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Phil and Judy LaRocca founded LaRocca Vineyards in the early 1980s, growing the business from a family vineyard into one of the country\u2019s pioneering certified organic wineries. Along the way, the winery became famous for producing organic wines without added sulfites, helping establish a place for a style of winemaking that many in the industry once thought was not possible.<\/p>\n
Phil\u2019s historically controversial decision to skip sulfites is one of many legacies he\u2019s left in the organic winemaking industry. \u201cI wanted to make an organic wine without sulfur dioxide, and you would have thought the end of the world was coming,\u201d he says of the early days before such farming methods became mainstream. \u201cI started to get the vibe that no one else was doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, he went looking for answers at California State University, Fresno, where they did their own private agriculture research. But there, LaRocca was also grilled about how he would grow grapes without herbicides and faced skepticism about winemaking without sulfur dioxide.<\/p>\n Rather than being dejected about the outcome of the meeting, LaRocca recalls, \u201cWhen they tell me something isn\u2019t possible, I always have a little mantra in my head, \u2018If they can put a man on the moon, I can grow an organic apple [or grape].\u2019 This ain\u2019t rocket science!\u201d Phil proved to the industry that his winemaking methods worked. In fact, years later, he even helped write the regulations for organic grape growing and organic winemaking.<\/p>\n Over the years, Phil\u2019s dedication to organic farming has driven the success of his vineyard. \u201cI have a firm belief about organic,\u201d Phil says. \u201cAs a kid, I spent every weekend at my grandfather\u2019s ranch in the Santa Clara Valley. I got the farming bug in me. I loved being out there with the trees.\u201d<\/p>\n Phil loves telling the story about how, after World War II, federal officials tried to give his grandfather some excess chemical fertilizer left over from the war, but his grandfather came out waving a shotgun and chased them off. The farm remained a natural oasis even as synthetic fertilizers were widely adopted elsewhere.<\/p>\n As he established his own career, Phil always knew organic was the way to go, even if it wouldn’t become a commonly accepted practice for decades. \u201cAt one conventional nut orchard in the Sierra Buttes, we watched a squirrel drink from the irrigation ditch, then it keeled over and died,\u201d he says. \u201cThen we saw a rabbit do the same thing. After that, even though they said I could pick some if I wanted, I never touched nuts from that orchard again.\u201d This early appreciation for natural farming methods paved the way for LaRocca Vineyards.<\/p>\n As it concludes its final year, LaRocca Vineyards leaves an impressive legacy. Over the years, it grew to more than 200 acres of vineyards across Butte and Sutter counties and became a recognized leader in organic agriculture. Phil\u2019s work earned national recognition and helped establish a foundation for generations of organic farmers and winemakers who have followed in his footsteps.<\/p>\n But for the LaRocca family, the most important part of LaRocca Vineyards\u2019 legacy goes beyond the countless glasses filled with organic wine; it\u2019s the community that\u2019s grown and flourished around the vineyard.<\/p>\n Over countless harvest parties, grape stomps, and long days in the vineyard, the LaRocca family became an integral part of the Chico community. Their downtown tasting room became a beloved local gathering place in its own right, where friends, customers, and neighbors came together over the years. The local businesses, restaurants and retailers in Chico supported the family\u2019s mission from the beginning, even when organic wine was far from mainstream, and they formed lifelong friendships as the vineyard grew.<\/p>\n The LaRoccas returned that support through donations, fundraisers, and community events, building relationships that extended well beyond the tasting room and vineyards.<\/p>\n Although the family is stepping away from commercial wine production and grape growing, the LaRoccas will retain the property. As he approaches his 80th birthday, Phil looks forward to spending more time with his family and enjoying a different pace of life.<\/p>\n The winery\u2019s recent farewell reception was a celebration of all the community milestones and friendships that would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the LaRocca family and their community. “Our hearts were so full with all the beautiful customers and people that came out that have been in our lives, some of them since inception,” said Phil\u2019s daughter, Phaedra LaRocca Morrill. “It’s been really, really great.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Durante los \u00faltimos 50 a\u00f1os, Phil LaRocca ha sido un nombre reconocido en\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":68856,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"0","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"68744,33908,68673,33965,68595,68740,68697,68719,68592,68587","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11342],"class_list":["post-68853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.ccof.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/BOD-Phil-LaRocca-Photo-@-LaRocca-Vineyards-1.jpg\")
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