CleverRoot

s u m m e r 2 0 1 8 | 4 5 W hen you think of California Chardonnay, does the Livermore Valley first come to mind? Despite the grape's proliferation throughout Napa Valley and Sonoma, California's most widely planted variety can trace a remark- able 80 percent of its heritage to the Wente family's estate vineyards in the Livermore Valley. On the eastern edge of the San Francisco Bay, the Wente family found- ed one of the first wineries to offer a complete wine-country experience. One could easily spend the day without leaving the confines of the estate: playing 18 holes of golf at The Course overlooking Wente Vineyards in the morning; enhancing one's wine knowledge through one of many hands-on sensory experiences in the afternoon; and finishing the day at The Restaurant, where guests can savor delectable dishes inspired by ingredients from the winery's organic garden. Passion, determination, and innovation define the Wente legacy. Our country's oldest continuously op- erated family-owned winery has a rich and vibrant history that helped shape the wine industry we know today. Now, with the fifth generation managing many facets of the business, the family's commitment to producing premium wines entirely from estate-grown, sustainably farmed fruit continues to drive them forward in their 135th year of business. The Wente's Land in Livermore After working for Napa winemaking pioneer Charles Krug, Carl H. Wente moved to the Livermore Val- ley—then an emerging region for premium wine grapes—and purchased 47 acres of vineyard land in 1883. His sons, Herman and Ernest, soon joined him to plant their estate's first Chardonnay grapes in 1908 and 1912. Fast-forward to 1936, when Prohibition had decimated virtually all Chardonnay plantings in California. Growers instead turned to heartier varieties that could survive the journey to home winemakers on the East Coast, yet the Wente family endured, producing sacramental wines and preserving their original es- tate vineyards. After repeal, they remained committed to crafting high-quality, varietally labeled wines, thus differentiating them from the jug wine market. In 1936, they released the first wine in the nation to be labeled as Chardonnay. Following World War II, third-generation winegrower Karl L. Wente joined his father and uncle in expanding the distribution of their wines, as well as their estate vineyard plantings. After the University of California, Davis, suggested growers plant Chardonnay in cooler-climate regions, Karl was among the few to heed that advice and developed estates throughout the Arroyo Seco AVA in Monterey County during the 1960s. The family also continued their tradition of selecting only the best-performing vines for new plots—those that were both physiologically healthy and produced the most intense flavors. By the 1970s, there were still less than 2,000 acres of Chardonnay planted in California. Fourth-gen- eration winegrower Phil Wente, who joined his father Karl in 1974, recalls that time: "We had a couple The Cradle for Chardonnay The Wente family's original budwood stemmed from two sources. In 1912, Carl H. Wente imported vines from the University of Montpellier in southern France; however, the first vines were sourced in 1908 from their neighbor, the Gier Vineyard, which had obtained cuttings from the original Charles Wetmore planting in 1882. The year before Carl arrived, Wetmore, then the President of the California State Viticultural Commission, imported cuttings of various varieties from renowned vineyards in France—including Chardonnay from Meursault—and distributed them throughout the region. The Wente family circa 1895: Ernest, May, Barbara (pregnant with Frieda at the time), Herman, Carl H., Carolyn, and Carl F. Wente Vineyards: A Five-Generation Family Chronology 1883 Carl H. Wente, a German immigrant, purchases 48 acres of vineyard land in the Livermore Valley and builds a winery. 1933–1936 Wente Bros. produces and releases the nation's first varietally labeled Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Chardonnay (then known as Pinot Chardonnay). Second-generation winegrower Herman Wente helps found California's Wine Institute. 1949 Third-generation winegrower Karl L. Wente joins the winery, expanding national distribution and developing international markets for Wente and other California wines. He becomes a tireless spokesman for the California wine industry and assists many fledgling growers and vintners. W W W W

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