Bacigalupi Vineyards

In 1956 my grandparents—Charles and Helen Bacigalupi—purchased 121 acres on Westside Road, a few miles south of the town of Healdsburg. In a simple beginning, Grandpa began to care for the 16 acres of existing vineyards. Envisioning the demand for premium wine grapes, Paul Heck (of Korbel winery) encouraged my grandpa to plant Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. In 1964, Grandpa began his plantings with six acres of each varietal. Eventually he obtained Pinot Noir bud wood from Karl Wente, the first well documented plantings of Pinot Noir in the Russian River Valley. He remembers Wente telling him the stock had come from France via the family’s old vineyard in Livermore.

Our family name (Bacigalupi) gained recognition during the 1976 Paris tasting when the 1973 Napa Valley Chardonnay from Château Montelena (made with 40% of our fruit) triumphed over many acclaimed French wines. This event was the turning point in America’s global wine image. Our vineyards now consist of 125 acres of premium grapes, which have been planted and managed for the past 30 years by my father John Bacigalupi and our family. The Bacigalupi wine label is a dream come true for our family who has roots in the wine industry stretching over four generations. Looking towards the future, we hope to continue our legacy of premium grape growing and wine making for many years to come.

Our best vineyard practices include:

Planting winter cover crops to hold precious soils in place decreasing the risk of erosion on hillside terrain and adding essential nutrients back to the soil all while providing a habitat for beneficial insects.

Managing canopies precisely — including leaf, shoot and cluster removal. This practice increases air movement through the canopy and adds light naturally–drastically reducing the amount of fungicides needed.

Composting all pomace (grapeskins) and are usng them the following year as soil amendments.

Introducing predator habitats (owl and bat boxes and bird houses) to reduce pesticide usage.  Also, we use native and seeded cover crops help reduce dust thus reducing mite populations naturally.

Hand-tending our vineyards to the meticulous standard of our family farm.

Using reclaimed rain water for 100% of our water use. Water gathers in our two reservoirs. We do not  use water from any municipal source.

Using recycled material for all of our bottles, boxes, and shipping materials.

Maintaing our cellar temperatures naturally, decreasing our electricity use.

Winegrowing

“With a dedication to producing the finest wine possible comes also the commitment to preserving the environment. Consistently striving to improve farming practices, I have tried to emphasize environmental soundness, and efficiency, all without compromising quality.”

– John Bacigalupi, winegrower

Winemaking

“Our winemaking starts with meticulous vineyard practices.  We maintain a minimal manipulation standard in the winery, using native yeast fermentations, allowing the wines to remain surlies, and bottling unfined and unfiltered.  Our philosophy is to let each one of our vineyard sites shine, and let you be able to taste uniqueness in each sip.”

– Ashley Herzberg, winemaker