Rancho de Philo Winery

Mission Grapes at Rancho de Philo

When one of the three remaining wineries in the Cucamonga Valley opens its’ doors only one week out of the year, the only thing to do is rush over, and check it out. In last week’s blog, I shared some of the history of the Cucamonga Valley, and the three remaining wineries. Of those three, the only one I hadn’t visited was Rancho De Philo. They make only one wine: an award winning Triple Cream Sherry. I had the pleasure of visiting their winery, and was pleased with this new “find”.

Rancho de Philo doesn’t have a website, so finding out when they are open to the public can be a bit difficult, unless you get on their mailing list (which I now am). From what I can determine, they open on the second Saturday in November, and remain open for about 7 to 9 days, or until their inventory of wine runs out. They only bottle a little over 300 cases per year, and as the word gets out, the inventory will be depleted even faster.

Rancho de Philo is located in Alta Loma, just northwest of Chaffey College, at 10050 Wilson Avenue. Their hours are from 9:00am to 5:00pm. I drove there on Sunday, and found a sign on the road, indicating “Sherry Sale” which pointed me to the driveway of a 6.5 acre piece of land, surrounded by expensive homes, overlooking the valley below. A vineyard in this area seems out of place, but given the history of the area, it is not so far-fetched.

As I pulled up, I was greeted by a young boy, who encouraged me to sign their guestbook and get on their mailing list. There was a small umbrella set up in front, with almonds, cookies, crackers and small tasting glasses. It was here, that I met the owners, Janine Biane Tibbetts and later, her husband Alan. Janine was pouring three different bottlings of their Triple Cream Sherry: 2013, 2012, and 2011. Their Sherry is created by using the Spanish solera system, a fractional blending system.

Solera systems consist of a pyramid of barrels (in the case of Rancho de Philo it is 15) stacked in a racking system, where the top layer of barrels will contain the youngest wine (the latest vintage), and the bottom level will be a blend of the wines above, and is where the latest bottling is drawn off. As wine is drawn off, the barrels are filled from the level above, blending all the different years, for a consistent product. All the time, the wine continues to oxidize, creating a nutty, raisiny flavor, and turning the wine to a wonderful amber color. Rancho de Philo uses neutral American Oak barrels (used barrels from whiskey distilleries) in their Solera system. But there is a difference between Spanish Sherry and Rancho de Philo Sherry. Traditional Spanish wines are made with Palomino or PX grapes, but Rancho de Philo uses 100% Mission grapes (Southern California’s original grape, brought in by the Spanish Missionaries). Make no mistake, this Sherry is a dessert wine. Since it is a fortified wine, the alcohol level is around 18%, and the residual sugar comes in above 13%.

Philo Biane

I had a brief opportunity to talk with Janine, and learn a little about the history of the property, which was started by her father, Philo Biane. But, the winemaking history of her family goes back much further. She told me that her grandmother’s family, the Vachés, arrived from France and settled in San Juan Bautista in 1832, where they planted grapes and built a winery. They later had a winery in downtown Los Angeles, called Vaché et Cie. In the late 1800s they planted a vineyard and opened a winery near Redlands in the San Timoteo Valley. There was a brook adjacent to the winery so they named it Brookside Winery. The Vaché and Biane families met, and eventually produced a son, Philo Biane (Janine’s father). Rancho de Philo was founded by vintner and wine industry pioneer Philo Biane in 1973, after he retired as the President of Brookside Vineyard, which was sold to Beatrice Foods. He made his first Sherry bottling in 1974, from the grapes on the property. Unfortunately, those grape vines had to be replaced around the time of Philo’s death, in 1999, when they were attacked by Pierce’s Disease. They were able to salvage cuttings from the remaining 30+ vines, and replant. So, the current vines are only about 10 to 14 years old, but do come from the original Mission grape rootstock.

Janine told me they no longer ferment the wine on the property, as too many of the neighbors complained about the fruit flies. So, she ships her wine to Galleano Winery for fermentation, then brings it back up for aging in the solera. Her family has a longtime relationship with the Galleano family, so much so, that the three friends, on the label of the award winning Galleano "Three Friends" Port, are her family members.

Rancho De Philo was recently named the top microwinery in California, for its’ style of wine, and their Triple Cream Sherry continues to reap awards at local, national, and international competitions.

Don’t miss out. Buy it now, and enjoy for the holidays and beyond. And, don’t worry about that open bottle. Since this is and aged, and oxidized wine, it will hold just fine, sitting on your kitchen counter, waiting for you to enjoy.

Wine History - Southern California, Part Two

Vineryards at Joseph Fillippi and the urban interface

Last week, I shared a brief history of wine in Southern California. Los Angeles and San Gabriel may have been where things started, but as the population expanded, the outlying areas of the Cucamonga Valley were where the largest, and most successful vineyards were grown. When I left off last week, we were at the time of prohibition, but I want to take a step back a bit….

I had the opportunity to go wine tasting at the GalleanoWinery in Mira Loma. While tasting some of their wines, in walks Don Galleano, third generation winemaker. Next thing I know, we are going on a private tour of the property, and winery, and learning the amazing history of this property.

Barrel tasting with Don Galleano

Don Galleano told us that the property was originally owned by Colonel Cantu (the first territorial governor of Baja California). In the 1920, due to political changes in Mexico, Col. Cantu moved to California, and purchased a ranch in Wineville (now Mira Loma). The house that still stands on the property is the original house, but now with a wine cellar, and a different front door (as the original door faced north, accepting all the winds and dust that flow through the Cajon Pass).

In 1927, Don’s grandfather, Domenico purchased the ranch from Cantu. Domenico had moved from his homeland in Italy in 1913, spending time as a farm owner in what is now Ontario. Wine was made in the newly remodeled ranch house cellar, and grapes were grown on the 160 acre ranch. Note that this was all going on during Prohibition. Domenico produced sacramental wine, but mainly sold grapes for home winemakers (who were allowed under the 18 amendment to make wine for personal use).

After Prohibition, Domenico and his son (Don’s father), Bernard “Nino” opened their winery for commercial business. In the late 1940’s, the winery had outgrown itself, and they build a new winery building and tasting room, which is what you see today.

Today, Galleano is one of the few wineries that still makes a traditional Angelica, made with Mission grapes and brandy. The Mission grapes and Palomino (used to make their sherry-style wines) are grown on the property. Zinfandel is the other major grape in their wine selection.

Historic home of the Galleanos, and Col. Cantu

Don took us through the winery. Here, he showed us the large concrete fermentation tanks, and the impressive redwood fermentation tanks. These old tanks look to be original to the winery. Along the back of the winery are more modern stainless steel tanks. Here, we “barrel tasted” two different vintages of Zinfandel. These Zinfandels are deep in color, and fruity, with a hint of menthol. I must say, their dessert wines are worth the trip to the winery alone, but finding Mission grapes, and Cucamonga Valley Zinfandel is an added bonus. Galleano is currently the largest shipper of grapes in Southern California.

After spending the time with Don Galleano, we were inspired to check out another of the remaining wineries in Cucamonga Valley: Joseph Fillippi.  Joseph Fillippi winery is located just north of the Victoria Gardens Shopping Center, which was once home to Ellena Brothers-Regina vineyards. Their tasting room houses a large Cucamonga Valley wine museum, with bottles,  labels, and photos of the area. Their wine list consists of a large array of reds, whites, and dessert wines. 

 J.P and Gino Fillipi oversee 45 total acres, including old vines planted in 1922 by their grandfather, Giovanni Filippi. The largest remaining vineyard parcel (15 acres) is the Hippard Ranch Vineyard, located at Victoria and Etiwanda, in Rancho Cucamonga.  In the 1960s, the Filippi family added the site of California's oldest winery, Cucamonga Rancho (travel video), to their assets. Cucamonga Rancho was granted to Tiburico Tapis, by the Mexican Governor of Alta California, in 1838. Tapia constructed an adobe home on Red Hill and raised cattle. He also began a successful winery, portions of which stand today, known as the Thomas Winery. The Thomas Winery was in production through the mid-1960′s and became a popular destination for travelers along Route 66. The Thomas Winery building is a California Historic Landmark (#490), designated as the oldest commercial winery in California. The “Wine Tailor” was opened in this location in 2004 as a custom winemaking franchise.

The oldest commercial winery building still standing in California

In 1995, it was Gino Filippi, who successfully established the Cucamonga Valley AVA with  the U.S . Department of Treasury.

The only other winery in the Cucamonga Valley AVA is Rancho de Philo. It is a smaller winery, that is only open one week a year, to sell its’ Triple Cream Sherry. While I have not been there, I have been told the one week they are open, is in November, and they stay open until their stock of Sherry is sold out. The winery was established in 1973. (Check my blog on Rancho de Philo, as I have now visited this winery since this article was published)

In the 1940’s there were over 60 wineries and 35,000 acres of vineyard. Today, only about 800 acres, and the three remaining Cucamonga Valley wineries: Galleano, Joseph Filippi, and Rancho de Philo. You really need to visit these wineries, as urbanization continues to spread, and the value of land goes up, the remaining vineyards will disappear, and the wine industry will cease.  Our wine heritage is disappearing.

Southern California wineries have also moved south to the Temecula area. I’ll take a look at this area in an upcoming blog.

Wine History - Southern California, Part One

 

Fray Junipero Serra

When anyone mentions “California wine” thoughts immediately wander to the northern part of the state: Napa, Sonoma, or even the Central Coast. But, this is not where the California wine story starts. It all began with a Franciscan monk by the name of Junipero Serra, with the planting of Mission grapes at the San Diego mission in 1769. However, the first written record of grapes grown, in what was to become California, occurred in 1781 at the mission in San Juan Capistrano.  As the string of missions spread from Baja California into Alta California, the Mission at San Gabriel established itself as the largest (170 acres) and most prosperous within the mission system.

Mission Grapevine

The Mission grape is an import from Spain. The Spanish Franciscan priests probably brought the grape to Mexico in the early to mid 1500’s. It is thought that the Mission grape, also known as Criolla, El Paso, and Pais was the first Vitis Vinfera variety to be introduced to the New World.

Based on historical accounts, the wines of the missions were typically sweet, which might make sense, since the Mission grape doesn’t really make good still wine. It is a vigorous variety which contains high sugar levels, but low acid. The grapes also tended to raisinate in the warm weather of Southern California. Only a few wineries still make the traditional wine known as Angelica. 

Angelica is made from the mission grape, and most likely named after the city of Los Angeles. The traditional style is actually fortified grape juice, rather than a fermented wine. These are known as “mistelle”, and are closer to cordials than wine. The process involves adding a high alcohol brandy to unfermented grape juice, in order to arrest any fermentation, and preserve the sugar levels. 

Los Angeles Vineyards - 1850

Up until the 1820’s most vineyards were owned by Mexicans. The first recorded American grower in Southern California was Joseph Chapman. In 1826, he planted 4,000 vines in Los Angeles (which was then a small group of pueblos along the Los Angeles River, with a population of less than 2,000). By the 1830’s Jean Louis Vignes (a Frenchman) planted 35 acres, just east of Los Angeles, including the first recorded plantings of European vines in California. Vignes was later challenged by the vineyards of William Wolfskill (from Kentucky), who developed a 100 acre vineyard just southeast of Los Angeles. By the late 1830’s vineyards had been established east of Los Angeles in San Bernardino, Cucamonga, Guasti, and Rancho Jurupa (now known as Riverside). Of course, the San Gabriel Valley (home of the San Gabriel Mission) continued to prosper, particularly when Benjamin Wilson expanded his land holdings at Santa Anita Rancho.

Pierce's Disease

While grapes had been planted in Northern California prior to the Gold Rush (1849), the south produced much more wine, and exported the bulk of it to San Francisco. It wasn’t until about 1856 that vineyard plantings started booming in the north, to meet demand for growing population.

Meanwhile, back in Southern California the vineyards continued to expand. The community of Anaheim (home of Disneyland) grew out of a plan to recruit disenchanted Germans from the northern gold mining operations. By 1882 there were 50 wineries in Anaheim, but by 1885, a disease passing through the vineyards had eliminated half of the vines. This disease was referred to as “Anaheim Disease” (better known today as Pierce’s Disease, and is still a problem in the Temecula area – and no known cure). By 1891, there were only 14 acres of vines left in Anaheim, the rest being replaced by oranges and walnuts.

San Gabriel Wine Company in the 1880s. Image courtesy of City of Alhambra.

Around the same time as Anaheim’s growth, the San Gabriel Valley continued to expand. The San Gabriel Wine Company opened in 1882. One of the owners (James De Barth Shorb) built a large vineyard house, named “San Marino” which would later become the site of the Huntington Art Gallery. The current site leaves little indication that it was once surrounded by vineyards. Shorb built his winery in  the new town of “Alhambra”. In 1885, this winery was the largest winery in the world. Timing was right for the California wine industry to expand, as European vines were being devastated by phylloxera. By 1890, the San Gabriel Valley vineyards were being hit hard by the same disease that terminated the grape growing in Anaheim. And, by 1896, the San Gabriel Wine Company had gone out of business, many of its vineyards replaced with orange groves.

The decline of wine production in Southern California, in the late 19^th century, was pretty rapid, due to the incurable Pierce’s Disease, and the rapid expansion of wineries in the northern part of the state. Vineyards in the south were replanted with more resilient orange groves. The exception was due east of the San Gabriel Valley, known as the Cucamonga Valley (where Riverside and San Bernardino overlap). The soils in this area are an alluvial soil, with lots of sand…a type of soil that is more pest resistant, and hard to grow anything in (but just right for grape vines). It is here, that Secundo Guasti planted over 6,000 acres of vines, and created the “world’s largest vineyard” in the early 1900’s. 

These vineyards lasted until the expansion of housing tracts in the 1970’s and 1980’s, when the value of the land for homes was worth more than the value of vineyards. Today, less than 800 acres remain in the entire Cucamonga Valley. However, a rich wine culture had been established, and continues today with three founding families continuing to farm some of their original vineyards. Remnants of the old vineyards still have locations that exist today. Many people drive by the intersection of the 210 and 15 freeways. On the north east side of this intersection there is, what looks like, an abandoned head-trained vineyard. These are old vine Zinfandel (planted between 1880 and 1910), tended by the Lopez Ranch. They are dry farmed – no irrigation and left to grow as they will. They are low production vines, but what they do produce is unique to Southern California, with intense aromas and flavors. On the south east corner of this intersection, sits a 12 acre parcel of Palomino grapes (the primary grape used in the production of Sherry). From then to now, the area is known for its’ Zinfandel, Sherry-style and Port-style wines.

By 1919, another “pest” injured the already struggling wine industry…the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution. Prohibition (the forbidding of all trade in alcoholic beverages) went into effect in 1920. The only wineries that were able to survive, produced sacramental wine, unfermented grape juice, and sold the zinfandel grapes (which were favorites of home winemakers) who were permitted to make up to 200 gallons of wine for ”personal use”. The amendment was repealed in December 1933. But, after 13 years, the damage had been done.

In next week’s blog, I’ll follow up with my visits at two of the three remaining wineries in Cucamonga Valley, including time spent with Don Galleano. 

* For much more detailed information on the wine history of California, I encourage you to read "A History of Wine in America Volume 1 and 2" by Thomas Pinney.