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1869 Old Vine Zinfandel Vineyard in Amador Wine Country

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1869 Grandpere vineyard

Andis and their 1869 Old Vine Zinfandel

1869 Old Vine Zinfandel vineyards – Oldest Zin

Original Grandpere

Vino Noceto calls its Zinfandel OGP

When in Amador, visit wineries making wine from the oldest Zinfandel vineyard in the U.S.

The 1869 Old Vine Zinfandel vineyard is located in the Shenandoah Valley of Amador County. It is the oldest Zinfandel vineyard in California. It is also known as the Original Grandpere Vineyard. Only four wineries are able to purchase and make wine from this historic vineyard. These wineries are Andis Wines, Scott Harvey Wines, and Vino Noceto in the Amador County. The fourth winery, located in nearby Lodi, is Macchia Wines. The historic 1869 Grandpere is located on Steiner Road behind the Renwood Winery. You can view it from a distance, but it is off-limits to the public.

Vineyard 1869 Scott Harvey

Scott Harvey has renamed the Original Grandpere Vineyard as Vineyard 1869

Scott Harvey and his wife Terri purchased the vineyard in 1982 and Scott named it the Grandpere Vineyard. Later Scott and his wife divorced, and Terri is now the owner of this historic vineyard. It’s a little complicated but at some point, Renwood winery cloned some of the Grandpere vines and replanted another vineyard nearby with the cuttings. Renwood trademarked the name Grandpere, apparently unbeknownst to Terri Harvey. A huge court battle ensued with Renwood the winner. Terri is allowed to call this vineyard the Original Grandpere Vineyard.  Scott Harvey has tagged it Vineyard 1869. Needless to say, Renwood winery is not able to obtain any of the original old vine Zinfandel. Renwood winery later ran into financial difficulties and sold the winery in 2011 to an Argentine wine group. The current owners have revitalized the winery, but of course cannot make a single Zinfandel wine from the original vineyard.

When in Amador wine country, visit the wineries that make the Original Grandpere Zinfandel

Scott Harvey

Scott Harvey has two tasting rooms in Amador. In the gold country town of Sutter Creek, the Scott Harvey Tasting Room is open daily from 11am to 5 pm.  Scott also has a winery and tasting room on Shenandoah Road in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. This tasting room is open Thursday to Sunday, 11am to 5 pm. Scott is one of the original winemakers in this wine region and is well respected in the wine community. All of his wines are made in an old-world style and are food-friendly wines. The red wines will age wonderfully and as he states, “will develop bottle bouquet over time.” Please see Scott Harvey Wines for complete tasting information.

Vino Noceto

This is a wonderful family-owned winery. It is a small, very friendly winery and is lots of fun to visit. The winery was founded in 1987 by Suzy and Jim Gullet. The Vino Noceto winery specializes in Sangiovese wines, but does indeed produce a wonderful Zinfandel from the Original Grandpere Vineyard. They call it the OGP Zinfandel. It sells for $29 at the winery. Vino Noceto is open daily from 11am to 4 pm and is located on Shenandoah Road.  Please see the Vino Noceto Website for more details.

Andis Wines

Andis 1869 Vineyard Zin

The modern and industrial-style Andis Wines

Andis is one of the more recently-established wineries in the Shenandoah Valley. Its winery and tasting room are modern and spacious and a huge contrast to the more laid-back style of the older and established wineries in Amador. The winery produces a wide range of wines, from a tasty Sauvignon Blanc to the deep and complex Original Grandpere Zinfandel pictured at the top of the article. The Andis winery is open daily from 11am to 4:30 pm. Please see the Andis Wines Website for more details.

More information on visiting Amador Wine Country

Wine Spectator on Amador Valley – what they missed

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amador and wine spectator

Head to Deaver Vineyards when in Amador wine country

Wine Spectator on Amador Valley – what they missed

Having traveled to Amador County on many occasions since 2002, I consider myself a decent authority on the wine country of Amador. I have seen Amador grow steadily over these years and evolve from a destination mainly for Gold Country buffs to now a wine country paradise. Upon my recent arrival home from our wine country trip to France, I was happy to see the latest issue of the Wine Spectator in my pile of mail. I was delighted to see that Amador wine country was one of the featured articles in the issue. Amador wine growers and wineries need good press. The Wine Spectator got most things right about Amador in the eating and lodging department, but they missed a lot in where to taste wine.

The Napa Valley Influence

Don’t get me wrong, I love the Napa Valley, but I don’t need to be reminded of it of when I visit Amador. I am looking for something more laid back. Did I see those laid-back wineries mentioned in the Wine Spectator article? Sorry to say just one, Terra Rouge. The idea of visiting the Amador wine country is to find something quiet and reserved with affordable wine that’s good. Among the places the Wine Spectator touted to taste wine were Turley and Andis Winery. Turley bought out the Karly Winery a few years ago, and I was sorry to see this quaint family winery go by the wayside. Turley wine prices are too high for the average wine traveler to Amador. It is just a tasting room and no chance to see the winery or walk the vineyards. Andis came in and built a far-out structure that just does not fit in the Amador countryside. I do enjoy Andis wines; I think their winemaker is tops and I love the Semillon and the Cab Franc. The building just seems out of place, but would fit perfectly in the Napa Valley.

Deserving of a Wine Spectator Mention

Vino Noceto

I love this little winery and it’s the only California winery that I know of that focuses its wine production on Sangiovese. They have five different labels of Sangiovese and they are all delightful. We also love the picnic area and the friendliness of the tasting room staff. The winery started in 1987, making it one of the first wineries in the area.

Vino Noceto winery

Vino Noceto is a Sangiovese specialist in Amador County and not to be missed.

Deaver Vineyards

Deaver owns one of the finest old vine Zinfandel vineyards in the area, planted in 1867. In fact, Terra d’ Oro, mentioned in the WS article, makes a Zinfandel from these very vineyards. Deaver Vineyards sits on a beautiful area with a large pond. It is peaceful and serene, the perfect spot to enjoy a picnic lunch even on a cold or cloudy day.

Wildrotter Vineyards

Jay Wilderotter is a wine grower and until 2003 sold all his grapes to wineries. Thankfully, he decided to produce his own wines and does a fantastic job. The Rhone-style whites, Rousanne and Viognier, are amazing as are the Rhone Reds, Syrah and Mourvedre. This small winery is a “must” stop on Shenandoah School Road.

Cooper Vineyards

Also on this same road as Wildrotter is Cooper Vineyards and, like Wildrotter, the Cooper Family were growers who decided to make their own wines. The focus is Italian wine and they are beautifully-made wines. Love the Barbera. The tasting room has a great view of their vineyards.

Karmére Vineyards & Winery

Same story as Cooper and Wildrotter, vineyard owners turned winemakers. The view here is fantastic. It is a nice, spacious and modern-style tasting room that fits neatly into the rolling terrain of the Shenandoah Valley.

We recommend that you take three days to visit the Amador County wineries. Stay in Sutter Creek at the Hanford House, and embark each day after a gourmet B&B breakfast and head to these two wine routes: Shenandoah Valley Wine Route (two days), and the Shenandoah School Road Wine Route. Check out our full list of restaurants and lodging and other things to do in Amador Wine Country

Vino Noceto Winery

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Vino Noceto Winery – Sangiovese specialist

The Amador wine country has so many fascinating wineries to explore, but one in particular that we like is the Vino Noceto winery on Shenandoah Valley Road. Coming from Plymouth, the winery is just 5 minutes away off to the left. It’s a beautiful setting with rolling vineyards and spectacular oak and olive trees. It’s a cheerful winery where wine country travelers can taste good wines, enjoy a picnic lunch and even play a game of Bocce.

Vino Noceto winery is one of the older wineries in Amador, established in 1987 by Suzy and Jim Gullet. Vino Noceto specializes in the Sangiovese grape, the famous grape of Tuscany. Can you believe Vino Noceto produces eight different Sangiovese wines? These range from the lighter Chianti style to the much bigger super Tuscan style of wines. The Vino Noceto winery also produces other Italian varietals and a Zinfandel wine, but it is the Sangiovese that attracts the wine aficionados.

noceto-marmellataWe started our tasting with a light, crispy and fruity Pinot Grigio. This is the only wine produced from grapes that comes from outside Amador County and the Noceto vineyards. The Pinot Grigio vineyards are located in Clarksburg, CA, where a good variety of white wine grapes grow. After warming up our tasting palates, we moved on to the Sangiovese wines. The Noceto Shenandoah Sangiovese is their flagship wine. You see it in wine shops and fine markets throughout California for about $16. We then tasted the Riserva Sangiovese, the Dos Oakies, and the Marmellata Sangiovese wines. It is really fun when you can taste these wines side-by-side to fully understand the differences in flavors and styles of this Italian grape. We purchased a few of the wines and served them with dinner later in the week. Wine always tastes better with the right food match. By and large we thought the Marmellata was the best of all the wines. But that is our palate and yours might be much different. Get to the Vino Noceto winery and sample the wines to see which your favorite Sangiovese wine is.

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Sutter Creek Winery Update

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Each time we visit this area of the Sierra Foothills there are new wine adventures to be discovered. This time we found a couple of new wineries and revisited some of our old favorites. We always make our home base the town of Sutter Creek and stay at the Hanford House Inn. Even though the town lacks a really good gourmet restaurant, there are several places to dine within walking distance that offer good meals. Most of the wineries are about a 15-minute drive away on the beautiful backroads of the Shenandoah Valley. Almost all the wineries in this area are small family-owned wineries, and rarely do any charge a fee for tasting wine. Napa Valley, take note!
sutter-vineyards

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