Jim Concannon

Concannon Vineyard announced on Friday, October 16, 2026, that Jim Concannon had died that week at the age of 95. The exact date of death was not stated in the initial reports, and the company did not disclose a cause of death. The winery called him "one of the great pioneers of California winemaking" and said it was celebrating not only what he accomplished but the friendships he built and the lasting impression he left on those fortunate enough to know him.

He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Helen; his children Mary Lessard (Scott), Anna Marie Moore (Ken) and Paul Concannon (Robin); his grandchildren Shannon Lessard Merry (Bradley), Eric Lessard and Kyle Moore; his sister Nina Radisch (Jack); and nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. His eldest son, John, died in June 2025.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. on October 27, 2026, at St. Michael Catholic Church in Livermore, followed by a private graveside interment. A celebration of life will be by invitation only. His obituary says he will be remembered for his enduring love for his family and his lifelong dedication to the Livermore Valley.

James John Concannon was born on July 25, 1931, to Joseph and Nina Concannon and grew up in Livermore, California, on and around the vineyard his grandfather James Concannon, an immigrant from the Aran Islands of Ireland, had founded in 1883. His father, known as "Captain" Joe Concannon for his service in the First Cavalry, had kept the winery running through Prohibition by producing sacramental altar wine.

His winery biography notes that he held every title at Concannon, from water hauler to winemaker. As a child he spent the warm Livermore Valley summers carrying drinking water to the workers in the family vineyards.

Concannon attended St. Michael School and Livermore High School in Livermore. At Livermore High he played varsity basketball and proudly earned his letterman sweater before graduating in 1949. He then graduated from Saint Mary's College of California in 1953. After serving in the United States Army, he studied winemaking and chemistry at the University of California, Davis, before returning to the family winery.

Concannon became lead winemaker at Concannon Vineyard in 1960. During the 1960s his brother Joe oversaw the vineyards while Jim ran the winemaking. Petite Sirah, which his grandfather had planted in the early 1900s, was then used as a blending grape in the winery's Burgundy. Concannon set aside a small lot of the 1961 vintage and released it in 1964 as America's first varietally labeled Petite Sirah, a step he took together with his friend Denny Caldwell, a Southern California retailer.

In 1965, as head of research and development, he approached Dr. Harold Olmo of UC Davis about cloning the estate's Cabernet Sauvignon vines, which descended from cuttings imported from Chateau Margaux in 1893. With Olmo and Professor Curt Alley he took cuttings from a single vine, the Concannon Mother Vine. After heat treatment to remove viral disease, the vines were propagated at UC Davis and registered between 1970 and 1974 as Concannon Clones 7, 8 and 11.

After his brother Joe died unexpectedly, Jim took on full responsibility for the winery, and in the 1970s he led it as president. When the business was later sold to shore up its finances, he stayed on as winemaker and became the winery's ambassador to the trade and public, traveling the country to market Concannon wines. Under his watch the winery was named Winery of the Year by Wine and Spirits magazine in 1995 and 1997. In 2008 his son John took over leadership as fourth-generation vintner, while Jim remained involved as third-generation vintner and keeper of the family story.

Concannon was married to Helen Concannon for 66 years. They had four children: John, Mary, Anna Marie and Paul. Their eldest son, John Concannon, who led the winery as fourth-generation vintner from 2008, died on June 20, 2025, at age 64 after a ten-year battle with brain cancer. Jim was known around the winery as "Mr. C."

A lifelong Catholic, he was a longtime member of St. Michael Catholic Church in Livermore and served on its parish board. He was an active Rotarian and a multi-time grand marshal of the Livermore Rodeo Parade.

Concannon believed early that California could become a world-class wine region at a time when California wine drew little global attention. He championed Petite Sirah as a wine worthy of standing on its own rather than serving only as a blending grape, and he credited the Livermore Valley's gravelly soil, which he compared to the Rhone and Graves districts of France.

He also cared deeply about protecting farmland from urban development. He spent 25 years on the Zone 7 Water Agency board and in 1994 helped found the South Livermore Valley Agricultural Land Trust, later the Tri-Valley Conservancy. In his own words, the winery's roots were in the beginnings of California's wine industry, and its future rested on continuing to innovate and make the best wines possible from Livermore's rocky soil.

Concannon's 1964 release turned Petite Sirah into a recognized American varietal. At his 80th birthday celebration in 2011, Petite Sirah advocate Jo Diaz noted that the number of producers had grown from a handful to more than 800, and credited Concannon's groundbreaking work. Grower Ken Wilson said about 7,500 acres of the grape were then planted in California.

The Concannon Clones 7, 8 and 11, developed through his collaboration with UC Davis, became some of the most widely planted Cabernet Sauvignon selections in California. Concannon Vineyard estimates that about 80 percent of the state's Cabernet Sauvignon is planted to them. In announcing his death, the winery said his work "helped shape the wines we know and enjoy today."

In 2007 the California Exposition and State Fair presented Concannon with its Lifetime Achievement Award, citing his industry leadership in developing Cabernet Clones 7, 8 and 11. In 2010 The Tasting Panel magazine named him Man of the Year. Under his leadership the winery was named Winery of the Year by Wine and Spirits magazine in 1995 and 1997. In July 2011 the Petite Sirah advocacy group PS I Love You held its ninth annual Petite Sirah Symposium at Concannon Vineyard alongside a celebration of his 80th birthday and 50 years of American Petite Sirah.

Concannon appeared in winery and wine media videos explaining the history of Petite Sirah and the Concannon family, including a 2011 Stark Insider TV segment filmed at his 80th birthday celebration and Concannon Vineyard's own film of him discussing Petite Sirah. His son John named the 2011 Petite Sirah based blend Crimson and Clover as a tribute to him, the crimson for the wine's color and the clover for the family's Irish heritage.