GALLERON FAMILY VINEYARDS

History

Hailing originally from France's Hautes-Alpes region, Virgile and Angele Galleron established roots in the Napa Valley in 1918, their newly-acquired property extending over 402 acres of Rancho Caymus and Rancho Carne Humana. Here, they not only continued the sheep herding tradition which was their former livelihood, but also farmed walnuts, prunes, peaches, and of course, grapes.

The Galleron family soon expanded with the addition of sons Virgil and Paul, and made ends meet through the dark years of Prohibition (1919-1933) by selling grapes, engaging in a little bootlegging, and selling small parcels of land as needed. The Depression years (1929-1940) were difficult, but Rutherford farmers made the best of it by living off the bounty of their land.

Virgil and Paul grew up learning the winegrowing business, and Virgil took over as manager of the family ranch while Paul served in the U.S. Army Air Force during WWII. After Paul returned home from the war, he and his brother Virgil formed Galleron Bros. in 1947, (father Virgile had died in 1945), and the family business of winegrowing officially passed to the next generation.

Disastrous grape prices, however, begged a miracle and this took the face of Ernest & Julio Gallo, who in 1952 struck a deal with the Napa Valley Cooperative Winery in St. Helena to buy the growers' entire production of wine. This arrangement lasted for 34 years and saved the livelihood of approximately 260 Napa Valley vineyardists. Virgil served as president of the Co-op for 30 years, and credited Gallo with having brought stability to the valley.

Today, the property is owned by Alice and Alberta Galleron, widows of Virgil and Paul. Their select acreage is dedicated to premium winegrowing.

Vineyards

Cabernet Sauvignon is now the varietal of choice -- in fact the only varietal currently grown on the estate, although plans are in place to add Merlot and yet more Cabernet Sauvignon.

Since 1918 though, the Gallerons have grown many other grape varieties, reflective of the their relative popularity or usefulness during the period in which they were grown: Golden Chasselas, Burger (once the most widely-planted grape in the valley), Napa Gamay (aka Valdigui马 Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Vert, Chenin Blanc, Gamay Beaujolais (a Pinot Noir clone), and Chardonnay. At its zenith, 160 acres of Galleron land were planted to vine.

Galleron grapes have figured prominently in Napa Valley bottlings over the years, including the following wineries: Beaulieu Vineyard (30 years), Charles Krug, Beringer, Christian Brothers (including the Mt. LaSalle property) and Grgich Hills.

Rutherford AVA Vineyard Holdings

Angele and Virgile, 1913	Paul and Virgil, 1961 The Galleron Bros. Second Generation	Gary and Matthew, 2000 3rd and 4th Generations

Galleron Family Vineyards
1098 Galleron Road
St. Helena, CA 94574
(707) 963-4224
gary@galleronwine.com
www.galleronwine.com

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