Local Vines owners Larry and Esther Thal  (Vera Kochan)
Itâs been several years in the making, but Local Vines, Lamorindaâs new wine tasting venue, has finally opened its doors in Lafayette. Located in the former Napa Auto Parts location at 3393 Mt. Diablo Blvd., the inviting and classy ambiance is a far cry from the buildingâs previous incarnation.
More than seven years ago, the Lamorinda Winegrowers Association (LWGA) wanted to open a place where the areaâs burgeoning industry could show off its wares at a local level. Â Having earned the moniker of American Viticulture Area, this seemed like the next step. Â Current membership includes approximately 100 wine growers and associates (those who are interested in all things wine-related). Â LWGA co-founder Joao Magalhaes made certain that the dream of opening a tasting venue was written into the groupâs mission statement.
Taking it one step further, in a December 2016 proclamation to the LWGA, signed by Contra Costa County Supervisors Candace Andersen and John Gioia, the challenge was made for the group to come up with a tasting venue to show off the areaâs award-winning wines.
According to Local Vines owner, Lafayetteâs Larry Thal of Thal Vineyards, he and his wife Esther began developing the location just before COVID struck. Â âGetting permits during that time was a slow process. Â We didnât have to build a new building â it was originally built in 1948. We took what was here and remodeled it.â Â While the tasting room is on the first floor, the winery is in the basement and has the capacity to produce 2,500 cases. Â Right next door is the future location of Germinate Kitchen â a catering company co-owned by Amy Schofield and Marisa Swartz, who will eventually provide small bites to Local Vines customers.
âWe also hope to have cooking classes, wine pairings, corporate events, and more,â added Thal.
The Thals wanted to create an atmosphere where folks could taste outstanding wine, so any wines served had to pass muster by submitting their product to Local Vinesâ independent wine board for review. âWe donât want to discourage any wineries from selling with us,â stated Thal. âHowever, any wine on the premises must be licensed by the state and federal government.â
At the moment, Local Vines has an impressive roster of labels to taste with nine wineries and one cider. Â Featured are: Crane Terrace Winery, Deer Hill Vineyards, Los Arabis Vineyards, Meadow View Winery, Raisin dâEtre Vineyards, Rancho Del Hambre Vineyard, Reliez Valley Vineyards, Stag Hill Vineyards, Thal Vineyards, and Mount Diablo Cider Company.
The Local Vines Wine Board includes: Â Vlatka Stampar Bathgate, a Certified Sommelier whose family owned a vineyard in Croatia and who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Enology (Wine Science); Jenny Fry a graduate of California Culinary Academy in San Francisco who decided to direct her interests to the field of wine sales with restaurants; Susan Winchester a Certified Specialist of Wine who combines her interests with food and wine after gaining experience working for Napa wineries; Pietro Buttitta, a Certified Sommelier and Local Vines winemaker with 25 years experience in the food and wine industry; and Bill English, an award-winning winemaker with 25 years in the industry.
A Local Vines press release stated, âThe vision for Local Vines and Germinate Kitchen is to create a community space where people can learn about and enjoy wine, and to highlight Lamorinda AVA wines as a day trip destination for micro batch, urban wines and ciders. Â A highlight of the space is the separation of the tasting room and commercial kitchen by a glass divider, thus breaking down the fourth wall and demystifying artisan food production.â
Esther Mobley, Senior Wine Critic Fri, December 12, 2025 at 4:00 AM PST
Kelci Wihera, right, speaks with a customer in the Local Vines tasting room in Lafayette. (Don Feria/For the S.F. Chronicle)
Winemaker Pietro Buttitta has a pitch for the new tasting room he opened this week in the East Bay: “It’s Napa but closer, if you live here.”
The Lafayette tasting room, Local Vines, features nine wineries and one cidery from the growing region known as Lamorinda – a portmanteau of Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda. Many residents may not realize that the area surrounding these three municipalities is home to roughly 100 vineyards, with grape varieties ranging from Cabernet Sauvignon to Sangiovese.
As California wine regions go, Lamorinda is nascent. Although wine grapes were grown here as early as the 1880s, it wasn’t until 2005 that it got its first commercial winery. In 2016, it became an American Viticultural Area (AVA), a geographic designation for wine regions regulated by the federal government. All of Lamorinda’s wineries and vineyards are miniscule, many of them literal backyard projects: Those 100 vineyards comprise a total of about 120 acres.
Local Vines is located on Mount Diablo Boulevard in Lafayette. (Don Feria/For the S.F. Chronicle)
The opening of Local Vines, at 3393 Mount Diablo Blvd., Lafayette, marks a major step forward for the Lamorinda AVA, not only in consumer visibility but also in wine quality. In an unusual sort of co-op model, most of the wines poured in the tasting room are also made in the basement cellar. Buttitta, an experienced winemaker best known for his Italian-focused brand Prima Materia, acts as the consulting winemaker for all of those made onsite. These wineries each have their own labels, but Buttitta also siphons some of their juice into Local Vines’ house brand, Stag Hill Vineyards, a representation of the entire AVA.
Winemaker Pietro Buttitta, left, looks on as Debbie Harley, center, smells a wine at the Local Vines tasting room in Lafayette. (Don Feria/For the S.F. Chronicle)
“I’m here because I believe in the potential of Lamorinda,” said Buttitta, who has been focusing on Local Vines since shutting down Prima Materia’s Oakland tasting room in March. (He still makes Prima Materia wines, albeit in smaller quantities, sourced largely from his family’s vineyard in Lake County.)
Microclimates within Lamorinda’s five-by-seven-mile expanse vary “wildly,” Buttitta said. The western edges, abutting the Berkeley Hills near Orinda, are the coolest and foggiest stretches, with pockets of volcanic soils; Pinot Noir does well here. Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux varieties fare well on the eastern side, which borders Walnut Creek to the north and the Livermore wine region to the south. In the middle is Moraga, where fog moves in and out and structured reds like Merlot, Syrah and Sangiovese thrive. On the whole, Buttitta said, Lamorinda is stronger for red wines than whites.
Operating a commercial winery here isn’t easy. Farming costs are high – of the six local vineyard management companies, Buttitta said, none has a tractor – and all of the vines need to be covered in protective netting to prevent birds, skunks, wild turkeys, raccoons and foxes, which run rampant in these residential neighborhoods, from eating the grapes. The area lacks the wine-industry infrastructure found in areas like Napa and Sonoma, which is why the shared Local Vines winery – owned by Larry Thal, of Lafayette’s Thal Vineyards – has been such a game changer.
“There’s definitely a lot of local curiosity,” Buttitta said. During harvest season, when he was crushing the grapes outdoors behind the Local Vines building, he was regularly approached by curious neighbors who expressed interest in trying the local wines.
Local Vines features wines and ciders from 10 producers in the Lamorinda AVA. (Don Feria/For the S.F. Chronicle)
Visitors to Local Vines will be able to choose from a range of four-pour flights ($10-$13), including a white wine flight and a “big reds” flight. A cider option ($8) includes four pours from the resident cidery, Mount Diablo Cider Co. At the moment, there’s no food, though Buttitta said the team hopes to add a menu of small bites and to eventually host special dinners.
Thal has installed a board of three wine experts to ensure quality levels at the tasting room: Vlatka Stampar Bathgate, a certified sommelier who has worked at wineries in Napa and her native Croatia; Jenny Fry, manager and wine director of Pasta Moon in Half Moon Bay; and Susan Winchester, director of national accounts for Winebow Imports. The three of them taste through all potential Lamorinda wines and either approve or reject them for the tasting room.
Rancho del Hambre’s SoRho Carolyn red blend. (Don Feria/For the S.F. Chronicle)
So how are the wines? Variable, based on my recent experience. Several Lamorinda reds tasted like dried figs and prunes – in other words, overripe – with alcohol levels exceeding 15%. If the producers were going for big reds, they overshot it. Others were more restrained and pleasant, showing fresh-fruit flavors and firm structure. My favorite was Rancho del Hambre’s 2022 SoRho Carolyn (“SoRho” being an abbreviation of “Southern Rhone”), a blend of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Cinsault and Carignan. It was juicy and textured, with crunchy strawberry and pomegranate notes and a subtle echo of Mourvedre-inflected funk. At 13.7% alcohol, it was in balance.
Bottles of Mount Diablo Cider Co. (Don Feria/For the S.F. Chronicle)
The Mount Diablo Cider Co. bottlings are also impressive, and a refreshing departure from heavy, structured reds. Its Delta Gold, a Champagne-method cider, has delightfully tiny bubbles and a burst of fresh apple character; a blend of quince and Granniwinkle apples is floral and audaciously tart, sending a jolt across the tongue.
There’s a long way to go before Lamorinda can compete with a place like Napa, acknowledged Buttitta, who has been in his consulting role here since the fall of 2024. (Many of the wines currently being poured at Local Vines are from vintages preceding his arrival.) He’d like to see the growers’ association invest in an even larger, industrial winemaking facility – the downstairs cellar at Local Vines will max out at a mere 2,000 cases – and bring in a marketing team.
“I believe every vineyard deserves a chance,” Buttitta said. And he hopes that Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda residents will rally behind their local wine industry as it evolves. “I think people want to support small businesses. And these are all really small businesses.”
Local Vines. Open 2-7 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday. 3393 Mount Diablo Blvd., Lafayette. 925-298-5109 or local-vines.com
LAFAYETTE, CALIFORNIA â Iâll confess that I lived in Lamorinda for years before I learn that weâre actually an official wine region.
The Lamorinda AVA was recognized as a California wine-growing region in 2016. There are over 40 vineyards operating in Lamorinda.
But most are tinyâproducing perhaps a few hundred cases per year. Theyâre tucked into peoplesâ backyards, or their suburban hillsides. Most offer tastings by appointment only. Sometimes, youâre tasting wines in someoneâs kitchen.
Now, a new, hyperlocal wine tasting room seeks to change that. Local Vines (3393-3395 Mt Diablo Blvd, Lafayette) just had it soft opening this month, and is preparing for a grand opening.
Credit: Local Vines
Itâs located on Mount Diablo Blvd right in downtown Lafayette, and itâs pouring wines made as close as a few blocks away.
Local Wines. Like, Really Local
Local Vines sits in a new building on Mount Diablo Boulevard, in the same stretch of downtown as Wine Thieves and the new Horn Barbecue location. Signage on the building calls it âLocal Vines Tasting Room & Winery,â and licensing paperwork points to Deer Hill Vineyards as a key player behind the project. (We have a big list of the wines theyâre pouring below).
Instead of being a single wineryâs tasting room, Local Vines is set up as a cooperative urban wine bar for Lamorinda winemakers. The Lafayette Chamber describes it as âa boutique urban wine tasting room in the heart of the Lamorinda Appellationâ and notes that it is run as a co-op of local winemakers, right in walkable distance from Highway 24 and Lafayette BART.
I stopped by about a year ago in December of 2024 when it was still under construction.
Construction in 2024. Credit: Thomas Smith/Bay Area Telegraph
Behind the bar is winemaker and consultant Pietro Buttitta, best known for Prima Materia, an Italian-variety focused label that recently closed its Temescal Alley tasting room in Oakland. Buttitta has taken on a new role as general manager and winemaking consultant at Local Vines, where he will help anchor the space and guide multiple small producers sharing the facility.
The author checking out the construction site in 2024. Credit: Bay Area Telegraph
Inside The Space: Co-op Tasting Room Meets Food Incubator
Local Vines is part of a broader Bay Area trend toward collective tasting rooms, where multiple small producers share a single, casual, community-oriented space instead of each trying to maintain their own formal tasting room.
In this case, wineries like Raison Dâetre and Deer Hill will be sharing the tasting space, which is paired with an incubator kitchen for emerging chefs next door. That allows for events with wine and food paired together.
Credit: Local Vines
After years of âcoming soonâ announcements from the Lamorinda Winegrowers Association and partner wineries, Local Vines finally started welcoming guests in early December. A December 4 post on the Local Vines Lafayette Facebook page described it as âthe first day of our soft openingâ and invited people to âdrop in to try Lamorinda grown and made wines,â with hours listed as Wednesday through Sunday, 2 to 7 pm.
Behind the tasting room during construction. Credit: Bay Area Telegraph
What are they pouring? Hereâs a sample of whatâs on offer at launch:
Wines by flight
White Wines Flight $10
Deer Hill Vineyards Chardonnay
Stag Hill Vermentino
Thal Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc
Crane Terrace Winery Chardonnay
Medium-Weight Reds Flight $12
Los Arabis Vineyards Pinot Noir
Deer Hill Vineyards Sangiovese
Meadow View Winery âSuper-Tâ Blend
Crane Terrace Winery Syrah
Bigger Reds Flight $12
Stag Hill Vineyards Syrah/Grenache
Meadow View Winery âHaasâ Cabernet
Prima Materia Aglianico
Raisin dâEtre Vineyards Petite Sirah
Gold Medal Flight $13
Stag Hill Vineyards Zinfandel
Rancho del Hambre âSoRhoâ Rhone Blend
Raisin dâEtre Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
Thal Vineyards âLilyâs Blendâ
Mount Diablo Cider Company Flight $8Â (ciders, not wine, but on the same menu)
Last week we tasted through the largest collection of Lamorinda AVA wines ever assembled, as far as I know. It is a remarkably diverse growing zone, from the cool and foggy west side to the toasty eastern edge along the Walnut Creek corridor where Petite Sirah and Cab Sauv thrive.
Thank you to our panel of wine industry vets, and in just a few weeks you all will get to try the same wines at Local Vines in Lafayette!
What a difference a year can make. In the span of just a few years we have gone from the notion that all California vintages are pretty much the same to the feeling that no two are alike. The Lamorinda AVA in Contra Costa county is fortunate to sit between two competing climate forces in the cooler Berkeley and Oakland Hills/Eastern Bay area to the west with water-influenced temperatures including fog and some volcanic elements, and the warmer inland Contra Costa AVA to the east that has its own unique diurnal pattern. Through the abundant small valleys running every direction in Lamorinda, the maze of aspects and slopes helps to crystalize unique terroir pockets through nearly exclusive hillside viticulture. Cooler spots to the east can still achieve ripeness with good afternoon sunlight, cold air drainage and warmth for reds, while warmer spots to the west enjoy evening cooling and wind that can moderate daytime high temperatures. It is an AVA in which almost any cultivar can perform well in and there is still a vast amount of exploration to do.
But first, some data from the last three years using Rutherford as a proxy for Lafayette. Rutherford is not as hot as Calistoga or St. Helena, and not as cool or Bay-influenced as Oakville, . The numbers for Healdsburg/Windsor as Chalk Hill or easter Russian River Valley, Rutherford, and the Lafayette Reservoir tend to be roughly comparable, so that is what is used below on the temperature charts.
Looking back, 2022 was a very strange year after the almost rainless 2021 that was awarded the driest year on record for the Northern California. The crop was also pitifully small in the North Coast. 2022 had pretty good rainfall, a moderate budbreak with unusually warm temperatures in the Spring, but into August it was running abnormally cool and almost two weeks behind, and there was a lot of work being done to choke back canopies growing vigorously from late rain and to keep mildew at bay. We were settling in for a cool vintage. Then at the start of September a record-breaking heatwave hit for a week touching 118F in many areas, followed by heavy rain (2+ inches) in many locations that put the vines back into a growth cycle, further degrading fruit quality despite a blissfully perfect ending to the season. There was much internal discussion on the destruction this level heat caused to grape chemistry, and some wineries wonât release 2022 wines. Here (I hope these temperature maps upload) is what that temperature curve looked like:
2022 Growing degree days (GDD) approx.: 3200
In 2023 things changed again with one of the coolest and latest vintages on record, bolstered by heavy rain in the winter that pushed crop load upward. Disease pressure was extreme with mildew and botrytis a constant threat without temperatures above 85F to suppress it, and mildewed grapes were refused all over Sonoma County, and high VA fermentations were a problem everywhere. The Lamorinda AVA fared well since hillside vineyards are naturally limited in their water availability, and the leaner canopies lowered the disease threat along with the AVAâs  abundance of grapes with small clusters and lack of heavily-cropped white grapes. All those valleys also promote airflow which is always helpful with mildew pressure, and though temperatures were low there was a good amount of hangtime, allowing ripeness to build slowly with moderate sugars, and good weather through October was just what was needed.
2023 Growing degree days (GDD) approx. 2700
But 2024 was a different story all together yet again, and very unusual. Much like the scorching 2020 vintage that had similar heat which was evidenced by fires throughout the state, the 2023/24 winter had heavy rainfall, well above normal in many areas with fully loaded soils. It came out of the gate hot and fast, and as the grapes approached veraison most growers in Lamorinda were already watering regularly and we were seeing lots 100F days. Some areas in Lamorinda touched 100 degrees over 40 times, and though one heat wave has become the new normal, two in late season, especially back-to-back AND in October is extremely unusual. However, there is also a subtle fortunate feature that has not been mentioned in vintage reports thus far â the evening temperatures were actually a little lower than normal relative to the daytime heat, creating a moderating effect that helped the vines recover, especially in Lamorinda.
2024 Growing degree days (GDD) approx. 3700
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Viticulture:Â Overall Lamorinda grapes did very well for a challenging vintage. Canopies were mostly filled out thanks to good rainfall, though this can be limited by steep hillsides, and good rainfall helps continue root growth in the spring leading to stronger vines. The grapes in cooler areas such as Moraga and Orinda had it a little easier, but even hot vineyards looked good, though the constant heat stress made for a state-wide light crop. The double heat whammy in late September and October was stressful, and during the second spike in October some saw their fruit increase one degree brix per day, but despite some acid softening and low nitrogen, grapes that had been take care of made great wine with ripe fruit and good structure. When you have two heat spikes, there is only so much you can do.
Vineyards that did not fare well generally had either mildew problems, irrigation issues, or improper netting. Despite the heat (mildew does not grow above 85F) we still saw quite a few vineyards that had fruit damage due to early season mildew. This was a very wet spring which is always challenging, possible issues due to shading and proximity to trees, insufficient spray application (which is very hard to do by hand in all of these tractor-less steep vineyards) or not rotating chemistries, like using sulfur, then an oil, and then biologicals or strobilurins. Mildew creates microscopic holes in berries, which creates all sorts of problems, and it can be seen as grey or black specks on the fruit and in the clusters on stems, or mold-like spots on leaves. It has a musty, white pepper smell as well. It is always present and grows between 70-85F and without full sunlight, we just keep it at bay with most sprays. Some growers experienced heavy insect damage, but this was likely due to improper mildew control early in the season or predation. Some mildew in May easily leads to perforated sugar-filled berries in August that insects can smell, and that grape sugar in broken berries or on stems that have had the grapes pulled off send out a feeding beacon to all sugar-loving insects and even birds, not to mention sugar that ferments and then turns into vinegar and all sorts of microbial mayhem. Sound fruit should not experience any insect issues if the birds are kept out, but once berries are broken, it will all go downhill rapidly.
If one thing was clear for late season grape growers (Cabernet Sauvignon and in cooler pockets) it is that once you are behind on irrigation, it is impossible to âcatch upâ again. Drip irrigation can help keep vines stay a little more comfortable during a heat event, but it is impossible to apply enough water to negate the heat. A second heat spike only compounds this, especially with vines are at the end of their cycle when they just want to sleep. On this topic growers are advised to always watch the 10-day agricultural forecast, make sure that vineyard managers have checked all irrigation lines and that all controls are working properly, and visually check and confirm the system is functioning whenever possible. Coyotes love to chew through drip lines, hose ends can blow off, sun exposure can crack risers, and all sorts of problems can appear from nowhere. Hillside drip irrigation does not allow for much soil penetration either, so while your friends in Rutherford might get away with 4 gallons per week per vine in the last month before picking, you on a hillside will need far more, possibly 15 gallons per week per vine leading up to harvest. Remember that we are largely on sandstone and clay here, which has limited water-holding capacity depending on the amount of clay in your particular vineyard, and organic matter is hard to build in these hills, so holding onto the drip is a challenge. Former seabed ironically doesnât hold much water, especially on steep hillsides, and I have noticed a few vineyards with the wrong rootstocks for hillsides (101-14 in particular) which will require even more water. Planting vines close together (most plantings are very close in Lamorinda) requires even more water to boot compared to wider distances between vines. The thinking on tight vine planting has changed a lot in the last 15 years.
Lamorinda is also unique in the necessity of bird netting. With so much beautiful woodland surrounding the vineyards it is also a paradise to birds, skunks, foxes, ground squirrels, deer, turkeys, and every type of animal that also loves sugar-rich grapes. Tightly secured netting is a must, but before the netting goes up at veraison, the canopies must have all the final work and tuning done first, meaning that final shoot thinning and any fruit thinning (not too much of a problem on hillsides) all needs to be done before the nets go on during or immediately after veraison. Walking the vineyard to check irrigation lines and check netting closures are always a good (and relaxing) idea.
There also a predominance of spur pruning in the area that makes for an interesting topic. Some cultivars like Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc are usually cane pruned, and in Bordeaux most Cabernets and Merlot are cane pruned as well in their wetter climates, but I have yet to see a single cane-pruned vine in Lamorinda. If you suspect trunk diseases like eutypa, or any sort of disease-related decline in your cordon arms, it may be time to gently go back to creating a new arm from a cane. Though many diseases generally come from neighboring vineyards which is not a problem in Lamorinda, the woodland also harbors fungal pathogens. The last 10 years a wealth of information has been published regarding a new understanding of vine pruning that prioritizes protecting the vines and building them for resilience that is worth investigating for vineyard owners who want to get their hands dirty. Wetter/cooler spots like in Orinda might want to consider the viability of cane pruning if disease pressure is a constant problem. You can even go half-and-half to experiment.
Winemaking: Unlike the record heat spike in 2022 that destroyed color (anthocyanin) in grapes on the vine by cooking them in place before they were even 21 brix, it did not get hot enough for that to happen in Lamorinda. Vines can tolerate quite a few days around 100 degrees if they have had some acclimation, and since Lamorinda is a solid zone 3 in general though there are exceptions on either side, vines will usually not be shocked by heat. Grape chemistries proved to be as unique as each personâs vineyard this year, but in general acids were as expected with some low-ish from the heat but some just right, tannin ripeness was great and nothing was noticeably off. There were some late-season picks that had perfect numbers, and a couple early ones that needed a little work, so it really comes down to the owner keeping a vigilant eye on everything and a communicative crew with an expert on board to react in a timely manner to the growing season, plus the general health of the vines.
The largest challenge for us at the winery in this hot year was receiving hot grapes. If the grapes arrive over 75 degrees we might have a problem. Fermentations want to start around 60-65 degrees for red wines and hopefully cooler, and colder for whites. Please do not pick grapes after 9am on a hot day. That fruit needs to arrive at the winery cold, the colder the better. I am used to meeting the pickers to start at 4 am and using headlamps. With bird netting make that 3 am. With hillside vineyards where every picking tub must be carried up and down a hill by hand, make that 2 am. Yeasts and bacteria are always present and they grow exponentially with heat, so keep those grapes as cool as possible, and keep them out of the sun once picked!
One other anomaly was that a few vineyards with great looking fruit had peculiar sulfur issues before fermentation had even started, which may have been from molecular sulfur remaining on the grapes. If you suspect that your vineyard team is only using sulfur for mildew suppression or are still using sulfur after the berries have sized up or into veraison, you should have them rotate to something else from the list above. Residual sulfur dust can be particularly terrible in fermentations, and micronized sulfur can be a problem as well. If used as a later-season spray in tight-bunch cultivars like Petite Sirah, Grenache, Petit Verdot, Sauvignon Blanc, and sometimes Pinot Noir, you run the risk that as the berries expand to full size the sulfur can become trapped between the berries, leading to problems down the road.
With the heat it is inevitable that grape nitrogen may be a little low, and some shrivel is inevitable with extreme heat. There were a couple vineyards that came in with challenging numbers in early September. They already had high sugars, high malic acid, and high potassium and pH, meaning three winery challenges at once. These are probably traceable back to lack of water leading to vine shut down early on, and possible overexposure to sun. If you have had a few years with some sunburn or challenging numbers at pick time, letâs take a look and see what we can do.
The wine business in general: For the second year in a row wine consumption has fallen by over 10%. The Central Valley continues to remove vineyards, grape contracts everywhere are broken, and wine tourism continues to decline. I had colleagues picking up Napa fruit that was usually $8,000+ per ton for $1,000 in October. Here in the Lamorinda area we are somewhat insulated from the urban anti-alcohol movement among young consumers, and many feel that we may have reached to bottom of the decline, which would be great. Though the WHO is not going to change their anti-alcohol stance, regime change in Washington is throwing all the cards into the air once again with a mix of tariffs, possible deportations, and FDA revisions (your food pyramid and dietary guidelines including alcohol are all on the table in 2025) that will all affect the wine business deeply on way or another.
All in all, Lamorinda had a great vintage despite quite a few challenges this year. Back-to-back heat spikes is no joke, and it is possible that pest pressure was extra high this year as the ebb and flow of wildlife and insect interaction seems to fluctuate with each vintage these days. Be sure to give yourself a big pat on the back. If there are things you would like to improve upon, please discuss things with your vineyard manager during the winter, well before the vines start growing. Winter is the time to plan any changes and discuss what worked and what didnât. I would also personally love to visit everyoneâs vineyard in person and Iâm happy to offer any thoughts or help in any way I can. Understanding the vineyards helps make better wine, which will only help the AVA as it continues to move forward.
Pietro Buttitta Thal Vineyards/Local Vines
Prima Materia Vineyard & Winery info@prima-materia.com
Retrieved September 18, 2025
Lamorinda is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in the San Francisco Bay Area located due east of the Berkeley Hills in Contra Costa County encompassing the region around the cities of Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda. The name Lamorinda is a portmanteau from the names of the three locales defining the region: Lafayette, Moraga, and Orinda. The AVA is a sub-region within the existing San Francisco Bay AVA and the larger, multi-county Central Coast AVA stretching approximately 30,000 acres (47 sq mi) with 46 commercially-producing vineyards that cover approximately 139 acres (56 ha), and six bonded wineries with plans for three more.[2][4] The USDA plant hardiness zone for the AVA is 9b.[6] The AVA was proposed as the growers in the area found the wider San Francisco Bay and Central Coast AVA titles too generic and not indicative of its terroir. The area was officially established on February 23, 2016, by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), Treasury after reviewing the petition from Patrick L. Shabram, on behalf of the Lamorinda Wine Growers Association, proposing the establishment of the “Lamorinda” viticultural area.[1][7]
Commercial grape and wine production in the Lamorinda area dates back over 150 years. A directory by Ernest P. Peninou, a well-known wine historian, and Sidney S. Greenleaf shows local growers John Grinnell, Daniel Hunsacker, Isaac Hunsaker, and William B. Rodgers collectively had 623 US gal (2,358.3 L) of wine on hand during an 1860 census.[8] All growers within this census are listed as âLafayette and Alamo.â Although the current city of Alamo lies outside the Lamorinda viticultural area, Lafayette clearly had an early association with viticulture. Beginning in 1907, Serafino Rossi grew wine grapes commercially at a site currently occupied by Reliez Valley Vineyards in Lafayette, according to research conducted in the archives of the Lafayette Historical Society. Based on additional research conducted in the archives of the Moraga Historical Society and Orinda Historical Society, wine grapes were one of many crops grown by early settlers. The Trelut brothers, who settled in Moraga in 1880, planted grapes and made wine on a relatively large scale. By 1897, Theodore Wagner was commercially growing grapes in the Orinda area. While some grapes were made into wine locally, most were shipped out of the area, with much of the production apparently sold to immigrant Italians in the North Beach area of San Francisco. None of these early vineyards survive today, although, as mentioned above, there is currently a vineyard and winery on the site of the original Rossi vineyard. The agricultural focus of the area was gradually replaced by suburban housing development, but a renaissance of small-scale wine production began in the late 1970’s. These plantings started with John Alegria, who planted one thousand vines in Moraga in 1978. The number of plantings has accelerated in recent years and led to the founding of the Lamorinda Wine Growers Association in 2005. The first bonded winery, Parkmon Vineyards, was also established in 2005 in Moraga.[2]
Terroir
The distinguishing features of the Lamorinda area are its topography, geology, soils, and climate. The terrain is composed of moderate-to-steep hills with narrow valleys. The steep hillsides prevent the use of machinery for vineyard work instead requiring the work to be done manually. The terrain contrasts with the steeper, more rugged terrain to the south and west and the lower, flatter plains to the north and east. Additionally, Lamorinda AVA is characterized by a distinct suburban land use pattern which tends to provide property owners with enough room to plant vineyards large enough for commercial viticulture. This contrasts with the more urban and densely populated areas to the east and west. The dominant geological formation is the Orinda Formation, while the Briones and Mulholland Formations are also present. These underlying geological formations affect viticulture due to their role in forming the soils of the region. Other geographic formations dominate the surrounding areas. The AVA is suitable for both cool and warm-climate varietals because the hilly terrain results in disparate levels of sunlight at different elevations. The Berkeley Hills affect the local climate by their elevation. The oceanic marine layer, which develops during the summer, bringing fog and low clouds with it, is usually less than 2,000 feet (610 m) deep and thus is blocked by the range. This produces a “fog shadow” effect to the east, which is warmer than areas west of the hills. The westerly wind that carries the marine layer through the Golden Gate typically splits its flow as it hits the Berkeley Hills producing a southerly wind from Berkeley northward and a northerly wind in the direction of Oakland. In winter during spells of tule fog inland, a reverse situation occurs, with the fog usually confined to areas east of the hills. Rainfall is also affected by the higher elevations when westerly winds from the Pacific are perpendicular to the hills during a storm and forced to rise, cooling and condensing additional moisture, increasing the precipitation on the western slopes but leaving areas east of the hills drier.[1]
Community Industry
The wine industry from the Lamorinda region, including vineyard owners, winemakers, and retail wine shop proprietors supported the establishment of the AVA due to the unique microclimates, soils, and geology of the region. It is far from being a commercial winegrowing area, instead hosting a number of small home wineries making just enough wine to satisfy the local demand. There is a strong sense of community identity and commitment in Lamorinda to help consumers identify and buy its local wines.[7]Â The Lamorinda Wine Growers Association (LWGA) is dedicated to providing education and support resulting in the production of high-quality grapes and wine in an environmentally friendly and socially responsible fashion; promoting the Lamorinda community and its status as a winegrowing region, enhancing the marketability of Lamorinda-grown grapes and Lamorinda-made wine; and cultivate a strong relationship with the local community.[9]
Crane Terrace vines planted on the cave exterior Photos Vera Kochan
Nestled on a private estate in Orindaâs Sleepy Hollow neighborhood, Crane Terrace Winery, a 2-year Lamorinda Wine Growers Association member, had once produced their wines exclusively for personal enjoyment or sharing with friends. Having gone through the rigors of becoming bonded this past July, the winery is now entitled to sell to the public.
Crane Terraceâs General Manager Leanne Pilot was more than knowledgeable about every aspect of the business and its history since starting with the winery in 2016 as a property manager. Coming from Chicago and working in the IT industry, Pilotâs move to California exposed her to a lot of great wines, and a new passion was born.
Initially, the wineryâs approximately 4,500 grape vines were planted in 2004, along hillsides that could easily resemble Italyâs Tuscany region. This extensive number of vines makes Crane Terrace the largest winery in the Lamorinda American Viticultural Area (AVA). The entire property encompasses 8 acres, but only 3-4 acres are devoted to the vines which grow along steep slopes producing Syrah, Grenache, Chardonnay, and Roussanne. Crane Terraceâs first vintage was bottled in 2006, and in 2010 a lengthy cave was dug through one of the hillsides and now serves as a cool storage area furnished with chandeliers, soft lights, a polished banquet-style table and chairs for either tastings or meetings.
âThe wines kept getting better and better,â said Pilot. âWe needed to go beyond just making wine for friends and family.â
Crane Terraceâs 2017 Chardonnay back label states, âGrown in the East Bay hills on our familyâs private estate vineyard, our Chardonnay grapes are biodynamically farmed and tended by hand using âold worldâ care and techniques that produce low yielding high quality fruit. This wine was produced in temperature controlled stainless steel and aged in the finest French cooperage producing a wine thatâs rich in character.â
âWe are completely hand-farmed and donât use any pesticides or toxins,â explained Pilot, adding that they use a vineyard management company that comes to prune the vines and do the picking at harvest-time.
Crane Terrace bottles, on average, 50 cases of Grenache, 50 cases of Chardonnay and 300 cases of Syrah. âWeâve blended the Roussanne with the Grenache in the past, or our winemaker will use it for some other purpose of his own,â Pilot explained.
The winemakerâs tasting notes for their 2021 Chardonnay are: âNose â Very âChablis-likeâ with notes of citrus and hints of vanilla. On the palate, this wine is structured with solid acid, lemon, mineral, and green apple.â The recommended pairing is to serve it with seafood.
With their 2021 Grenache: âNose — Restrained notes of strawberry, flint, and cedar. On the palate this wine is suitably structured with solid acidity, meaty with notes of strawberry, and violets, and of light body.â The recommended pairing is savory, grilled meats with smoky barbecue sauces and grilled vegetables such as zucchini or eggplant.
The 2021 Syrah: âNose â filled with leather, tobacco, and hints of olallieberry. On the palate, youâll find notes of raspberry, blackberry, black pepper, with structured acidity and medium to light body for a Syrah.â Suggested pairing with duck, grilled chicken and an assortment of hard artisanal cheeses.
Crane Terraces poured at Moragaâs 2022 Pear and Wine Festival and more recently at last monthâs Lafayette Art and Wine Festival.
Pilot is on the cusp of completing a new website. In the meantime, anyone wishing to contact the winery can email Pilot at Leannepilot@craneterracewinery. Local deliveries will be available.
Vines planted along the hillside at Crane Terrace Winery Photos Vera Kochan
Inside Crane Terrace Winery cave Photos Vera Kochan
Shared from https://www.writtenpalette.com/discover-lamorinda-ava/
Many people are unaware that there is an AVA on the East Bay of San Francisco. The Lamorinda AVA, a hidden gem, is part of the Central Coast and San Francisco Bay AVAs. Located in Contra Costa County, the Lamorinda AVA encompasses the cities of Lafayette, Moraga, and Orinda. Letâs discover more about this little-known appellation and the micro-boutique wineries in this region.
Established as an AVA in 2016, Lamorinda, whose name combines the three cities that lie within the AVA. The Lamorinda AVAâs 30,000 acres consist of 139 acres planted with vineyards. These are suburban vineyards on residential lots. Most vineyards are terraced with thin clay-rich and sandy soils on hillside terrain. Because of the steep hills, vineyard maintenance and harvest are accomplished manually.
Lamorinda AVA map. Photo Couresy of Lamorinda Wine Growers Association
The climate is maritime. The Berkley Hills and the oceanic breeze and fog coming in from San Francisco Bay affect the area. With the variation of temperature throughout the AVA, warm and cool climate varieties grow depending on the location. The varietals grown include Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, and Sauvignon Blanc in the whites and Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, and Syrah in the reds.
The Lamorinda Wine Growers Association consists of 80 members and six bonded wineries. In addition to the bonded wineries, there are many home winemakers. I had the privilege of sampling the wines of five of the bonded wineries.
Table of Contents
Deer Hill Vineyards
Bill Scanlin, owner and winemaker of Deer Hill Vineyards, planted his vineyards in 1998 with mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and a field blend of Merlot, Cabernet, and Malbec. The winery was bonded in 2010. In addition to his own wines, he produces wine for other local vineyard owners.
Bill Scanlin, Deer Hill Vineyards Tasting Room
When Bill purchased his home, he was unsure about what to do with his hilly acreage. Shortly after, a neighbor suggested he grow grapes, which Bill did with three-quarters of an acre. His first vintage, a Cabernet Sauvignon, occurred three years later in 2001. Bill started as a home winemaker, but as his passion grew, he not only got bonded but he created an Italian grotto for tasting in what some might call his basement, an extension of his garage. A local muralist created murals that bring the outdoors inside. You walk in and go, wow, as it makes for an extraordinary experience. The ambiance adds to the lure of Billâs wines.
Deer Hill Vineyards
Bill started making Sangiovese in 2016. Since then, he has won numerous awards for his Sangiovese each year. His Sangiovese won Best in Class at the San Francisco Chronicle wine competition in 2017. Imagine his joy of producing a wine that can compete with the big guys of Napa.
Billâs philosophy is to use low intervention, which comes through in his wines. He sources grapes for his Chardonnay from UC Davis and a vineyard in Walnut Creek. The Chardonnay ages for one year in oak.
My favorites were the Sangiovese, with its rustic qualities of red fruit, and the Cabernet Sauvignon, showcasing dark fruit and lower tannins. The Sangiovese and the Cabernet Sauvignon were drier on the palate and aged for two years in oak.
Deer Hill Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese
Los Arabis Vineyards
Named after the Arabian horses that ran around the hillside where winemaker/owner Jim and Leslie Ward live, the winery focuses on Pinot Noir. Leslie planted her vineyard in 1999 with 1500 Pinot Noir vines. In 2002, Los Arabis Vineyards produced its first vintage. The idea to plant vines came as they worried about the maintenance and potential fire hazard of their 3-acre hillside during the summer months. The Wards chose Pinot Noir because Lafayetteâs climate features a pronounced diurnal shift from day to night, which lends itself to growing Pinot Noir.
Jim and Leslie Ward at Los Arabis Wine Cave. Photo Courtesy of Los Arabis
The property, situated in the Happy Valley portion of Lafayette, features a wine cave with a private tasting room, and the hillside terraced vines enjoy a southwestern exposure. Winemaker Allison Schneider oversees production. The Pinot Noir ages for 18 months in both French and American oak. I found a medium-bodied wine with lovely aromatics and cherry flavors.
Los Arabis Vineyards Pinot Noir
Meadow View Winery
Winemaking started as a hobby for Bill English, a chemical engineer, and later became his 2nd career. He first began making wine in 1976. With some hiatuses in between, Meadow View Winery was licensed in 2014. He has steadily produced wine for about thirteen years. Until that time, he called himself an amateur.
Today, Meadow View Winery aims to create the best possible wine from fruit sourced from the Lamorinda AVA. Bill strives for balance, which means good body without excessive alcohol. The acidity is refreshing.
Bill primarily utilizes fruit from three vineyards whose temperature profiles are similar to those of Sonoma and Napa. The first vineyard, Isabelleâs Vineyard, just outside Moraga, Bill sources Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Sangiovese. This vineyard has a cool temperature profile. Mary Leighâs Vineyard is situated in Moraga, where they source Chardonnay, Sangiovese, and Syrah. The third vineyard, Jonâs Vineyard, located next to Maryâs Bill, utilizes their Sangiovese, Merlot, and Chardonnay.
Bill English with Doug Spear and Isabelle Ord from Isabelleâs Vineyard. Photo Courtesy of Meadow View Winery
Bill picks the grapes early from all three vineyards, avoiding excessive alcohol. Fermentation and aging occur separately.
The wines are far from amateur. Bill makes Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and a wine called Super T, his version of a Super Tuscan. I sampled the Super T and the Cabernet Sauvignon. Both were excellent.
Meadow View Super T 2019: Mainly combining Sangiovese with small portions of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, the wine utilizes grapes from all three vineyards Meadow View sources fruit. The wine ages 20 months in French oak and represents Meadow Viewâs most popular wine, and I can see why. The wine displays a nice balance and integration with subtle fruit nuances.
Meadow View Winery Cabernet Sauvignon
Meadow View Cabernet Sauvignon 2018: This Cabernet combines Cabernet Sauvignon primarily with Cabernet Franc. I found depth of character that exhibits a savory, herbaceous wine with dark fruit.
Meadow View Winery Super T
Raisin dâĂtre Vineyards
Daniel Howsepian, proprietor of Raisin dâĂtre Vineyards, as a child, would visit his French relatives in France during the summer. While in Burgundy, he would spend time with his uncle JoJo, who was the Cellar Master of âDufouleur PĂšre et Filsâ in Nuits-Saint-Georges. His uncle and his family inspired Daniel to dream of one day making wine and eventually owning his winery. Danielâs dream also inspired his son, Julien, the winemaker at Kosta Brown.
Danielâs career path led him into building development, primarily focusing on residential projects. Of course, that experience played a role in constructing his winery. The winery is built into a hill and constructed around the concept of gravity flow.
Daniel Howepain in the Vineyard. Photo Courtesy Raisin dâĂtre
The name Raisin dâĂtre is Danielâs take on the French expression Raison dâĂtre, which means âreason for being.â I think it describes Danielâs love of growing grapes and making wine, as well as his reason for being.
The vineyards, located in Lafayette, were planted in 2013 with Cabernet Sauvignon and a small portion of Merlot. Daniel sources his Petite Sirah from a neighbor and his Petit Verdot from someone in Moraga.
Daniel perfects his wines by using organic methods to nurture the soil, hand-pruning, harvesting, and in the winery, employing minimal intervention.
Raisin dâĂtre Cabernet Sauvignon 2018: The wine blends Cabernet Sauvignon with a small percentage of Petite Sirah. While the wine ages for two years in both new and neutral oak before bottling, I found a big, brooding Cabernet with dark fruit.
Raisin dâĂtre Petite Sirah 2018: The wine blends a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon with the Petite Sirah and ages for two years. I found Petite Sirah exhibits dark black fruit flavors and reveals itself as drier than other versions of this variety.
Raisin dâEÌtre Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah
Thal Vineyards
Thal Vineyards was established in 2010 by Larry and Esther Thal. With over 2,000 vines, principally Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc, Thal harvested its first vintage in 2012. Like others in the area, they planted vines to provide a drought-tolerant and fire-resistant solution for their hillside property. Bill English is their winemaker.
Thal Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2020: This Sauvignon Blanc is crafted in a style similar to Chardonnay. The wine barrel ferments and ages for ten months in French oak. The barrel aging gives the wine its creamier texture. I found floral aromas followed by citrus, mainly lemon, accented by stone and tropical fruits on the palate.
Thal Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc
Lamorinda AVA Wineries and Winemakers
Unique to the Lamorinda AVA, besides all the vineyards situated on hillside slopes, is the communityâs camaraderie and the love and passion exuded by these winery owners and winemakers. The community wants everyone to succeed as they work together, encouraging and supporting each other. This cooperation will come full circle when their joint tasting room, Local Vines, opens in 2023.
The quality of the wine and the price points make this an area to keep on your radar. If you visit the East Bay, include the Lamorinda AVA in your wine tasting itinerary.
I would like to thank Visit Concord for introducing me to this fabulous AVA.
Note: As is common in the wine industry, this writer received a hosted winetasting and samples. While it has not influenced this review, the writer believes in full disclosure.
