South Valley Magazine August 14-20, 2020

THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF MORGAN HILL, GILROY & SAN MARTIN

AUGUST 14, 2020

Ranch Life A supplement to the Gilroy Dispatch & Morgan Hill Times

BATES FAMILY SELLING HISTORIC VINEYARD P2

GARDENING P4 | HOME OF THE WEEK P6 | REAL ESTATE P7

the

cowboy legend lives on

BY LAURA NESS

AUGUST 14, 2020 | SANBENITO.COM | SOUTHVALLEY.COM

Bates Ranch, steeped in family history, is for sale

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bove his mask, this cowboy’s eyes match the blue skies overhead. He wears his father’s pearl-buttoned shirt with pride. Dust-covered boots carry his lanky frame across the broad graveled patio of the family house like a Western movie star. Only Charlie Bates is no actor. He’s a bona fide cowboy, horse lover, rancher and grape farmer. His parents bought this place in 1958 when he was just 5 years old, and it has been a part of his soul since.

On historic Redwood Retreat Road, at the foot of Mount Madonna, Bates Ranch is also called Janaca: a composite of the initials of his father Jack, mother Nancy, Charles himself, sister Cathy and brother John.

Charlie’s parents, Jack, a renowned trial attorney with San

Francisco-based Pillsbury Madison & Sutro law firm, and mother, Nancy Witter, whose father helped establish the brokerage firm Dean Witter & Co., fell in love with the place and bought what was then a 700-acre parcel for $125,000. The two enjoyed riding horseback and running cattle. The now 1,000-acre ranch, which is still home to a herd, along with 22 acres of wine grapes, is currently listed at just north of $14 million and would make someone with cowboy aspirations and a love of vines, very happy.

Although it was a difficult decision to sell the family ranch when his mother passed away, Charlie wants nothing more than to share his love of this piece of dirt, where he raised his family and taught his three daughters how to ride, rope and brand. The family home, a four-bed, four-bath

stunner by architect William Wurster, former Dean of the UC Berkeley School of Architecture and the School of Environmental Design, is an homage to the western lifestyle. Huge floor to ceiling windows take in the views of the serene setting, framed by heritage oaks and tranquil gardens. A bench Charlie’s grandmother gave to his grandfather reads, “Happiness May Be Pursued While Resting.”

Inside, the walls are adorned with original art evocative of early California, including a piece by Marin artist Stan Galli, “The Three Californians.” Galli later created the label for the Bates Family wines that depicts a rancher on horseback surveying his vineyard: it happens to be Jack, who complained that Stan made his nose look too long, and asked that it be scaled back to fit under the hat’s brim.

FAMILY LEGACY Bates Ranch consists of 1,000 acres

in the foothills of Mount Madonna, where the Janaca vineyard grows grapes for various local wineries.

us a lot in those days,” he recalled. “Val and Dexter Ahlgren of Ahlgren Vineyards were the first of the Santa Cruz Mountains wineries to buy from us.”

The word quickly spread.

Bates remembers another early customer, Ken Burnap, driving up the dirt road in an old Mercedes in search of grapes, in 1978.

“He insisted on getting grapes from the top part of the vineyard,” Bates said.

Burnap, of Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard, made wine from Bates Ranch continuously from 1978 through 1994, relying on a hired hand from UC Santa Cruz, by the name of Jeff Emery, to process the fruit. Emery said they hand-pressed more than 42 tons of Cabernet one year onsite, an enormous undertaking. Emery took over the Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard label when Burnap retired, and

considers Bates Ranch some of the finest Cabernet in the region.

Like Emery, winemakers seek out this site for its deeply-souled, massively structured Cabernets that take decades to unspool and Cabernet Franc that epitomizes pine-scented elegance. Names like Jerold O’Brien of Silver Mountain Vineyards, Andrew Brenkwitz of Byington, Kenny Likitprakong of Ghostwriter, Matt Oetinger of Fernwood Cellars (who planted Grenache here), and now Ian Brand of I Brand Wines and John Ritchie of Bottle Jack, all seek to capture the essence of this place.

As Charlie sips the phenomenal 1978 Santa Cruz Mountains Vineyard Bates Cabernet, his face floods with pride, respect and reverence. The wine is vibrant and alive: a fitting toast to the past, to the future, to the land.

SANBENITO.COM | SOUTHVALLEY.COM | AUGUST 14, 2020

Photos by Laura Ness

Which leads us to the fruits of the Janaca vineyard, which was planted in 1970. It now contains 22 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Grenache, divided into several blocks.

The lower block is called “Stagecoach,” so named for the horse-drawn coach that whisked people from the plains of Gilroy and San Jose, to the secluded mountain getaways at the end of the road during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

It’s rumored that famed horse-thief, Joaquin Murrieta, visited this property to water his horse at the springfed lake.

The first two years of grape-wrangling proved really rough. Bates said that in 1971, they lost the entire crop to frost, and the following year, 70 percent of it was lost to rain.

“Tom Kruse (Santa Clara) helped

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GARDENING

AUGUST 14, 2020 | SOUTH VALLEY MAGAZINE

Asian gypsy moths

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INVASIVE PEST Asian gypsy moth caterpillars can be easily mistaken for tent caterpillars or webworms.

Sunnyvale spotting has local gardeners worried

By KATE RUSSELL

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sian gypsy moths have just been spotted in Sunnyvale and officials are worried.

You should be, too, because these invasive new pests can fly to the South Valley and San Benito County.

A single Asian gypsy moth caterpillar can eat one square foot of foliage in a single day. Fruit and nut trees are vulnerable, along with oak, elm, sweetgum and more than 500 other plant species. If this defoliation doesn’t kill your tree or shrub, it will be more susceptible to other pests and disease. Adding insult to injury, these caterpillars

have hairs that may irritate your skin and may cause allergic reactions that can last two weeks.

Asian gypsy moths were first seen in the U.S. in May, in Snohomish County, Wash. They are now found in Oregon, Georgia, Oklahoma, South Carolina and California. Also known as Hokkaido gypsy moths, these pests are not the same thing as European gypsy moths.

European gypsy moths are bad news, too. In 2017, European gypsy moths defoliated one-third of the state of Massachusetts, resulting in the loss of one-fourth of its oak trees the following year.

Invasive pests, like the Asian

gypsy moth, have the potential to wipe out entire forest ecosystems, not to mention your garden and landscaping, because many of them have no natural pests and indigenous trees and other plants have not evolved their own protections.

Easily mistaken for tent caterpillars or webworms, Asian gypsy moth caterpillars start out less than 1/8-inch long and tan. As they feed and grow, they may reach three and a half inches in length, with two rows of blue and red spots along their backs. Fully mature caterpillars may have a mottled grey color that can range from yellow to black.

Adult female moths are white and somewhat larger than most of our native moths, with a threeand-a-half-inch wingspan. Males are grayish brown and smaller, with a wingspan of only one and a half inches.

A single female Asian gypsy moth can lay 500 to 1,500 eggs.

These fuzzy buff or yellowish egg masses may be seen on tree trunks and branches, as well as fences and patio furniture. Each egg mass averages one and a half inches wide by three-quarters of an inch, though they may be as small as a dime.

Washington state pest agencies are spraying “Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki” (Btk). Btk is a type of soil bacteria that kills the Asian gypsy moth but is not harmful to pets, people, fish or bees. The California Department of Food and Agriculture is currently placing 2,300 traps over 81 square miles of the Sunnyvale area.

If Asian gypsy moths arrive in your garden, it is critical that you report sightings to state officials right away by calling the Pest Hotline at 1-800-491-1899.

Kate Russell is a UCCE Master Gardener in Santa Clara County. For information, visit mgsantaclara. ucanr.edu or call 408.282.3105 between 9:30am-12:30pm, Monday through Friday.

PREPARING FOR WILDFIRE

Unclutter the gutter

Dried leaves in gutters are easily flammable

By DWIGHT GOOD

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o matter where you live, the most common reason homes burn during a wildfire is because embers land on something easily ignitable around the home.

Remove leaves and pine needles from your rain gutters. Make changes now to reduce the ember threat to your home.

Rain gutters attached to the

edge of your roof are perfect for catching embers during wildfire.

Burning embers can land in the gutters, and if they are filled with dried leaves, pine needles and twigs, a fire can start and possibly ignite the roof, roof sheathing and fascia. Even houses with firerated roofs are vulnerable to this type of ember attack. Rain gutters made of vinyl will melt and drop into flower beds, igniting plants

Fire Marshal Dwight Good, MS, EFO, serves the Morgan Hill Fire Department, South Santa Clara County Fire Protection District and Cal Fire Santa Clara Unit. He has 25 years of fire service experience. For questions or comments, email Dwight.good@fire.ca.gov or call 408.310.4654.

SANBENITO.COM | SOUTHVALLEY.COM | AUGUST 14, 2020

CLEAR THE WAY Remove all dried leaves, pine needles or other materials from rain gutters before fire season.

next to the house and maybe even combustible siding.

To keep your home safe, we suggest that you: • Remove all dried leaves, pine needles or other materials from your rain gutters before fire season. Over the winter, debris often accumulates in them.

• Keep a ladder handy and check your rain gutters throughout the fire season, cleaning them out as necessary.

• If a wildfire is approaching and there is no time to clean out the debris, plug the rain gutter downspout with a tennis ball or something similar so that the rain gutter fills with water.

Most people believe that wildfires ignite homes through direct contact with flames, but it is rare to have a home ignite this way.

Flaming brands and embers can travel a mile or more ahead of the active front of a wildfire and up to 60 percent of wildland/urban interface home ignitions result from embers.

Most of the activity that makes a home less vulnerable to ignition focuses on the home and its immediate surroundings.

The Ember Aware campaign is intended to educate people on the risks of ember cast and the actions they can take to reduce those risks, to encourage residents to harden their homes against embers and/or to maintain those ember-resistant features, and to practice ember-safe housekeeping and landscaping.

For information, visit www.emberaware.com.

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HOME OF THE WEEK

Food for the

Holidays Made Easy!

AUGUST 14, 2020 | SANBENITO.COM | SOUTHVALLEY.COM

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Holidays

CATERING EASY! Made Easy!

Enjoy

Drop Off Free in Gilroy On Site at Cafe 152 Bread Co.

Call cafe152@charter.net

408.767.2868 Here are some ideas!

Assorted Gourmet Sandwiches How many from 10 to 100

Tell Us

Mini SandwichesWe’ll work with your budget Variety of Market Salads Drop Off Free in Gilroy

Enjoy

Site at Cafe 152 Bread Co. Audrey’s FinestOn Chocolate Chip Cookies and many other Desserts Here are some ideas!

Here are some ideas!

Exceptional Breakfast • Assorted gourmetAssorted sandwiches Gourmet Goodies • Mini sandwiches Sandwiches

Pastries and Coffee • Variety of market salads

Mini Sandwiches

Fall Bites • Harvest ChocolateSmall chip cookies Variety of Market Salads Menu • Exceptional breakfast goodies

Audrey’s Finest Chocolate • Pastries and coffee Sliders - Burger BarChip Cookies and many • Burger sliders other Desserts Buffet Dinner for drop off • Buffet dinner for drop off Appetizer Party at Exceptional Breakfast • Appetizer party atGoodies Cafe 152 - BYOW

Cafe 152 Bread Co. BYOW Pastries and Coffee

Office parties and events

408.767.2868

Catering

Fall Harvest Small Bites Menu Sliders - Burger Bar Buffet Dinner for drop off Appetizer Party at Cafe 152 Bread Co. BYOW

408.767.2868 • cafe152@charter.net

Submitted photo

Call 408.767.2868 cafe152@charter.net Food for the How many from 10 to 100 Tell Us We’ll work with your budget MADE

COUNTRY CLUB This Eagle Ridge home is adjacent to the 11th fairway of the golf course.

On the fairway Eagle Ridge home provides views of golf course and mountains

C

ountry club living is at its finest with this home located on the 11th hole of the Eagle Ridge Golf

Course.

Located at 1941 Saint Andrews Circle in Gilroy, the 3,810-squarefoot home includes five bedrooms and three-and-a-half baths. The spacious Standard Pacific Aberdeen home includes two wrought iron staircases that add a dramatic design element to the grand foyer and kitchen nook.

All bathrooms are fully

remodeled with custom vanities and marble slab.

A large upstairs loft includes a built-in entertainment center and window seats, while the formal dining room opens to a private courtyard. Outside, the backyard includes a built-in barbecue, slate-inlaid patio, and spacious garden side yards.

The home, built in 1999, is listed at $1,325,000 by Compass.

For information, visit tinyurl.com/ y2qq76a3.

PREPARING FOR WILDFIRE

REAL ESTATE

Unclutter the gutter Hollister Rentals

Located in Historic Downtown Gilroy

HOME & GARDEN SERVICES

Dried leaves in gutters are easily flammable

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SANBENITO.COM | SOUTHVALLEY.COM | AUGUST 14, 2020

next to the house and maybe even combustible siding.

To keep your home safe, we suggest that you: • Remove all dried leaves, pine needles or other materials from 3 Bedroom 2 Bath your rain gutters before fire Home. Very Private, season. Over the winter, debris water included in rent often accumulates in them.

• Keep a ladder handy and check your rain gutters throughout Rent $2,500.00 Month the fire season, cleaning them Security Deposit out as necessary.

• If a wildfire is approaching $3,000.00 and there is no time to clean out the debris, plug the rain gutter downspout with a tennis ball or something similar so that the rain gutter fills with water.

HOLLISTER RENTAL PROPERTIES For more information, call Most people believe that wild831.637.1691 fires ignite homes through direct contact with flames, but it is rare to have a home ignite this way.

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R E E Demo & Hauling www.emberaware.com. mon reason homes Lessons Burning embers can land in the LOW RATES • FREE ESTIMATES burn during a gutters, and if they are filled with Fire Marshal Dwight Good, MS, CLEAN UP-Yards, homes, wildfire is because dried leaves, pine needles and EFO, serves the Morgan Hill Fire properties, rentals & garages Specializing, Pavers, Concrete, 8:00am for embers land on something eastwigs, a fire can start and Open possi- daily Department, South Santa Clara DEMO-Bathrooms, kitchens, Irrigation, Sod, Cleanups, All ily ignitable around the home.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner bly ignite the roof, roof sheathing County Fire Protection District Landscape Construction decks, patios, small buildings Remove leaves and pine 1992 needles and fascia.

Even houses with fireServing the Bay Area since Sunday Brunch and Cal8am-1pm Fire Santa Clara Unit. He HAULING-Garbage, yard waste, from your gutters. Make rated roofs are vulnerable to this has 25 years of fire service experiCall forrain Free Estimates rock, sand & mulch Licensed, Bonded & Insured changes now to reduce the ember type of ember attack.

Rain gutters By DWIGHT GOOD ence. For questions or comments, POWER WASHING 7400 Monterey Street, Gilroy • 408.842.3454 threat to your home.

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