In 1956, Helen and Charles Bacigalupi purchased 121 acres of prime vineyard land along Westside Road, in the heart of the Russian River Valley. In 1964, they were among the first in the area to plant Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The Bacigalupi family grapes garnered fame in 1976 when they were used to make Chateau Montelena’s winning entry in that year’s Paris Tasting. The oldest vines that remain on the property were planted in 1967 and 1975 on St. George rootstock and are a mix of head trained and cordon-trained vines. The latter is one of the primary components of our Bacigalupi Chardonnay blend, while this limited release instead, comes from the young replants that replaced some of the original old vines. These young vines appear to tap into the wisdom of the old vines that once occupied the same soil because the energy and vitality of this wine was so good that we decided to call it “The Spirit of ’76”, honoring the famous 1976 Paris tasting.