recycle containers and one solid waste container. We recycle all of our own glass, plastic and cardboard. This also avoids adding unnecessary waste to our local landfills. Prior to our own recycling, we had to pay a substantial amount to have these materials picked up. Since 2009, however, the money we earn from selling the materials pays for the recycling center — a net zero.

Recycling Bins at the Estate
125,000 guests visit our estate winery each year, and all personal and picnic trash was going into the same barrel containers. Our tasting room manager, a member of our Concannon Green Team, is passionate about recycling and came up with a plan for setting out attractive, designated barrels for plastic, glass and paper. We started with our lawn area and have now set out recycling-specific barrels throughout the estate.