Sonoma remembers Angelo Sangiacomo

Sonoma winemaking pioneer and founding partner of Sangiacomo Family Vineyards, Angelo Clement Sangiacomo, died peacefully at his home on Feb. 27 at the age of 92.

Before Sonoma was an international brand, Sangiacomo fostered a respect and dignity for Sonoma Valley grapes and wine, arguing for local growers and winemakers to “treat them as a luxury good” equal to those found anywhere in the world.

He pioneered vineyard-designated wine labels, helped found the Carneros wine region and, over the course of his life, grew to develop 1,600 acres of vineyards to create one of the largest family-owned winegrowing businesses in Sonoma County. Sangiacomo Family Vineyards continues to be operated by his children Mike, Steve and Mia (Pucci) today.

“Our father was a role model in every way; he led with his genuine spirit to inspire his family, most importantly his children and grandchildren,” wrote Steve Sangiacomo, his son and a third-generation partner of Sangiacomo Family Vineyards. “We cherished his guidance to be the best person we could be along with the fortitude to lead our family business into the next generation.”

Sangiacomo’s parents, Italian immigrants Vittorio and Maria Sangiacomo, welcomed him to Sonoma on Aug. 24, 1930 — the first year of the Great Depression.

But through hardship comes enlightenment.

Vittorio and Maria moved from San Francisco to settle in Sonoma Valley before Angelo was born. At 6 years old, he picked pears and figs, and he always knew the market price of produce.

He eventually went to the University of California, Davis, where he studied viticulture. And in his early 20s, his father designated him as the spokesperson for the family business, which at that time revolved around fruit orchards.

In the 1960s, with the decline of the pear market in Sonoma County, Sangiacomo forged a new direction: growing winegrapes. They planted their first vineyard Green Acres in 1969.

A decade later, the 1979 Gundlach-Bundschu Chardonnary Sangiacomo Vineyards was among the first California wines to received a vineyard designation on its label. Before that, the average buyer didn’t care as much about where the grapes were sourced.

Sangiacomon’s devotion to the vines could only be matched by his devotion to his family. He envisioned passing the family business down for generations to come, a business that could grow and be split between several siblings and their children.

“He was a kind and compassionate person, his ability to connect and relate to people made him special,” said Mike Sangiacomo, Angelo’s son and a third-generation partner.

The commitment to his family extended to his service for the public, where he sat on various public commissions in Sonoma Valley and worked on the board of the Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers Alliance.

Toward the twilight of his life, Sangiacomo said, “If I had the choice, I’d do it all over again the same.”

A rosary service will be held for Sangiacomo at St. Francis Solano Church at 6 p.m. on Sunday, March 5, and a funeral mass at St. Francis will take place the following day at 11 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial attendees make a donation to the charity of their choice.

He is survived by his wife, Diane, children Michael Sangiacomo (Whitney), Mia Pucci (Michael), and Steven Sangiacomo (Connie); sister Lorraine Sangiacomo and brother Victor “Buck” Sangiacomo (Susan); and grandchildren Joseph, Julia, Robert, Andrew, and Samuel Sangiacomo; and Michaela and Dominic Pucci.

Contact Chase Hunter at chase.hunter@sonomanews.com and follow @Chase_HunterB on Twitter.