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w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m J u l y - A u g 2 016 | V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T 1 3 s the United States' oldest ongoing winery under the same family label and steward- ship, Concannon Vineyard in Livermore, Calif., has established enough historical milestones in the wine industry to have been designated as a California Registered Historical Landmark. In fact, three bottles of Concannon wine from the Prohibition era are part of the National Muse- um of American History at the Smithsonian. A tour of the property, which was established by Irish immigrant James Concannon in 1883, is a must for history lovers. It should be considered sacred ground for those who love Cabernet Sau- vignon, as well as those who love Petite Sirah. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Judgment of Paris, held May 24, 1976, where an unknown California Cabernet (Stag's Leap) and Chardonnay (Chateau Montelena) catapult- ed American wines onto the world stage with a level of respect they hadn't experienced before. Many wineries are marking this momentous occasion with special bottlings, dinner parties, auction lots and other festivities. Concannon is marking it by planting more Cabernet Sauvi- gnon on its estate vineyard and rolling out a new Concannon Replants History label that takes design cues from the very one the family used during Pro- hibition. It adorns a new tier of wines now available in the retail market. A MOMENTOUS JUDGMENT I t 's h a r d t o o v e r e s t i m a t e t h e impact of the 1976 success in estab- lishing the preferences that still domi- nate today's market. And Concannon played a strategic role in parlaying that success into the phenomenon that became the Cult of Cabernet. Widely known for being the first winery to bottle and label NEWS FLASH 2016 Sonoma County Barrel Auction Sets Record The Sonoma County Vintners in Santa Rosa, Calif., are celebrating after 75 unique Sonoma County wine lots fetched a total of $693,800 at the 2016 Sonoma County Barrel Auction, increasing the event's fundraising total by more than 50% over last year. More than 250 wine professionals and media attended the event, which featured small lot wines from 16 of Sonoma County's 17 appellations. ASEV Honors Douglas O. Adams, Dr. Bruce Zoecklein Professor and biochemist Douglas O. Adams of UC Davis has been confirmed as the recipient of the 2016 Merit Award, the American Society for Enology and Viticulture's (ASEV) highest honor. Enology Professor Emeritus Dr. Bruce Zoecklein of Virginia Tech is this year's recipient of ASEV's Extension Distinction Award, recognizing a cur- rent extension educator for outstanding contribution. Opus One to Expand Opus One winery in Oakville, Calif., has received approval from coun- ty planning commissioners to double its wine production and expand its 80,000-square-foot winery by 51,906 square feet for a fermentation tank room, barrel preparation area, storage, conference rooms and offices. New structures would be built at the rear of the winery. Scott Johnson, who designed the original winery, designed the expansion. Lewis-Clark Valley Becomes Newest AVA The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) recently announced that Idaho's Lewis-Clark Valley has received the Ameri- can Viticultural Area (AVA) federal designation, which defines the geographic region of northwestern Idaho and bordering eastern Washington as a unique grape-growing area. The region encompass- es 479 square miles, nearly 72% of which is located in Idaho, while the rest lies in Washington State. For more industry news briefs, visit the News Flash page on V&WM's website: http://www.vwmmedia.com/magazine/web-exclusive1.asp. " 1- BY LAURA NESS The Concannon Vineyard Collection is a new tier of wines with a label design that gives a nod to the winery's roots.