Camped Out In Cucamonga

A Cucamonga Valley vineyard near I-15 and a shopping center

This past week, I've been spending an inordinate amount of time in the Inland Empire east of Los Angeles. City after city -- Ontario, San Bernardino, Rancho Cucamonga, et. al -- with tons of people (most with 100k-200k population), endless miles of shopping centers & bright sunshine and huge surrounding mountains. Despite its relative proximity to Los Angeles, the IE is its own entity -- as evidenced by three international airports and its own Craigslist page (the true mark of area sovereignty!).

I wasn't necessarily thinking about vineyards and wine when I rolled into town for the first time. I'd heard a little bit of old head-trained Zinfandel vineyards in the Cucamonga Valley (the valley that houses Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga), but I didn't realize that the entire valley was once covered with vineyards to the extent that it was. Nor did I realize the historical significance of the valley's viticultural past -- it was a leading wine-producing area in California at the onset of Prohibition. Signs of the past can now be seen in the form of gnarly old vineyards oddly mixed in with highways and shopping malls. Grape clusters are the on the city seal and the road signs of Rancho Cucamonga as well. 

The Cucamonga Valley was granted AVA status in 1985. It's marked by a hot climate for viticulture and by sandy alluvial soils. Its historic wines would be Zinfandel and Mission, but today there is Cucamonga Valley Petite Sirah, Tempranillo, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre to go along with Zinfandel. Groups like CucamongaHeritage.org work to preserve vineyard land and viticultural history. 

I visited the Joseph Filippi Winery & Vineyards to get a sense of the wines of the valley. Joseph Filippi dates back to 1922, and is one of if not the area's largest producers at approximately 40k cases per year. The tasting room is an expansive space- it has a large wine bar for tasting and by the glass service, a large retail area, and what amounts to a museum of Southern California wine history. I tasted through a lineup of locally produced dry reds -- 2008 Cucamonga Valley Sangiovese, 2009 Cucamonga Valley Tempranillo, 2008 Cucamonga Valley Cabernet Franc, 2008 Five Estates Red Blend, 2007 Cucamonga Valley Petite Sirah & 2009 Estate Zinfandel.

If there was a flavor marker I picked up among these wines, it was notes of mineral and eucalyptus along with ripe but mellow blue fruit. The wines ranged in price from around $10 for the everyday drinkers to upwards to $30 for their flagship wines. The wines I liked from the lineup were:

-'09 Joseph Filippi Tempranillo, Cucamonga Valley- earthy fruit and minerality with smooth tannins.

-'08 Joseph Filippi Five Estates (Petite Sirah, Syrah, Mourvedre, Zinfandel & Grenache)- nice red fruit with floral, mint & crushed stone and a smooth feel.

-'07 Joseph Filippi Petite Sirah, Cucamonga Valley- brambly fruit with rock, coffee & eucalyptus with a firm structure.

-'08 Joseph Filippi Estate Zinfandel, Cucamonga Valley- coffee, maple, leather and peppercorn notes along with currant and blueberry finishing with firm tannins. 

Link to all of the above wines

This piece of California wine history will likely continue to diminish over time. Check out the story and the wines if you get a chance...