|
History
O’Neill Vineyards has been a producer of high quality grapes in the Paso Robles area since 1982. Over the years, we have been a local supplier of grapes for many wineries in the area as well as wineries in Napa,
Sonoma, Mendicino, and Lake County. What started out as a 20-acre experiment in 1982 has now grown into 150 acres planted with nine varieties. O’Neill Vineyards has always been family owned and operated and
is dedicated to producing only the highest quality fruit for our wines and for those who contract to buy our grapes. Cabernet Sauvignon is why O’Neill Vineyards has become so well known, but we also currently grow
Merlot, Syrah, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Sangiovese, Chardonnay, Muscat Canelli, and Malvasia Bianca. O’Neill Vineyards consists of over 180 acres, with vines spread across several different soil types and
microclimates. Although it has taken years of fine-tuning, many improvements have been made in the vineyard to maximize these different conditions. In 1997 we switched to a vertical shoot position trellis
system, and employed canopy management techniques such as leaf, shoot, and cluster thinning to reduce yields and open up the canopy. Soil and water management has also become a top priority. Paso Robles area soils
commonly need annual amendments and pH adjustments, in order to maintain proper nutrient uptake and overall vine health. The results have been a dramatic increase in quality reflected in the wines made from these
grapes. There is also a five-acre experimental vineyard on the property, dedicated to varietal, rootstalk, and clonal experimentation. The grapes from these vines are used for small-scale winemaking experiments as
well.
Shannon O’Neill is the President and Winemaker for Maloy O’Neill Vineyards Inc and is Vice President and Vineyard Manager for O’Neill Vineyards Inc. He currently manages 180 acres of vineyards at two
sites and has been actively developing new vineyards in the area. Shannon has been involved in the family business for over 15 years and wears many hats running the two corporations. Shannon received a degree
from the University of California at Davis in Fermentation Science. Coming from a mainly science background, Shannon has always worked in the research and development field. To make extra money while in college, he
did internships in the chemistry labs developing solar panels for Atlantic Richfield Corporation and in Research and Development for Chevron Chemical Company. He also did crush and cellar work for local wineries
during harvest and post harvest periods as well as running the harvest for the family vineyard. After college Shannon worked for Chevron Chemical Co. for a few more years before going to work doing industrial
fermentation research and development for a Biotechnology Company in the Silicon Valley. After years of downstream processing and filtration experiments, Shannon has come full circle, and is now running the family
business, the new winery, and various development projects. Shannon has made wine from every vintage O’Neill Vineyards has produced since its first partial crop in 1984. Since then he has done many experiments on
all aspects of grape growing and wine making from these vineyards and their grapes. Shannon is always looking for ways to improve in the vineyard and in his resulting winemaking techniques. “Only after many years
do you start to figure out what works and what doesn’t.” It is this experience that allows Shannon to bring out the most possible in his wines to distinguish different site-specific vineyards, and the grapes
that grow in them.
|
