“Thank goodness the potatoes failed…”

– The Bogle Family

“My grandfather planted potatoes … and all his potatoes died and he called another farmer … So, the farmer comes up and looks at his potatoes and looks at the soil and says ‘well, I’m not sure why your potatoes died but you should be growing grapes, not potatoes’. They were pioneers and planted the first grapes in Clarksburg”

– Warren Bogle, 6th Generation Farmer

Six Generations of Farmers

1st Generation
The first Bogle to come west was Captain AJ Bogle, an infantryman in the Civil War, who traveled to the California Delta from his family’s homestead in Tennessee in the late 1870’s. He brought his nephew Samuel and together they set down our first roots farming cherries, peaches and pears.

2nd Generation
Samuel married into a local family when he married Anna Meyers and began farming additional lands on Grand Island. He and Anna planted more acres of orchard to continue supplying foods for the growing population of San Francisco which was booming due to the Gold Rush. Samuel and Anna had several children, one of whom was Vernon Bogle.

3rd Generation
Vernon continued farming the lands settled by AJ and Samuel, eventually marrying a school teacher, Ruby Frances Shambaugh. During the Great Depression the farm did not produce enough revenue to sustain the family and the Bogles lost their original holdings of land on Grand Island. To keep the family together and put food on the table, Vernon and Ruby Frances moved to Merritt Island, just south of Clarksburg where they became tenant farmers.

4th Generation
It was Vernon’s son Warren, in the 4th generation, who was able to set down roots again when he purchased 8 acres on Merritt Island after he returned from serving in WWII. Warren focused on growing row crops like wheat, safflower and corn. It wasn’t until 1968 that Warren and his son Chris planted our first 20 acres of wine grapes on our Home Ranch. For 10 years, the family grew grapes for other wineries, then releasing the wine under their own label in 1978. The original winery, constructed in 1979, still stands today.

5th Generation
In 1989, Warren’s son Chris and his wife Patty undertook the winery project in earnest. Chris farmed, while Patty did the books at night, with offices in the family home. Chris proudly grew the winegrape farming operation, reaching his goal of 1,000 acres before he passed away in 1997. Upon his death, Patty dove in, taking over all winery management and leading a core team of staff, many of whom are still at the winery today.

6th Generation
Named for his grandfather, Warren returned to the ranch to take over the vineyard manager duties in 1997. Jody came back to the family business full-time in 1999 to manage the new tasting room and customer relations. Ryan returned to the business in 2007 with an interest in finances. The three siblings continue to work in the day-to-day operations of the winery, with the same dedication and passion as the generations before them.

Enduring Wisdom

Our parents and grandparents taught us the value of a hard day’s work, that you don’t quit till the job is done, and to leave the land better for future generations.