A life worth living. Happy Birthday Charles Bacigalupi

Born on September 9th, 1924 my father, Charles Bacigalupi grew up on a quiet street in the suburbs of Santa Rosa, California. His mother, Olive Gaddini (Olie) was a homemaker and artist. His father, Albert Bacigalupi ran the local market named after the family; Bacigalupi Market, first established by his father Natale in the early 1900’s.

As a child he attended the local schools all the way up to the Santa Rosa Junior College. His education plans were abruptly interrupted when he was drafted for WWII at the age of 18. He joined the navy and became a coreman, tending to the sick and injured overseas and on board naval ships. As a coreman he was assigned the duty of a dental assistant which helped to first spark his interest in the field of dentistry. He later joined the CB’s - a sub-section of the navy and helped build airstrips in the Pacific.

After the war ended my Father returned home and finished his pre-requisites at the SRJC. It was in his final year at school where he first met Helen Long. Attending similar classes Helen had hopes of becoming a pharmacists– a field that was dominated by men during those days. Both my father and mother attended UCSF, living in San Francisco while finishing their degrees. Their relationship progressed and soon after they graduated in 1952 they were married. Coming back to Sonoma County they decided to settle in Healdsburg, a place that my Father had said he always wanted to live. He started his practice and soon acquired a list of devoted patients.

Always possessing a love of the land Dad had dreamed of once owning his own ranch. Hearing through the grapevine of some land for sale my parents made the drive out Westside Road and soon purchased a small plot of land, 121 acres to be exact with a quaint house in 1956. The land was mostly planted with prunes, cherries, and apples with a few acres of grapes; Golden Chaslis, Mission and Zinfandel. At the time my Dad didn’t know much about vineyards and grapes but he had a natural green thumb and enjoyed working outside. Through his dentist practice he got to know many of the local grape growers including one in particular; Paul Heck and his family. Paul and his brother Adolf had recently acquired Korbel Champagne Cellars in Guerneville.

During his visits and taking the family in for regular check-ups they got to talking about vineyards. Paul advised my Dad to plant Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. “It’s cooler over there in the valley, near the river”, he said. My Dad also heeded the advice of Bob Sission, another patient of his who at the time was the farm advisor for UC Davis. “Don’t they grow those over there in France?”, dad asked, having to write the names down to keep from forgetting them. Eventually he was able to obtain Pinot Noir and Chardonnay budwood from Karl Wente coming from France via the family’s old vineyard in Livermore.
When he was not working with patients or in the vineyard my Dad could be found on the open water. An avid sailor he began sailing as a young child in Bodega Bay continuing his love of the ocean while he was in the navy and even racing in the San Francisco Bay.

Growing up some of my fondest memories is the time I spent shadowing my Father in the vineyards. A self taught grower he learned everything about vineyards from experience, trail and error. Over the past 50+ years my father has developed a reputation in the business of being a honest, hardworking man, always with a smile on his face.

We have sold our grapes to countless wineries, from the big guys to the home winemakers, right across the street and across country. Just celebrating his 85th birthday my Dad can still be seen riding around on the 4-wheeler or driving the tractor during harvest. “It’s what keeps me young”, he tells people when asked why he still is not fully retired. “We’re so lucky to live here, I want to spend as much time out in the vineyards as I can.”

So in ending, I want to wish the happiest of birthdays to my father, a man of wisdom who is aging like the finest wine, living his life and cherished by his family.

-John Bacigalupi