Avenue Vine

The Winery and its 146 acres, said Therese Corea, vice president of Weyrich Development and daughter of David and Mary Weyrich. Corea manages several of the family’s local winery and hospitality companies.

“Martin and Weyrich has always been our primary winery,” Corea said. “We’ve decided it’s really not fair to York Mountain.”

The Weyrichs are the third owners of the brick-and-stone winery York built when the Indiana native planted vineyards on the eastern slopes of the Santa Lucia Mountains.

The York family sold the property to father-and-son team Max and Steve Goldman in the early 1970s. They rebuilt the wine operation, which had fallen into disrepair, and ran it for 30 years.

The Goldmans petitioned for the formation of the 30- square-mile York Mountain viticultural area, which is marked by cooler, wetter weather than the larger Paso Robles region to its east.

In 2001, the Goldmans sold the winery and label to avoid facing a then-$2 million retrofit that was mandated by the county.

Before the property was listed, the Weyrichs made an offer. At the time, their representatives said they wanted to keep the vineyard from being sold to a buyer from outside the area. They announced plans to restore the tasting room, open a bed and breakfast in the two-story house the Goldmans had lived in and replant the vineyards with pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon.

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“The vineyards had been in bad shape. We took them out so the ground could recover,” Corea said.

The San Simeon Earthquake in December 2003 “didn’t do it any good,” she added. But earthquake damage is minimal, said Pete Dakin, owner of RE/MAX Parkside Real Estate, who is handling the listing.

“The issue is the retrofit,” he said, adding that the exact cost of that would depend on buyers’ plans for the property.

Martin&Weyrich maintained York Mountain’s licenses and produces 5,000 cases a year for the label from vineyards in other areas. The tasting room also remains open in a trailer on the oak-studded property.

Martin&Weyrich’s production has increased to 85,000 cases a year, Corea said, with distribution nationwide and in Canada, Europe and China.

The York Mountain brand is included in the listing. At least half of the land, which includes steep slopes, is easily plantable, said Corea, who added that Martin&Weyrich can provide its vineyard plans.

The remaining wine inventory is not included in the sale price, but Corea expects buyers to be interested in the case goods too. Some of the wines have earned medals at international tastings—a factor that influences many wine buyers.

With grape prices on the upswing, Dakin is confident about finding a buyer for the property that has been on the market a few weeks.

About York Mountain Winery:
At the end of a sun-dappled roadway, nestled among old arching oaks and thick Spanish moss, you'll discover a Central Coast treasure called York Mountain Winery. In 1882, apple farmer, Andrew York, discovered his soil and climate were ideal for growing grapes -- thus York Mountain Winery was born.

After nearly 90 years, the York's sold the winery in 1970 to winemaker Max Goldman. The Goldman's continued the family winemaking tradition for more than three decades. The family transitions in ownership have made York Mountain Winery the oldest winery in continuous operation.

In 2001, the local landmark was purchased by David and Mary Weyrich, owners of the award winning Martin & Weyrich Winery & Tasting Room. Their appreciation of York Mountain's heritage and their knowledge of the local wine industry helps ensure that the end of the road doesn't mean the end of the line for the region's most historic winery.

Though located just seven miles west of Highway 101 along scenic Highway 46 West in Templeton, its climate and soil conditions are so unique that the York Mountain appellation is one of the smallest recognized in the state of California. Here the sun is always shining brightly while the breeze gently brings in the cool coastal air. This unique combination of cool climate and low vigor hillside soils creates wines that possess a perfumed elegance not found elsewhere.

About Martin&Weyrich Winery:
The Martin and Weyrich families were among the first to recognize the tremendous potential of the Paso Robles Viticultural Appellation.

It all started on April Fool’s Day. 1981. Despite there being only a handful of wineries in the area, the family had a vision, and purchased an 83-acre parcel of land on Buena Vista Drive, the site of an old dairy farm. They immediately set about the arduous task of building a winery, so that it would be ready in time for harvest of that year.

That move proved to be anything but foolish. Initially setting out to grow and produce Nebbiolo, the noble red grape of the Piedmont region of Italy, it wasn’t long before the winery was also making Sangiovese, Primativo (the Italian name for Zinfandel), Muscat Canelli, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. Within a few short years, the winery became known as one of the country’s premier producers of Italian varietals.

In 1998 David and Mary (Martin) Weyrich purchased the winery from their siblings. Today, along with their eight children, the Weyrich’s continue to build on the brand’s already impressive reputation. The focus is now even more international - Martin & Weyrich produces varieties from not only Italy but also France, Spain and Portugal.

“I’m just hoping whoever buys it is somebody who’s enamored with the special historic nature of it,” Corea said. “We felt bad for not devoting time to it.”

Source: “Historic Paso Robles winery up for sale again,” Raven J. Railey, San Luis Oispo Tribune, July. 11, 2008