T.J. Rodgers plans winery, vineyard west of Skyline T.J. Rodgers plans winery, vineyard west of Skyline (March 20, 2002)

By Marion Softky

Almanac Staff Writer

T.J. Rodgers of Woodside, CEO of Cypress Semiconductor, wants to produce the world's best pinot noir at a new winery west of Skyline.

On March 3, Mr. Rodgers gained unanimous approval from the San Mateo County Planning Commission for the first phase of a winery and vineyard to be located on 173 acres, two miles down Langley Hill Road from Skyline Boulevard, just above La Honda.

After a two-hour hearing, the commission OK'd a grading permit to move 31,185 cubic yards of dirt to improve and extend the road a mile past Langley Hill Quarry, and to drill three caves 300 feet into the hill to house the winery operation.

The caves would range from 23 to 34 feet wide, and 17 to 23 feet high. In descending order _ so that wine could flow downhill without pumps _ the caves would house fermentation tanks, barrels, and bottling facilities. There would also be space for offices and a bunkhouse for temporary workers at harvest time.

Almost 19,000 cubic yards of earth excavated for the three caves would be placed elsewhere on the property in an engineered fill.

Commissioners were impressed by Mr. Rodgers' computerized presentation. The winery he described would be a conservationist's dream _ no buildings, no plowing, no chemicals, no pumps, no additives, water conservation, solar energy, and hand-picked grapes _ and expense no object. He even proposed a machine with prosthetic feet to crush the grapes gently, without using a mechanical crusher that would bruise them.

"This will be my second career after the Silicon Valley wars," Mr. Rodgers said. "My goal is to win 'Best Pinot Noir' awards, and to win environmental awards."

Commissioners, who had entered the hearing with substantial environmental qualms, were impressed. "In 27 years of government, I've never heard a better presentation," said Commissioner Jon Silver.

Mr. Rodgers expects to be back before the commission this summer for the second phase of the project: a use permit for the winery and some 70 acres of vineyards. He also wants a zoning amendment to allow him to produce 10,000 cases of wine per year; county rules now permit 2,500 cases per year.
Issues

Eight speakers, mostly favorable, addressed such issues as the size of the project, removal of trees and native plants to widen the road, water, noise, dust and fences.

"This is going to be a quality vineyard. The caves will have absolutely no impact on neighbors," said winemaker Robert Mullin of Woodside.

Lennie Roberts of the Committee for Green Foothills was impressed with her visit to the project. "What impressed me was the extraordinary and exemplary erosion-control measures," she said. "This proposal could serve as a model."

Cathy and David Crane of nearby Yerba Buena Nursery fear the project is much too big and will harm native plants and wildlife. "The scale of this project is too big for the road," said Mr. Crane. "It's of the same scope as a 300-house development."

Speaking to the Almanac later, Mrs. Crane worried that many people had not read the full environmental report detailing huge impacts on native plants and animals. "My main concern is the removal of native vegetation," she said. "It's heartbreaking to think of all this being bulldozed.

"It opens the door to other development," Mrs. Crane added. "So far we are not Napa Valley, with wall-to-wall people, and wall-to-wall vineyards."

One of the main impacts would be the grading of more than 12,000 cubic yards of earth to widen the last mile of the road from 10 to 16 feet to meet requirements of the California Division of Forestry (CDF).

Mrs. Roberts suggested using a guide for creative road design that would allow the road to be improved, with more sensitivity and less tree removal. Mr. Rodgers and county officials enthusiastically agreed to work with CDF to minimize disturbance to the land, while still providing for safe access for trucks and emergency vehicles.
State of the art

Mr. Rodgers described how he planned to plant 70 acres of grapes without plowing up grass, weeds and sod.

Combining technologies developed in France and Germany, Mr. Rodgers has had a small tractor designed and built that can ride up and down the hills drawn by cable. A worker can sit on it and drill holes to plant the grapevines individually, without disturbing the natural vegetation, he said. The tractor has won a gold prize for innovative machinery at a French wine festival. "It's unique in the world," he said.

Mr. Rodgers has already planted 14 acres of grapes and is testing pinot noir grape stock and clones from France on different parts of his land to find the best locations to grow each.

The land is particularly good for pinot noir grapes, Mr. Rodgers said. The climate is cooler than in Napa, and "we have thin, rocky, infertile soil, which is ideal for the vineyard."