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INSTALLMENT EIGHT - May 2003 The
Christian Brothers Winery The beginning of the Christian Brothers winemaking enterprise was a happy combination of serendipity and providence that proved to be significant to the District of San Francisco.
By 1878, Brother Visitor Justin McMahon realized that the novitiate attached to Saint Joseph's Academy in Oakland did not provide the seclusion desirable for a center of religious formation. A brief search led him to a 70-acre property in the hills of Martinez. It was an ideal site, sufficiently removed from the city proper to offer privacy yet close enough to a railway line to provide access to Oakland and San Francisco. Additionally, the property included fields, orchards and a 12-acre vineyard. In January of 1879, Brother Justin purchased the estate from Mrs. Abigail Bush, and within a few months, the novitiate moved to its new location which was soon christened Villa de la Salle. The winery's beginnings were modest. For the first few years, the grape harvest was sold, but it wasn't long before one of the frugal Brothers saw a use for the crop that might provide more income for the novitiate. By all accounts, Brother Victorick McDonald approached his first attempt at winemaking as an "experiment." Using a water trough meant for horses (a new one had been purchased at the local store) and a crudely hewn tree limb called a "mule's leg," he and Brother Cecilian O'Connor crushed a portion of the harvest, hoping to produce wine for the Brothers' table. The experiment must have been successful, because records show that in 1886 the Brothers purchased a crusher, hand press, and storage tanks.
Brother Raphael Huber (manager of the winery from 1904 to 1935) recalled that "in 1891, we bought grapes from our neighbors Mr. Babatt and Mr. Frasher and commenced to sell wine for commercial purposes." Although records disagree about the exact date that the winery was founded, it has traditionally been assigned to 1882, the year that De La Salle Institute was incorporated as a legal entity. Growth was gradual but steady. The Brothers' first commercial efforts involved selling wine to neighbors. When Archbishop Alemany learned of the winemaking venture, he encouraged the Brothers to produce sacramental wines, which they did. In 1904, a large three-story building was constructed that offered several notable improvements over the renovated barn that had served for wine production. A conveyor system hauled the grapes to a third floor press for crushing, after which gravity carried the juice down through canvas tubes to the lower floor for storage in barrels. No bottling was involved; the wine was sold in bulk, either in kegs or barrels.
When Prohibition (1919-1933) forced the closure of many wineries, the Martinez operation was allowed to continue selling its products for medicinal and sacramental purposes. Records for 1925 show that it produced over 80,000 barrels of wine. By the 1920s, the rapidly growing city of Martinez was crowding the novitiate grounds, and it became clear that a new site was needed. Consequently, in 1928 Brother Visitor Gregory Mallon appointed Brother Victorinus Leo to look at properties. Among the several possibilities, the Theodore Gier winery in the hills above Napa appeared to be an ideal location. Situated a few miles outside the city, it offered solitude, a bountiful supply of water, 135 acres of vineyards, and an operating winery. The property was purchased in 1930, and the following year, construction began on a mission style complex called Mont La Salle.
In 1932, the Martinez property was sold, and the novitiate, the retirement home for the "ancients," and the winery were all moved to the not-yet-completed quarters above Napa. Brother Thomas Levi wrote of the event: "Recollections are quite vivid of our excitement as we boarded the red and blue bus from Saint Mary's College and were driven to the Martinez Ferry to be transported across the Carquinez Strait. As the boat moved from the Martinez Ferry slip, I looked back to our property in Martinez and saw the main building and the stately eucalyptus trees on Mount Hope. The thought of what was involved in this move was striking." Longtime cellarmaster Brother Timothy Diener recalls transporting dismantled tanks and equipment on the ferry across the bay to waiting wagons that carted everything to Napa. The move was completed in the midst of the financial predicaments of the Depression. The District flirted with bankruptcy as its heavily mortgaged properties faced auction and sale. It was in these most troublesome years that the winery began to flourish, thanks principally to the leadership of three men. The appointment of Brother John Hoffman in 1934 as winery manager began the winery's transformation from a modest producer to a seriously profitable establishment. In 1935, Brother Timothy Diener was designated as chief chemist and cellarmaster, and his increasing expertise and artistry brought the wines to a new level of quality. In 1937, the winery began a long relationship with Alfred Fromm, whose assistance with national distribution helped to make the Christian Brothers label widely recognized and well respected.
As sales grew, vineyards were expanded to include acreage on the Napa Valley floor and near Fresno at the town of Reedley, where the Brothers established the distillery for their world famous brandies. In 1950, the Brothers purchased Greystone Cellars in St. Helena as a site for aging wines and for the production of sparkling wines. In 1957, the winery was incorporated as a separate entity, Mont La Salle Vineyards, and royalties from its products continued to support the schools and educational missions, as well as the formation and retirement of Brothers. The last quarter of the twentieth century brought many changes to the wine industry that led to the decision to sell the business to Heublein, Inc., in 1989. For the first time in more than a century, the Brothers of the San Francisco District were no longer part of the rhythms of harvest and crush and winemaking that had for so long supported their many schools and apostolates. Cellarmaster emeritus Brother Timothy, now nearly 93, and the oldest Brother in the District of San Francisco, recently wrote, "The sale of our wine and brandy business freed us from many distractions and allowed us Brothers to concentrate exclusively on our three-century role of teaching. It gave new life and funds for the growth of our primary mission of education." Next installment (June 2003) - The Novitiate First
Installment: Pioneer
Brothers Leave New York for San Francisco, July 1868 |
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