Appropriately, the Sept. 3 wedding of Trent Ghiringhelli and Marion Blanchet will be an idealistic blend between France and the Napa Valley. The two are, after all, devotees of wine — he as proprietor of Heibel Ranch Vineyards in the Howell Mountain/Pope Valley area; she well steeped in the lore of the Bordeaux region where she was born and raised.
The two share a dream of carving a niche for Heibel Ranch among boutique wineries with Ghiringhelli’s mother and stepfather, Helen Heibel Nelson and Bruce Nelson. Last Saturday they took a tentative step in that direction by hosting a party celebrating the release of Heibel Ranch’s 2008 Napa Valley Red Blend at Aetna Springs Resort. More than 100 people attended the celebration.
It has been a long, hard climb, albeit a labor of love for the four of them to get to this point. Heibel was conceptualized in 2001 and the first 2-acre vineyard planted in 2003 on 185 acres of a site that Trent Ghiringhelli calls the “back side of Howell Mountain.”
When his grandfather, George Bennett Heibel, purchased the property in 1945, it also included the historic Aetna Springs Resort acreage that Heibel sold in the 1970s to followers of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, although George Bennett didn’t realize it until the sale was consummated.
Of the Heibel vineyards, Trent Ghiringhelli confides, “Our family virtually cleared the land of trees and brush and got the water system going. For the first couple of years we did it ourselves — 100 percent hands-on — on weekends, holidays and during vacations. It has taken a lot of hard work and a little good fortune to make our dream a reality.”
The work included installation of a weir and a mile of
4-inch pipe to collect spring water.
“After three years,” Ghiringhelli added, “we brought in the professionals.” Johnny White’s Pina Vineyard Management used a Caterpillar to clear rocks and rake the vineyard site in 2002. The following year, Josh Clark and his Clark Vineyard Management crew installed the deer fencing and water tanks. In 2008, Matt Hardin, who has deep roots in Pope Valley, took over the farming.
“Now, here we are 10 years later, excited to be releasing our first vintage,” Ghiringhelli enthused.
Roughly an acre of the vineyard is planted in cabernet sauvignon, a half-acre is dedicated to zinfandel and the remainder to petite syrah. In the total buildout, Heibel is targeting the planting of 15 to 20 acres of vines and increasing production from 250 to 300 cases today to 3,000.
The irrigation system, pump station, frost sprinklers, trellises and other necessities are in place for a world-class Napa Valley vineyard.
Backtracking to Trent and Blanchet, the pair met two years ago in — of all places — a pool hall. Billco’s Billiards and Darts in downtown Napa, it was. Vineyard-wise, it was a terrific match right off the bat. Marion has been the export manager for Nadalie Cooperage of France since 2007. Ghiringhelli was a tasting room manager and wine educator while learning winemaking at ZD Vineyards during an 11-year period.
“Then we launched our first vintage at Heibel and I took a day job as director of sales for Page Wine Cellars to pay the bills. I’m working on transitioning to make (Heibel) my full-time project,” said Ghiringhelli, who estimates he puts in 60- to
80-hour work weeks.
“But it’s rewarding work,” he said, adding that having won CCOF certification in 2007, “We are focusing on making the best wine we can from our certified organic grapes.”
Heibel’s signature wine is a 2008 Lappa’s Napa Valley Red Blend — described as a blend of
35 percent cabernet sauvignon, 30 percent cabernet franc, 20 percent zin and 15 percent syrah.
There is also a Heibel “signature” vehicle: a 1963 Willys C-J3 Jeep that formerly served the U.S. Navy. Heibel got it at auction and soon after named it “Sugar Magnolia.” But the rusted relic is a Heibel Ranch icon and doubles as transportation for touring the property.
Although Heibel Ranch’s debut into the wine industry is fairly recent, the family heritage on its land is worthy of consideration, launched when George Bennett, a chef of four-star skills, bought it in 1945.
“Dad came out from Texas and went from pot washer to chef at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles,” said Helen Heibel Nelson, a third-generation San Franciscan, who was 3 years old when George Bennett purchased Aetna Springs and the vineyard property. The elder Heibel also held esteemed positions in San Francisco, including executive chef and manager of the officers’ dining quarters at Fort Mason.
Helen Heibel Nelson and her first husband, the late John Ghiringhelli, followed in overseeing the resort until it was sold. But the family remains an important one in the Pope Valley/Howell Mountain area.
Trent Ghiringhelli asserts that his father and grandfather have been his models for doing business.
“I try to emulate what they did,” he said. “A look in the eye and a handshake was all that was needed.”
(Article written by John Lindblom)
