Who is John Tyler?

By far the most common question that we get when we are out pouring wine or at an event is: “Who is John Tyler?” Well, besides being the tenth President of the United States, John Tyler is also the namesake of our family’s wine label–two first names combined to represent one common goal: John Bacigalupi and Tyler Heck.

John Bacigalupi is my father and also the vineyard manager for the  Bacigalupi Vineyards located in the Russian River Valley. Our vineyards were founded in 1956 by his parents–Charles and Helen. The Bacigalupi family has provided fruit for some of Sonoma and Napa’s most well known wineries–most notably, the 1973 Chardonnay from Chateau Montelena that won the Paris Tasting in 1976. Dad is in charge of all the day-to-day activities of our estate vineyards, managing over 150 acres of grapes.

Tyler Heck is my dad’s nephew (my cousin) and also our winemaker. Tyler’s father (Patrick Heck) and my mom are brother and sister. Like the Bacigalupi family, the Heck family also has a long history in the wine industry. Our grandfather–Paul Heck– and his brother were the previous owners of Korbel Champagne Cellars. My uncle Patrick also worked in the wine industry under many companies including Korbel, Adler Fels and Scott Laboratories. It is from his father and grandfather that Tyler’s interest in wine and winemaking was first realized.

Eventually, both my dad and my cousin started to toss around the idea of starting a family label. In 2001 they did a trial run with one barrel of Pinot Noir and commercialized the venture in 2002 with the first official vintage under the John Tyler label.

Creating the name for the label was one of our more difficult tasks.  We wanted a name that would convey our history, family unity and the integrity of the vineyards.  To help us with this project we looked to Elizabeth Slater, columnist for Vineyard and Winery Management and owner of In-Short Marketing; a company that specializes in helping wineries create marketing strategies to sell their wines directly to the consumer. It didn’t take Elizabeth long to come up with a concept for the label name. While sitting around out dining room table at one of our meetings Elizabeth took one long look at my dad (John) and another at my cousin (Tyler) and said, “Why don’t you call the wine John Tyler?”

The name was obvious. It is simple and gives credit to the two men whose goals and hard work had finally became a reality.

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

Capturing the Here and Now

It’s true that every family is different and with our lives being as busy as they are, it seems like as the days go by there is less and less time that we get to spend together. With work, the vineyards, projects, volunteering and other activities it is rare that we are all in the same spot at the same time. This is exactly why I jumped at the opportunity to get an updated family photo done other the day. While we have older photos available (circa 2002!) I felt that it was important to capture the moment in the here and now. Since starting this blog I carry a camera with me almost everywhere I go because you never know when a great photo will present itself. So when you have that minute at a family party, birthday or the holidays and you realize that you are all together, grab that camera!

Enjoying wine at any age, over 21 of course

 There is much to say about millennials, their demographics and their impact on the wine industry. With the craze of Facebook, Wine 2.0 and Open Wine Consortiumwine and technology have blended to appeal to this audience. Millennials have now given Baby Boomers a run for their money (literally) as the largest consumers of wine to date. While I will undoubtedly agree that data in this age range proves that milennials are a valued force in the market today I can’t help but ask myself; what about our elders? Though they may not drink as often or as much, their years of experience has led them to wines that suit their pallets. Living in wine country I have had the pleasure to meet some of these pioneers who are now “older” but basically helped to build the industry and survived many hardships. They are the few founding families that still exist today and let me tell you, they still enjoy their wine.
With the massive changes in the wine industry over the last century from technology and marketing to modifications in winemaking techniques and large multinational corporations I wondered what one would say about wine today having been present through these times. I recently sat down with my Grandmother; Anna Marie Heck who will be 92 years old this year and has experienced first hand some of these changes. She lived a good part of her life at Korbel Champagne Cellars, raising her family and supporting her husband in his business endeavors. I talked with her about some of her memories from Korbel and what she thinks about the wine industry today.

Me:  About how many years have you been drinking wine?
Anna Marie: The first wine I recall drinking was a sweet red wine back in St. Louis, Mo. where I was born and raised. Wines back then didn’t really have the name of the grape on them. They were usually a blend of several types of grapes and they just called it “red wine”. I think I was around 20 years old when I first started to drink wine.

Me: What are your fondest memories from your time living at Korbel?
Anna Marie: Paul and I moved to Korbel in 1953, the year before my youngest daughter was born. Paul had just left his job as manager at the Italian Swiss Colony and purchased Korbel with his brother and Carl Wente. I remember a lot of good times by the pool house. Paul would have friends from the industry and family over and we would BBQ and have wine and champagne. The kids would play in the pool or go for rides in the jeeps, it was a fun time.

Me: What do you like most about wine?
Anna Marie: I like how it brings people together, it’s something that can be enjoyed by family and friends around the table with a meal. I also like the history behind it. People have been drinking and celebrating with wine for centuries.

Me: What do you think have been the biggest changes in the wine industry during your lifetime?
Anna Marie: I have seen the wine industry expand more than I ever thought it would. Now many countries produce wine that didn’t before. Also the technology used in wineries is far more advanced then what we used and I think better wine is being made today because of that.

Me: What are your hopes for the wine industry in the future?
Anna Marie: Well that people continue to enjoy and drink wine and that it brings family and friends together.

So while there is no doubt that milennials are vital consumers of wine today, lets not forget that wine can be enjoyed at any age…..over 21 and including 92.

Who else makes a Bacigalupi vineyard designate?

From their 53 years in the wine making and grape growing business, my grandparents Charles and Helen have collected quite a variety of wine from over the years. From these years in the industry, we have also sold grapes to over approximately 50 wineries and wine producers ranging from Northern California and Napa Valley to Manhattan. With all this history, I thought it might be fun to do some detective work and raid my grandparents wine collection.  Their cellar isn’t fancy by any means and although humble in appearance it holds some real gems and resembles their 53 years in the business. Here is a closer look at some of the wineries that have produced Bacigalupi vineyard designate wines: past and present.

Most recently– during the 2008 harvest–we sold a Dijion clone Pinot Noir to City Winery located in downtown Manhattan. City Winery gives urban wine enthusiasts the opportunity to craft their own wine without even leaving Manhattan. The opening of this winerymarks the first time that wine has been produced in Manhattan since the repeal of prohibition.

Possibly even more recognizable is Rudd in Napa Valley. For the past decade Rudd has purchased the famed Paris tasting block of Chardonnay and produced a vineyard designate under their label. These same vines were the source of the legendary 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay. Winemaker Charles Thomas creates a chardonnay that is truly old world in character.

Perhaps as identifiable is Williams Selyem–located right up the road from us in Russian River Valley. With a waiting list for their wines at just over a year, this producer of small lot Zinfandels and Pinot Noirs has been purchasing fruit from our vineyards for the past nine years.

Another great winery, also located on Westside Road is Armida. Co-owner Bruce Cousins is so easy to work with because he understands the importance of cultivating relationships with growers and has been producing a Bacigalupi Pinot Noir for the past five years.

Recently crafted from winemaker Danny Glover along with the support of friends Nora and Curt Cravens was born the venture of Glover Cravens Wines. It was a long time dream of Danny’s to create a great Pinot Noir and in 2006 he purchased a ton of Pinot Noir from our Frost Ranch vineyard.  His inaugural vintage is now released.

Known for their Petite Sirah production as well as being one of the oldest still family owned wineries in Sonoma County,  the Foppiano’s have purchased petite sirah grapes from my grandparents for many years. Over this time our two families developed friendships that span over several generations and is still present today.

For several years during the 1980’s Belevedere Winery produced a Chardonnay with the Bacigalupi Vineyard designate. The winery was sold recently and was re-named C. Donatiello but my grandparents still have a few bottles left with the old label.

What is your favorite wine from the Bacigalupi Vineyards?

What’s in a name? Well….quite a lot

My great, great Grandfather was the brave immigrant, leaving home to travel to places unknown in search of a new life. Natale Bacigalupi was born in 1861 in a small town in the province of Genoa; Italy in the region Liguria called Cicanga. He came to the US in 1875 as a young boy and settled in San Francisco. Natale’s last name was originally Bacigalupo but changed it to the plural spelling (Bacigalupi) once in California.

For a short while he worked in the vegetable fields (I know–vegetable fields near SF?? who would have thought?). Soon enough he saved some money and bought a small fishing boat. Using the skills he learned in Cicagna as a fisherman he started fishing in the SF bay, selling his catches every morning to the fish market. After several years he made the trip north to Santa Rosa. Here, he did a variety of trades including running a shoe store, a coal yard and finally opening up the family market, following the earthquake of 1906.

He named the store N. Bachigalupi, Groceries and Provisions at 4th and Davis St. Over a period of time he also purchased land in Sonoma County, mostly apple orchards and several acres of vineyards. Natale was also on the board of the first Bank of America branch in Sonoma County. Natale and his sister ran the store together until one of his sons Al and my great grandfather took it over at the ripe age of 17.

I was lucky enough to visit Cicanga on my semester abroad in Italy. The town is mostly a small village, very reminiscent of what I think Healdsburg would be like if it was an old Italian town. Good thing I had learned plenty of Italian because the people did not speak much English. The town was small with several houses, a library and a river running through it. I spent some time walking around the town, trying to imagine what it must have been like for my great great grandfather to live there. Bacigalupi, like many Italian based names translates into a meaning or saying. “Bacio” is kiss and “lupo” is wolf, put it all together and you get…. kiss of the wolf.

My grandfather at Korbel

Working wine sisters

In launching a new (and improved) website I have been combing the house looking through old pictures, trying to find photos that really represent our family and who we are. I came across this one of Nicci and me. It was taken in October 1985 so we were about 2 years old. Growing up on a ranch we were destined to be cowgirls. Climbing trees, scraping knees and chasing lizards; as you can see we got introduced to all that at very young age. I can remember the one day I got stuck in the tree outside our house. I climbed up this very large walnut tree we have in our yard. I was so focused on getting to the middle of the branch that after I had got there I realized I had no way to get down. I couldn’t turn around to climb back down and it was too high to jump. I was so scared, but I waited until my dad got home and he could get a ladder and help me down.

Family businesses aren’t easy, in fact I would definitely take bets that they are way harder to work in then just hiring a bunch of people that you don’t know. But can they can be very successful; look at the Gallo’s, the Foppiano’s and the Seghesio’s, all family run wineries that have been around for nearly a decade. It is true that sisterly love is very strong, and probably the strongest of them all are twins. Over the 25 years of our existence we have learned how we are very different and how we are frighteningly the same. Working for the family business has been both of our dreams for a very long time. We realize the opportunity put before us and are anxious to learn the inevitable up’s and down’s of the business. But finding this picture helps to bring back the simple thoughts of life. When you were two years old and the highlight of the day was getting a ride on the tractor.

Family business: how we do it!

I think the first and most important things you must do is always treat the family business as though it was not family at all.  You should not run your family business any different than you would run any other business. There can’t be any “cutting corners” so to speak. Everything must be kept up to date and accurate. There can be no favoring, my sister and I both work together and do a variety of the same jobs. Her job is no more important than mine.

You must also try to keep emotions out of the picture, I think this is the hard one. When you build a business as a family there are so many more emotional ties to it. Some people have ego tied in as well, and have a hard time admitting when things aren’t going well. They don’t want to be seen as a failure. But if you can manage to keep these things in tact, you are on your way to being able to work together and succeed.

I myself often wonder what it is about being in business with family that can sometimes make it harder to succeed. I work with my sister, mom, dad, cousin and winemaker Tyler and both my grandparents on some occasion. I guess it can be frustrating when not only does everyone have their own opinion about how things should be run, but because this is your business you are more emotionally tied to it than you would be if you were working for someone else. There is that element of extreme passion to make things succeed.

We have quite a history of family businesses. My grandfather, Paul Heck and his brother Adolf bought Korbel Champange Cellars from the Korbel Bros in the early 1950’s. As a family, they reinvented the Korbel name, producing higher end champagne and even started making still wine and brandy. My mom was the youngest of 3 when they lived at the winery and remembers having a childhood full of family and good times. The family had reached great success, I think both men After reaching great success some members of the family became greedy and suffered from problems with alcohol. However it was after an affair, corruption within the family and money issues that there was no mending the problems that had occurred in the 40+ years of business.

Even though he died before I was born, I have learned a lot from my grandpa Paul. I hope that my sister and I will learn from what happened with Korbel to become positive family leaders with our new family venture, John Tyler. I love working with my family, every day I feel like I am providing a service to the legacy that my grandparents and parents have created.

The Bacigalupi family’s third generation

As the family’s third generation my twin sister Nicole and I have just started to make our mark in the wine industry. Both of us have jumped in head first, co-marketing our  family’s first wine label: John Tyler Wines and Bacigalupi Vineyards.

On the same ranch that our grandparents farmed, we grew up chasing lizards, climbing trees, and following our father around the vineyards. After high school we each went our separate ways. Nicole attended San Diego State University, obtaining her Bachelors degree in Business, with a concentration in Marketing. And I (Katharine–aka Katey) attended the California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. I received my Bachelors degree in Agricultural Business with an emphasis in Wine and Viticulture. After college, we both returned home to Sonoma County to help launch our family’s first wine label.

We think we have taken a real hands-on approach to learning the ropes of the wine industry.

“During harvest our responsibilities range from negotiating grape contracts, pulling leaves out of the bins, driving the tractors and delivering grapes to the wineries.” ~Katharine Bacigalupi.

Being in a family business isn’t always easy and we can sometimes feel the pressure of living up to certain expectations.

“We come from a long lineage of grape growers and winemakers within our family. We hope to continue with the great reputation that our grandparents have built, while adding a little youthful enthusiasm. It is invaluable for us to know that we are carrying on something that was started by our grandparents over 50 years ago, not many people our age have that opportunity.” ~Nicole Bacigalupi

When we’re not helping with harvest, we are constantly traveling, introducing our brand to consumers throughout the country. Working alongside our mom, and our cousin Tyler (winemaker for the John Tyler label), the we hope to continue our family’s legacy within the wine industry for many years to come.

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