This past weekend, I had the pleasure of visiting Livermore and enjoying Livermore wine. Have you had the opportunity? If so, great. If not, let me share some of the highlights.
About Livermore Valley
Livermore Valley is directly east of the San Francisco Bay and home to some of California’s oldest vineyards. It’s considered a suburb of Oakland, CA in Alameda county. Its neighbors are Pleasanton, Dublin and Hayward.
According to Discover California Wines, “Long before Napa Valley rose to fame, Livermore had firmly established itself as a thriving wine-growing region in California. Spanish missionaries planted the first winegrapes there in the 1700s, but it wasn’t until the 1840s that Robert Livermore planted the first commercial vines. Soon after, Charles Wetmore – Secretary of the California Viticultural Commission, James Concannon and C.H. Wente followed suit.”
In the famous Judgement of Paris in 1976, “where a Napa Valley Chardonnay and Cabernet were both recognized as best in class in a blind tasting that shocked French judges. Both of those varieties got their start not in Napa but in – you guessed it – the Livermore Valley.”
Two of the three original wineries, Concannon and Wente, are still going strong. “Concannon planted the first Cabernet Sauvignon and Wente planted the first Chardonnay grapes in the Golden State.” Concannon is also known for the first ever varietally-labeled Petite Sirah, in 1961.
About Livermore Wine
Livermore Valley runs from east to west instead of the more typical north to south valley orientation. The result is a strong coastal influence, where “coastal fog and marine influences cool down the valley temps making for warm days and cool evenings. This allows for perfectly ripened fruit and well-balanced flavors.”
The top grapes in Livermore “include Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and Petit Sirah, all four of which have a long history in the region. You’ll also find Petit Verdot and warm climate Italian, Rhône and Spanish varietals.”
“Livermore Valley is located within the San Francisco Bay appellation and is part of the larger Central Coast winegrowing region that stretches from Santa Barbara County to the San Francisco Bay. The valley runs 15 miles long and 10 miles wide and is surrounded by coastal mountains and foothills.”
The Livermore Wine We Tried
I’ve been to Livermore many times and have enjoyed many of the wineries I’ve tried. This weekend, we wanted to try two we’ve never tried: Dante Robere Vineyards and Rubino Estates WInery. Both are family owned, something I really like about Livermore. Dante Robere is run by two guys named Dan and Bob. But they thought that Dan Bob Vineyards wasn’t very sexy, so they Europeanized the name. They are known for Rhone blends, and boy were their wines great.
I loved the way they served their wine, with your firs pick being in the top space and your next pick in the second from top space. My sister got whites and I got reds. All of the wines were great. I especially liked their dessert wine, which sadly isn’t on their website.
Dante Robere tastingRubino Estates Winery is all about Italian wine. Their Landmark Sangiovese was amazing. Complex and wonderful.
If you have the opportunity to try either of these wineries, please do so. I think you’ll really enjoy them.
Cheers!
