By Bethany BROWN

In 1885, immigrant French winemaker – Georges Le Mesnager – purchased land in the Dunsmore Canyon area of La Crescenta, now known as Deukmejian Wilderness Park. He planted vines and grew grapes for a winery he opened and ran in downtown Los Angeles … until Prohibition hit. He further developed the land with the help of his son Louis who in 1905 began building a stone barn for their winemaking business; the stone barn was at the time used primarily as a storage facility.

The Le Mesnager family rebuilt the stone barn after it was nearly destroyed by a fire in 1933. They added living quarters on the second floor so that they could move onto the property. They lived there from 1937 to 1960 and tended to the vines Georges had first planted.

While the original vines are no longer there, the City of Glendale remodeled the park in 2005 and planted a commemorative vineyard to honor the Le Mesnager family. The city suggested the Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley could hold various events there – tours, tastings, community building – specifically about the history of the land and also develop wine with the produced crop. Thus the Stone Barn Vineyard Conservancy (SBVC) was born.

The group maintains the 81 grapevines planted on the property by regularly pruning and harvesting the crops once a year. They use the harvest to produce as many bottles as they can of various wines that they then gift to members of the Conservancy.

Stuart Byles said he and several volunteers were surprised to find not a single grape when they arrived on-site in September 2021 to harvest the year’s crop. Byles heads up the Conservancy and joked that they “have a lot of four-legged creatures that like to come and help themselves” but also noted they have never seen the vines completely devoid of grapes until September.

“Usually, they share at least a little bit with us,” Byles said. “We’re out in a wilderness park, so it’s just the way of things but my hope for next season is that we’ll have another good crop and get to it before the bears do, although I’m sure they’re already licking their chops waiting.”

Byles, with the help of a few volunteers, pruned the vines last week – as they do every January or February – because it is when the vines are dormant. Pruning helps to maintain them, keep them healthy and ensure they do not become overgrown. Volunteers plan to prune them again in May or June before attempting another harvest in late August or early September this year.

There are three main grapes grown in the vineyard, all of which are red: Abouriou or “early Burgundy” to Californians, Red Flame (table grape) and Alicante Bouschet. Byles said their heaviest producer, Alicante, is a widely known wine grape from France, most often used commercially as a colorant when companies want to make the color of the wine look deeper and darker. Additionally, it provides an unmistakable bold and smoky flavor.

After the 2009 Station Fire burned much of Dunsmore Canyon, a SBVC member was hiking up in the hills and came across a wild grapevine that had popped out of the burnt wreckage. They harvested as many cuttings as they could and sent the leaves and structure to UC Davis Center for Plant Diversity herbarium where it was confirmed to be a Burger grape. The white grape, which was popular in the 19^th century, was determined to be a sprouting vine from one of the original Le Mesnager vines. The cuttings were planted into the vineyard and have since been growing alongside the others.  

“We encourage people who are interested in the history and the preservation of the vineyard to become members of the conservancy,” Byles said. “As part of their membership, they get two or three bottles of freshly made wine, depending upon the harvest that year.”

Membership is $40 a year and each donation aids in funding the vineyard, ensuring it will continue to thrive for years to come. Members receive periodic newsletters, advance notice of special events, field trips and classes and invitations for hands-on participation in the winemaking process.

Anyone interested in becoming a member of the Stone Barn Vineyard Conservancy or volunteering to assist with the summer pruning – all are welcome – can contact Stuart Byles at stuartisan3304@gmail.com.