What’s new at Concannon Vineyard: Fresh owners lead changes throughout historic Livermore winery

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A sense of tradition endures at Concannon Vineyard. The tall dinosaur-shaped topiary bush guards an unused gate near the main entrance. Visitors linger under the grape arbor and pavilion on the lawn. Staff eagerly share the heritage of Concannon Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah.

Several clues point to Concannon’s new ownership. Young vines are sprouting up poles. Newly renovated event spaces are open. During Twilight Tunes on Thursday evenings, local musicians serenade guests sipping Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc and other new wines. 

“It is exciting to preserve the historic legacy of the Concannon family. We are focused on investing in the estate and vineyard redevelopment,” said Tom Lemmons, co-owner of Concannon with his wife Paige of Lemmons Family Vineyards. The couple purchased the Concannon property in November 2024 from The Wine Group, the second largest wine company in the U.S. 

A year and a half later, the Lemmons family expanded the wine experiences at Concannon by acquiring Cuda Ridge Winery from Larry and Margie Dino. Winemaker Larry Dino has crafted small lots of acclaimed Bordeaux style wines for 19 years in Livermore. The new Cuda Ridge Tasting Room will open a few steps from the Concannon tasting space on Aug. 1. 

Tom and Paige Lemmons are Livermore High School graduates and live a few miles from the winery. Though they had not previously been winegrowers or vintners, their love of wine motivated them to purchase two 20-acre properties on the Crane Ridge development in 2017. They planted grapevines and established Lemmons Family Vineyards.

The announcement on the sale of Concannon stated that the new owners were the Lemmonses of Lemmons Family Vineyards and Darcie and David Kent of the Darcie Kent Winery. The Kents’ role was defined as heading winery operations. 

The Kent winery team had experience at the property. David Kent served as CEO of The Wine Group from 2000 to 2012, and their winemaker had previously worked at TWG. 

But in January, the Kents announced that they would transition from Concannon on July 31; the change unexpectedly occurred in March.

What happened between the two sides during those 16 months of collaboration remains unclear — and is the central issue being disputed in legal proceedings between the parties that are making their way through Alameda County Superior Court. But as it stands now, the Lemmons family is alone in operating Concannon, and the Kents are no longer involved.

New visitor experiences

The new Cuda Ridge Tasting Room replaces the former Concannon wine club space across the courtyard from the main tasting entrance. Guests can sample Cuda Ridge award-winning Cabernet Franc and other acclaimed wines. Familiar decor from their previous Arroyo Road tasting room may include photos of Dino’s 1970 Plum Crazy Purple Plymouth Barracuda that inspired the name of the winery.

Tastings of Concannon wines are held on the terrace, in the tasting room, and on weekends, in the historic library. Pavillion seated tastings and picnics on the main lawn are available seasonally. Children are welcomed on three weekdays and during the monthly Second Sundays with Kids event on the lawn. 

Wine tastings for Club 1883, the rebranded Concannon wine club, are held in the lounge-style Members’ Estate Room at the back of the main tasting area. 

A locally owned outpost of the national Pedego electric bike company is located behind the Concannon tasting room building. Pedego e-bike rentals for the E-Bike Wine Country Tour listed on the Concannon website are an approachable way to explore Livermore Valley wine country and/or the Concannon estate. Post-ride Concannon wine tastings are reserved separately. 

Heidi Rasmussen, director of sales and hospitality, looks forward to a new series of wellness programs called The Senses. These sessions combine sensory elements such as the upcoming “Art of Blending” event with aroma experiences that relate to winemaking.

In spring 2027, Rasmussen will offer elevated tastings in the historic Victorian behind the main lawn. Vineyard tours via eight-seater golf carts and legacy walking tours are also planned.

Beyond tastings, Concannon hospitality now focuses on entertainment. On Thursday evenings, Twilight Tunes events present rotating music, wine, and food trucks. Rasmussen plans to hold indoor events in the cooler months with tribute bands performing music by Journey or Fleetwood Mac.

The Late Pour Comedy Night, a new monthly event in the Members’ Estate Room, has consistently sold out. A recent set by Tremaine Webb of San Ramon, one of three comedians performing that night, kept the crowd laughing.

Jamie Luu of Livermore has begun attending The Late Pour shows. A former Concannon wine club member, she dropped out when the former Underdog Lounge, located in the same room, closed in 2017.

“We have always loved the winery, the hospitality, the wine, and the grounds. We are glad to rejoin the club, receive the club discounts, and enjoy the shows,” Luu said.

With the popularity of The Late Pour and continued interest in winemaker restaurant dinners, Rasmussen hopes to start holding the comedy and dinner events in the event center’s Barrel Room.

Comprised of three diverse rooms and outdoor spaces, the event center will host community gatherings and weddings — an outdoor Olive Grove comprises an altar and covered bar area. A terrace outside The Bubbles Lounge faces a scenic Pinot Noir vineyard. The modern ambiance of the Vineyard Ballroom leads to the expansive Barrel Room with two 70-year-old, upright French casks standing tall at the back and oak barrels stacked along the walls.

During the annual TASTE: the Livermore Valley Wine Experience in mid-October, Concannon will host two major events at the event center: Taste our Terroir, the annual kick-off program, and Barrels and Bootleggers: A Speakeasy Wine Affair.

In 2027, the annual Founder’s Winemaker Dinner will be held in the event center on or around March 17th to honor James Concannon, the Irish immigrant who was born on St. Patrick’s Day and established the winery in 1883. 

Beyond club member release parties, public Cuda Ridge Winery events are also launching at Concannon. The popular Hippie Fest events will again feature peace signs, tie-dye, and rock ‘n’ roll bands on Memorial Day Weekend Sunday with more space to sip, reminisce and dance.

Future hospitality plans

Tom Lemmons’ background informs several upcoming hospitality offerings at Concannon.

At age 17, Lemmons wanted to be a firefighter and EMT like his dad, a retired battalion chief for the Alameda County Fire Department. He joined the Army, certified as an EMT and degreed in fire science. 

A decorated Army captain, he returned to active duty after 9/11 serving as a combat and medevac pilot in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Lemmons is already planning the second, large-scale Annual Memorial Appreciation Day for 2027. In May, he hosted the first event, highlighted by a Blackhawk helicopter landing in the empty field next to the Victorian house. Along with the local fire chief and police chief, Lemmons honored the on-hand first responders, veterans, their families and Gold Star Families.

In 2000, Lemmons established a fire sprinkler and alarm company. As the business evolved into a fire suppression and life safety design and installation endeavor, Lemmons acquired extensive experience in construction.

“After purchasing the two Crane Ridge properties, I considered constructing a winery there at some point, but the opportunity to own a historic winery was so attractive that we took that path,” he said.

The idea for a Livermore Valley Wine Country Center was referenced in the 2024 acquisition announcement.

“We’re tossing around names, but the LV Wine Center remains part of our long-term vision,” Lemmons said. “We see it as a community gathering place that may include a specialty sandwich shop, butcher shop, photography studio, Pedego e-bikes and tech startup office space. Our current target is to begin opening in late 2027 or early 2028.”

A longer-range centerpiece to the property is a boutique hotel to be constructed behind the wine production area. When asked for status on the project, Lemmons said, “We’re currently working through layouts, concepts and cost estimates with city officials.”

The Livermore Valley Wine Community supports Lemmons’ plans. “Having visitors stay overnight amidst our wine country would encourage guests to experience multiple wineries, restaurants, and local businesses, and help to showcase everything the Tri-Valley has to offer,” said Executive Director Brandi Lombardi.

Vineyard news

When TWG purchased Concannon in 2002, they relocated their corporate headquarters and consolidated some of their winery operations onsite. When Lemmons took over, the vineyards were not in top shape.

With a commitment to sustainable agriculture and plans to obtain organic certification, the winery approached the Tri-Valley Conservancy about revitalizing the vineyards. Given that the TVC mission promotes sustainable vineyards, Lemmons received the second Sponsored Replanting Program loan to support vineyard replanting. 

This year the Concannon team will replant about a third of the 150 projected acreage with Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc – Livermore Valley’s signature grapes.

In 1893, founder James Concannon brought grapevine cuttings from two famous Bordeaux wineries and planted them in what is now called the Cabernet Sauvignon Mother Vine Vineyard.

After serving in World War I, Capt. Joe Concannon, James’ son, returned to manage the vineyard and make wine during Prohibition under sacramental use regulations. 

Third generation vintner, Jim Concannon, made wine history in 1961 by bottling the first single varietal Petite Sirah in the world. The vintner collaborated with the University of California at Davis on another successful project. With cuttings from Concannon’s Mother Vine Vineyard, UC Davis developed virus-free clones (versions) of Cabernet Sauvignon grapevines. 

By the 1970s, vineyard planting of the new Concannon clones 7 and 8 locally and throughout Napa Valley and other wine regions jumpstarted the fame of California Cabernet Sauvignon.

The Concannon clones now comprise about 80% of the state’s Cabernet Sauvignon. Grapes from the half-acre Mother Vine Vineyard with its rare, thick-trunked vines are still harvested for special wines.

The upgraded winery and new wines

As TWG production ramped up the Livermore production for its numerous wine brands, a parade of grape-filled trucks lined up at harvest time for processing. The company built a large bottling plant to process six million cases of wine annually.

“Concannon wines are now about quality, not quantity,” said Lemmons, who plans to bottle about 32,000 cases in 2027. Currently selling wine only at the winery and through the wine club, Lemmons hopes to expand to companies such as BevMo in 2027.

To enhance wine quality, Lemmons has invested in new winery equipment. Concannon head winemaker Brett Fikse and his team now use an optical scanner to sort the best grapes and transfer them to a new grape press from France that handles the fruit more gently. 

Vice president Kevin Baskin has enabled smooth integration of the new equipment and optimization of the existing process. An experienced mechanical engineer and project manager, Baskin worked for TWG for 20 years, left briefly, and then returned to work with Lemmons in 2025.

Like Baskin, Fikse had worked at TWG and was appointed head winemaker of the Concannon brand in 2023 before joining Lemmons’ team. “I discovered the lure of wine and specifically Viognier at a tasting in Lodi. Now I am pleased to make Viognier as a single varietal wine,” Fikse said.

At the San Chronicle Wine Competition in January, Concannon won 17 awards for the 2023 and 2024 vintage of both red and white wines. New wines in the portfolio include a well-received Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc Blanc, Albariño, Grüner Vetliner and Clone 30 Cabernet Sauvignon. Fikse is especially keen about the reintroduction of Merlot as a standalone varietal wine. 

Dino looks forward to making Cuda Ridge wine at Concannon. “Before, my wine was literally handcrafted. At Concannon, we will remain a boutique operation with an opportunity to source more Concannon grapes, use the new equipment, and gradually ramp  up production,” he said.

Though Fikse is head winemaker at Concannon, Dino leads for Cuda Ridge and his wine will not become a Concannon taste-alike. Dino will offer a new release of a bestseller, Cuda Ridge Margo Rosé of Cabernet Franc. The vintner is crafting a new wine, L’Alliance, a blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, to honor the new relationship with Concannon. 

The two winemakers will collaborate on each step of the winemaking process while retaining their own wine styles. “I pick grapes earlier than Brett and make less fruit-forward wine,” Dino said.

Fikse agreed they have different experiences and perspectives on winemaking and added, “The biggest advantage of working together is that we learn from each other.”

With two talented winemakers, property upgrades, a new events calendar, sustainable grape growing practice and new wines, Tom and Paige Lemmons are poised to remake historic Concannon into a buzzworthy destination. Add in the longer-range hospitality plans, the new Concannon experience may have a significant impact on Livermore Valley wine country. 

Did you know? Concannon trivia 
* When Prohibition was repealed in 1933, Concannon was the first winery to ship wine to Seattle and other major cities.
* Katherine Vajda, one of the first technically trained woman winemakers in the U.S, served as Concannon’s lead winemaker during the 1950s.
* Concannon received a California Historical Landmark plaque in 1958. Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren attended the ceremony.
* President Ronald Reagan chose a bottle of Concannon Reserve 100 Year Anniversary Petite Sirah as America’s official gift to Ireland during his trip in 1964. 
* Concannon became one of the first California wineries to be certified sustainable in 2009.
* Prohibition-dated bottles of Concannon wine were donated to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History collection in 2014.
Photos of these events are available on the Concannon website, https://concannon.wine/gallery/.

Upcoming events
Twilight Tunes: Music, wine, and food trucks, Thursdays through August
Winemaker Dinner: Terra Mia Ristorante, Livermore, July 23
The Senses: Essential Oils & Wine: The Art of Blending, July 25
The Late Pour Comedy Night: July 31
Cuda Ridge Tasting Room Opening: Aug. 1
Sunset Estate Blocks E-bike Tour: Guided e-bike tour through estate vineyards
with Winemaker Brett Fikse, Aug. 9
Second Sunday with The Kids: Aug. 9.

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