Los Angeles native and Malibu resident Jim Palmer began growing grapes on his property in Decker Canyon in the late 1990s. Last month, he became the first-ever winemaker from L.A. to win the Best in Class award at the 77th Los Angeles International Wine Competition.
The Jim Palmer Vineyards 2014 Pinot Noir received the award with a score of 98 points — the highest overall rating of the competition’s 3,010 entries from 23 countries. Palmer’s 1992 Merlot also took home a Best in Class title with 92 points, while his 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon ranked in the gold category with 90 points.
“I’ve been winning awards for many years; however, this last one was beyond anything I could have ever imagined,” Palmer told The Malibu Times on a visit to his vineyard.
Palmer said that his personal success carries on a tradition of winemaking in Los Angeles. He explained Los Angeles winemaking dates back over 200 years, beginning with the Spanish vineyards of the California Missions. Mexico’s 1821 victory over Spain in the Mexican Revolution allowed land ownership privileges to be extended to foreigners, which greatly expanded the LA winemaking industry, particularly to the French.
“All along the Los Angeles River — from the mountains all the way down — they had grapevines, and they had some of the largest vineyards in the world at that time,” Palmer said. “Prior to California becoming a state, the City of Los Angeles had over 100 vineyards and they were the largest producer of wine in the United States — if not the world — at one point.”
The arrival of railroads in L.A. during the late 19th century led to a population increase, which caused land to be subdivided and vineyards to decline. Palmer said that, around prohibition time, L.A. residents began to ship their grapes to other locations to make wine.
“I feel that I’m someone who is carrying on the traditions and heritage of Los Angeles winemaking that has been forgotten for many years,” Palmer said of his business. “I give credit to the fact that we still carry on this tradition of growing grapes and making wine.”
Palmer grows five varietals of red grapes for his Malibu Vineyards label on his five-acre Decker Canyon property: Syrah, originally of France’s Rhone region; Merlot; Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc of France’s Bordeaux region; and Sangiovese of Italy’s Tuscan region. He combines the Cabernet and Merlot grapes to make a Meritage vintage.
Palmer explained that he grows only red grapes on the property because they do well in the canyon heat, whereas cooler varietal white grapes grow better along the coast. His grapes are strategically planted facing south so they can get more sunlight during the day.
“The grapes have to be conducive to the environment in which they’re planted,” he said. “These are doing well because they are planted in the right location.”
Palmer gained his winemaking expertise from friends who own vineyards in Santa Barbara.
“You have to become a student of this,” he said. “As I’ve traveled and as I have met people and asked them for their directions, I’ve wound up better understanding how to make grapes and it all starts in the vineyard — you have to grow the best grapes, and unless the fruit is good, you’re not going to make good wines.”
Using Syrah grapes, the main varietal grown on the property, Palmer explained the cycle of grape growing. Around the time of the summer solstice, the grapes will change color from green to purple (known as veraison) and the vines will go into fruit-producing mode. The grapes will become sweeter and their profiles will become more distinct.
“During the ripening period, you’re here every day tasting them, chewing them and getting the flavors,” Palmer said. “The joke is, ‘You pick them when they’re ripe.’ At some point you’re going to taste them and go, ‘Wow, they’re ready to go.’”
After picking the grapes, Palmer and his crew bring them to winemaking facilities in Ventura County to finish the process, due to L.A. County’s strict permitting rules.
A unique feature of Palmer’s farming is that he allows weeds, called cover crops, to grow in between the rows of vines. He explained that the cover crops provide a habitat for beneficial insects, such as ladybugs, that feed on insects that harm the grapes.
“It may look unkempt as far as trimming the rows, but I used to trim the rows and I had insects I was fighting,” he said. “Once I let the cover crops grow, I didn’t have any bugs. This is what they call biodynamic farming or sustainable farming. It’s smarter farming.”
While Palmer does not sell Malibu Vineyards wines directly to the public, he mainly distributes to clients in Malibu. They can be found at several local shops and restaurants, including Nobu, Tra di Noi, The Sunset restaurant and Vintage Grocers. He also donates wines to local charities.
Palmer said that his winemaking and his award-winning performance at this year’s Los Angeles International Wine Competition made him feel like he is carrying his Angeleno heritage.
“I am from Los Angeles, I was born in Los Angeles, so I feel a certain attachment to this. That’s the proudest part of my achievement — that I’m doing something to carry on this winemaking.”
