Charles and Helen Bacigalupi’s journey into winemaking began in the 1950s when they moved to Healdsburg after college, with Charles working as a local dentist and Helen as a pharmacist. In 1956, they purchased 121 acres on Westside Road, where Charles began tending the existing vineyards. A friendship with Paul Heck, who brought his family to Charles’s dental practice, sparked conversations about grape growing, eventually leading Charles to plant six acres each of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in 1964. The Pinot Noir bud wood, obtained from Karl Wente, marked the first documented Pinot Noir plantings in the Russian River Valley, laying the foundation for a vineyard legacy.

The Bacigalupi family gained international recognition in 1976 when their grapes contributed to the 1973 Château Montelena Chardonnay, which won the Paris tasting, transforming America’s global wine reputation. Today, with three generations involved and winemaker Ashley Herzberg at the helm, the family produces Bacigalupi label wines using a small portion of their estate-grown grapes. These wines are showcased at their tasting room on Westside Road, continuing the legacy that began nearly seven decades ago.