Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
West Coast U.S.
291
Wente Vineyards
The Chardonnay Clone
Livermore Valley, California
We all have to start somewhere. The story
of this winery begins with a stormy trans-
atlantic voyage in 1912.
An unnamed nephew of California wine-
maker Carl Wente was on a mission. He
carried with him a delicate cutting clipped
from a Chardonnay vine at Montpellier
University, from the south of France, as
requested by his uncle. Not only did he
have to brave the icebergs of the North
Atlantic (this was the year the
Titanic
went
down, after all), but then he had to negoti-
ate the bustle of New York and catch a
train across the States, all the while ensur-
ing that the tender shoot survived. It did.
That California Chardonnay you have in
your hand now is most likely a direct
descendant of this plant—what became
known as the Wente Clone is responsible
for 80% of all Chardonnay in the United
States.
The winery, just like the plant clipping,
is a survivor (it was one of the few to live
through Prohibition, by making vinegar)
and what started as 25 acres is now a
3,000-acre (1,214-hectare) grape empire
situated in the Livermore Valley in North-
ern California. The Small Lot Eric's Char-
donnay comes from a carefully tended
small vineyard on the estate, as does the
Small Lot Syrah. There are two tasting
rooms, a restaurant, an events center, and
a vineyard golf course. The Mission-style
architecture has been named a historical
landmark; it's now surrounded by beauti-
ful landscaped gardens, Technicolor flower
beds, and sycamore groves. That roman-
tic setting in a picturesque canyon has
made it particularly popular with wedding
parties, and in the summer months the
grounds host live concerts, showcasing
mostly '80s nostalgia bands that attract a
genteel crowd. The mosh pit becomes a
nosh pit where diners sit at round tables in
front of the stage and toss their salads to
the rhythm of UB40.
A 45-minute drive east of San Francisco,
Wente is the last stop on the winery circuit
in that area but is certainly worth the sce-
nic drive. Not one to sit on its laurels (in
this case vines), the winery has some inno-
vative attractions to stimulate even the
most world-weary wine tourist—events
like a delicious mustard tasting that would
bring any jaded palate back to life (try the
smoky garlic), or movie nights in the barrel
room, showing (of course) everybody's
favorite film:
Titanic
.
Wente Vineyards,
5565 Tesla Rd., Liv-
ermore (
&
925/456-2305;
www.wente
vineyards.com).
(
San Francisco International (49 miles/
79km).
L
$$$
Hyatt Summerfield Suites,
4545 Chabot Dr., Pleasanton (
&
925/730-
0070;
www.hyattsummerfieldsuites.com).
$$$
Rose Hotel,
807 Main St., Pleasanton
(
&
925/846-8802;
www.rosehotel.net).
