Giovanni Gemello would be proud to taste his 1968 cabernet today

For those of us with decades in the wine trade, watching once-great estates experience meteoric rises only to fade away is a familiar heartbreak. I often think back to Château Woltner—founded by the former co-owners of Château La Mission Haut-Brion—whose Chardonnays were legendary in the 1980s and ‘90s. Or Villa Mt. Eden, an 1881 estate that produced extraordinary Cabernet Sauvignons in the 1970s. Others—Sterling, Franciscan, and Simi—survive in name only, hollowed-out shadows of their former glory.

When a friend recently opened a 1968 Gemello’s Cabernet Sauvignon, my mind drifted down this dusty trail of forgotten icons: ground-breaking producers who soared brilliantly in their prime, only to succumb to corporate buyouts, financial strain, or sheer exhaustion. It felt like a bittersweet loss, yet with every slow, deliberate sip, I felt a deep appreciation for the history in the glass—and for a wine that had managed to endure its own setbacks.

Gemello’s, whose apostrophe must be followed by “cabernet sauvignon” to be grammatically correct, was founded by Italian immigrant Giovanni Gemello in 1934 on a 55-acre parcel in Mountain View region of Santa Clara Valley. Although not an area that comes first to mind for cabernet sauvignon, producers such as Martin Ray, Mirassou, Almaden and Paul Masson were neighbors. Gemello, however, stood out in this odd crowd for making long-lived, extracted and muscular cabernet sauvignon. The 1968—brick colored with dried dark fruit, forest floor and anise, balanced and reflective of the generation—attested to the family’s success.

Sourcing grapes from mountain vineyards, including Santa Cruz Mountains, Giovanni’s son Mario made powerful cabernets from the late 1940s until it was purchased by Felice Winery in 1974. Family members continued to participate in the business, but eventually the label was folded into another winery in the 1980s. As Silicon Valley took off, the property was sold to a developer for housing and in 1989, all the historic buildings were razed.

No doubt there are more Gemello’s in cellars—a 1982 is currently on the market for $380. The 1968 I tasted–the winery’s “35^th Anniversary” bottling–is probably worth more than that.

Like other cabernet sauvignons made then, the alcohol is only 12 percent and the wine isn’t blended with other Bordeaux grape varieties. Although the label said “never oak,” Gemello was known to use neutral oak. It wasn’t until the late 1960s when winemakers such as Robert Mondavi introduced new French oak to the winemaking process.

Whenever I tasted these old wines, I wonder if the extracted, fruit-bombs made in Napa Valley today will enjoy the same success in 50 years—or will they fade along with the producers with their high critic scores and lofty prices?