John Concannon is the Fourth Generation Vintner at Concannon Vineyard, now celebrating over 130 years as America’s oldest, ongoing winery under the same family label and stewardship. Founded in 1883, Concannon is home of the Concannon Cabernet Clones 7, 8 and 11 which resulted from the highly successful, collaborative work in 1965 between Jim Concannon and UC Davis in preparing for heat treatment cuttings from a single vine propagated from Cabernet Sauvignon that John’s great-grandfather imported from Château Margaux in 1893.The Concannon Clones played a key role in helping California Cabernet achieve international recognition, and currently, an estimated 80% of California Cabernet Sauvignon is planted to the Concannon Clones. The winery is also home of “America’s First Petite Sirah” among other significant contributions, which John has been intensively researching over the past several years. A tireless advocate of environmental stewardship and historic preservation within the vineyard and the Livermore Valley, some of John’s most energetic endeavors have been focused upon revitalizing the landmark winery while preserving its history and the estate’s historic sense of place.
