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Two prominent families in the Livermore Valley’s viticulture world are now the new owners and operators of the historic Concannon Vineyard after acquiring the property for an undisclosed price from The Wine Group.
The 230-acre, 141-year-old winery and vineyard in southeast Livermore was purchased by Lemmons Family Vineyards and Darcie Kent Winery in a sale announced by the new owners Thanksgiving week as a “new beginning” for the property that they said will nonetheless maintain its character and distinctive features and benefit all parties involved.
“The sale of Concannon supports The Wine Group’s continuous focus on aligning our portfolio to our long-term goals,” said John Sutton, CEO of The Wine Group in a press release from Darcie Kent. “We’re honored to have played a role in Concannon’s rich history and are pleased to sell it to local winegrowers who will continue to build on the legacy of one of Livermore’s foundational wineries. We look forward to watching the brand’s continued success in the Livermore Valley Wine Community and beyond.”
The new owners said they were attracted to the property and excited about the deal thanks to an existing “immense respect and admiration for Concannon’s long history of world class winemaking,” with the two families and the vineyard itself all being longtime fixtures in the Livermore wine scene.
“Rest assured that everything you love about your experience at Concannon Vineyard will remain the same – the same amazing wines, the same gorgeous tasting room and patio, the same top-notch service, and the same unforgettable events,” the two families said in a joint statement to Concannon members. “The Concannon hospitality team is staying in place under the new ownership and will continue to offer the same great experiences.”
While they anticipate to continue with “business as usual” for customers, the new owners are looking toward some changes in their operations at the property at 4590 Tesla Road.
“We will be phasing out the international bottling operations and concentrate on re-planting the vineyards to the historic grape varietals, such as Cab Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, that made Livermore famous in the 1880s without losing sight of Concannon’s pioneering efforts with Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah,” Tom Lemmons and Paige Lemmons said in the Nov. 25 press release.
“We will bring back organic farming techniques and hope to repurpose the 60,000 square foot bottling pavilion as the long-awaited Livermore Valley Wine Country Center to provide high-quality maker space for small family wineries and the visitor-attracting amenities that were envisioned when the Agricultural Preserve was created in 1991 but are still missing,” they continued.
For their part, David Kent and Darcie Kent are set to take charge of Concannon’s winery operations, announcing that they will retain the estate’s existing hospitality team and that they plan to relocate their second winery, Almost Famous Wine Company, to the former Wine Group headquarters on the property by the middle of next year, as well as installing state-of-the-art equipment.
“To better serve our neighbors, we hope to provide much needed custom crush and storage capacity to local winegrowers by next harvest,” the Kents said.
David Kent was CEO of The Wine Group during its acquisition of Concannon in 2004, with his tenure in the position starting in 2000 and ending in 2012, at which point he became CEO of Darcie Kent Vineyards, then of Almost Famous Wine Company in 2020, according to LinkedIn.
Although wine is the common thread between the Kent, Lemmons and Concannon families – historic preservation is another goal the three families share, with the restored and preserved winery being marked as a California Registered Historic Landmark.
“We plan to meet with City and Tri-Valley Conservancy staff soon and discuss how best to proceed,” John Godkin, Tom Lemmons’ father-in-law and a key player in the acquisition deal, said in the press release. “This will be an exciting new chapter for this cornerstone brand.”
