San Bernabe Vineyard : History
As early as 1776, Father Pedro Font, a member of the famous Anza expedition, referred to the general area as the Canada de San Bernabé (cañada refers to an open river valley). It is thought to have been named after Saint Barnabas, and was then owned by the local Mission San Antonio de Padua, the third mission established in California. In 1842, it was deeded as a land grant to Petronillo Rios, a cattle rancher believed to have made wine from grapes grown around his home. The remains of his adobe still grace the property today.
In 1988, the Indelicato family purchased the San Bernabe Vineyard in Monterey. Immediately following
the purchase of the vineyard, the Indelicato family embarked on an aggressive 10-year
replanting program designed to optimize quality production, focusing on specific varieties and clones,
rootstock selection and trellising methods.
Today, San Bernabe is the world's most diverse single vineyard property and the cornerstone of DFV Wines' wine grape growing and winemaking.