Years ago, Bob Leidigh and Barbara Leidigh (nee Williams) were both entering freshmen at UC Davis. They came from different locales and different backgrounds. They met Homecoming Weekend at the pre-game dance at Freeborn Hall (then known as "The Pajamarino”). Soon thereafter, they were actively dating and then going steady. Today, nearly sixty years later, they are still a couple. 

After both Bob and Barbara completed their studies and earned multiple degrees from UC Davis, they settled in the Sacramento area to pursue their careers. Eventually they purchased a one-acre parcel of land that Bob's parents had owned. On that land was a grape arbor with four large Concord grape vines that had been planted by Bob's parents. In the summer of 1980, while traveling to Glacier National Park, Bob and Barbara had an overnight visit at the home of one of Bob's law school classmates and his family. Ed Conry was teaching business law at Utah State University. Ed was Catholic and accustomed to Communion and Sacramental wine.  Utah was a dry state so Ed developed the ability to produce his own wine from reconstituted grapes. Ed shared the wine with Bob and Barbara during dinner. 

The wine was not spectacular, but Bob realized that if Ed could make drinkable wine from reconstituted grapes, they should be able to do better with fresh grapes from the arbor in their own backyard. After returning home, Bob got a book on home winemaking and harvested the Concord grapes and made some wine. While not great, it was drinkable. Bob was hooked! 

By the next harvest, Bob learned of the Sacramento Home Winemakers by visiting their booth at the California State Fair. From them, he learned of ways to get traditional (vinifera) wine grapes from local sources. For the next vintage, Bob and Barbara made three wines: a white Concord, a red Zinfandel, and a red Barbera. Although not great, each was drinkable and it was a fun, learning experience. Then Bob learned about a UC Davis Extension course on Small Scale Winemaking. He signed up to take the course prior to the 1982 harvest.  He learned various techniques and learned of more sources for traditional wine grapes to make home wine. 

Because of the State Fair connection, Bob learned of the Fair’s Home Wine Competition. In 1983, he and Barbara made some wines that were entered into that competition. The 1982 White Concord, grown in their backyard, won a Silver Medal at the California State Fair.  Bob was hooked, yet again!

Over the next 34 years, Bob took at least 25 UC Davis Extension courses focused on vineyard design, trellising, pruning harvesting, and winemaking. These courses ranged from a focus on small operations to commercial endeavors in the wine industry. All were valuable.  In one instance, Bob recalls being amazed at the fact he was sitting in on a course that was being attended by professional winemakers from around the world! Such is the reputation of the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology. There were attendees from New Zealand, Canada, Oregon, Washington, and several other states. All had spent significant sums to travel to Davis for a weekend course, but Bob had only driven one hour to gain the same expert knowledge. 

On the other side of the wine world, while traveling in France with two other UC Davis friends, the Leidighs had a tour of Chateau Haut Brion in the famous Haut Medoc Bordeaux wine region.  When it became known that they were affiliated with UC Davis, they were introduced to a graduate of the Department of Viticulture and Enology, working in an internship at the winery. She proceeded to provide them with a thorough tutorial on the winemaking processes going on during their visit.

After relocating to five acres in the Sierra Foothills, the Leidigh's planted a small vineyard, consisting of 20 varietals, to continue to experiment with home winemaking and determine what would grow best on their site. Over time, the vineyard expanded with additional plantings, and some varietals that did not perform well were replaced.

When problems arose with an imported infestation of Western Grape Leaf Hoppers, Bob was put in touch by a friend (a graduate student in Entomology) with a UC Davis professor of Entomology who was doing extensive research in that subject. The professor was developing some organic pesticide sprays to control this nuisance and Bob worked with the professor to do experimental spraying on their vines. This was particularly useful for the research because of the large number of varieties of vines immediately adjacent to each other in the vineyard. 

Later, a UC Davis graduate student in Viticulture conducted experiments using sap samples from the vineyard. The student was trying to determine why the Glassy Wing Sharpshooter apparently was not as significant a pest in foothill vineyards as it was in the Central Valley. With Bob's assistance, the graduate student collected sap samples to test the thesis. Again, the wide selection of varietals in one small plot made the Leidighs' vineyard particularly useful.

Eventually, after the Leidighs won hundreds of awards in multiple home winemaking competitions, Bob "got the bug" and chose to go commercial. He went through the rigorous process of obtaining local, state, and federal permits to be a licensed, bonded winery.  He describes it as smaller than a boutique winery and smaller than even a craft winery.  It was a nano winery. It was limited to no more than 250 cases per year of production and all the grapes had to be grown on the Leidighs' property. That qualified the wines as estate grown and thus Bob copyrighted the title:  California's Most Exclusive Estate Winery. 

When the 2008-2012 recession hit, along with the passing of elderly parents, Bob closed the winery.  At that point, the vineyard—although very small—was producing more grapes than Bob could use to make the maximum allowable as a home winemaker. So, Bob began selling grapes to other home winemakers and also donated grapes to UC Davis students who were involved with the Davis Enology and Viticulture Organization (DEVO), a student-run organization of the Department of Viticulture and Enology and avid home-winemakers.

When Bob finally decided to remove the vineyard because of the desire to travel and his advancing age, he donated a portion of his small-scale, professional grade winemaking equipment to DEVO for the use of UC Davis Enology students. 

Although fully retired from grape growing and winemaking, Bob and Barbara remain highly interested in the "fruit of the vine" and love attending various RMI events, seminars, and wine tastings. Consequently, they have chosen to give back to the Robert Mondavi Institute by providing financial support.

We are grateful for Bob and Barbara’s continued support of the Robert Mondavi Institute and for being long-standing members of the RMI Friends program.

To learn how to become a Friend of the Robert Mondavi Institute, visit our webpage.