Concannon introduced Petite Sirah
First winery to bottle it as varietal
The Livermore Valley and the wine world lost one of its kindest and humble ambassadors when Jim Concannon went home to meet his maker Oct. 12, 2026, at the age of 95.
I had the privilege of knowing Jim for literally decades starting in the 1980s. He’s the grandson of Concannon Winery founder James Concannon who established it in 1883, the same year that Carl H. Wente established his namesake winery. Our newspaper, with the encouragement of both families, ran a celebrity grape stomp as part of the centennial celebration in downtown Livermore in 1983.
I sat with Jim and Donna Wilcox, the general manager of the winery, in 1983 after the centennial celebration when they explained that the family had to sell the winery. Jim’s brother, Joe, had died suddenly at age 50 in 1978 and the government was demanding taxes and their capital was tied up in the land and winery on Tesla Road. That sale launched a series of subsequent sales, the best of which for Jim was when The Wine Group purchased it as its flagship brand. It was then headed by his neighbor down Tesla Road David Kent. Kent re-engaged Jim actively with the winery as its key ambassador, a role he enjoyed for several years.
Like Wente family members, Jim served on the Zone 7 water board, overseeing water imported from the San Joaquin Delta that solved the valley’s long-term water problems when it came online in the 1960s. Jim served on that board for 25 years and steadfastly resisted encouragement to consider a run for the Livermore City Council. He also was a long-time Livermore Rotarian as well as active member and parish board member of St. Michael’s Catholic Church.
When it comes to the wine industry, Jim’s legacy goes well beyond the winery bearing his family name. His grandfather, James Concannon, imported Bourdeaux cuttings from Chateau Marguax and Chateau d’Yquem. After taking over as winemaker in 1960s, Jim worked with UC Davis to develop three Cabernet Sauvignon clones, 7.8 and 11 that account for about 80% of the varietal in California today.
He also recognized that Petite Sirah, widely used as a blending wine, could stand alone as a varietal and released the 1961 vintage in 1964. He’s considered the “Father of Petite Sirah” and recognized as the first thanks to detailed records kept by his wife, Helen. They’ve been married 66 years.
President Ronald Reagan thrust the winery into the diplomatic world when he took two nine-liter Salmanazar bottles of Petite Sirah to Ireland in 1983 as official gifts.
Jim aged his Petite Sirah years, which allowed a unique Thanksgiving Weekend open house where you could taste 5 or 6 vintages from the barrel. That approach was retired after the sale when red wines shifted to being released three years after harvest, the typical industry practice.
The last time I saw Jim was at a remarkable vertical tasting of Petite Sirah organized by Jim Walz. He’d saved cases in temperature-controlled storage so he managed to pour tastes of all 40 vintages. It was a remarkable tasting and evening, made even better because I was sitting by Jim who managed his mobility challenges to attend. Walz, when he lived in Livermore, was a fellow Rotarian with Jim.
Jim always concluded conversations with “God bless you.” That summed up his view of people and the world.
