Lucchesi Vineyards And Winery

Open: Year Round

Our Story

The Lucchesi family origins lie in Provincia Di Lucca, Toscana, and we are the direct descendents from the civilizations of the Etruscans, the native culture of northwestern/central Italy, and first civilization of Italy and the Romans. Lucca was a major Etruscan city of Etruria (Ancient Toscana), whose name as well as "Lucchesi" are from the Ancient Etruscan word 'luk,' meaning 'lake.' Later, the Romans/Latins, native to west-central Italy, conquered the entire Italian Peninsula, and Lucca became a Roman colony, and even more vital. These are where the roots of the "Lucchesi" family lie.

My family left Italy in the late 1930's to get away from the oppression of Mussolini and moved to Egypt in North Africa. As the Nazi forces gradually took over that region, my family moved to South America.

My father was a chemist, and ended up as a part owner of a detergent factory in La Paz, Bolivia after becoming tired of ranching in Argentina. He was an adventureous guy and with his partner bought a gold mine in the Andes mountains.

On an expedition on horse back to locate the mine, he was killed by a stray bullet while target shooting. His partner rode for three days to the nearest village to get a doctor, but when they returned on the 6th day after the accident, my father was dead.

My father's brother named Mario, whom I was named after, took care of my mother, Sarita, and my sister Silvia and me. He owned a hotel located near the airport and hired my mother to work there. She met an American, Forest Lynn Clough, who was a bush pilot flying geologists and supplies around  the Amazon and Andes.

They were married, and he adopted my sister and me, moved us to the States, and changed our names from Lucchesi to Clough. So now I am Mario Clough. In honor of my family we named the winery Lucchesi.

The vines we planted grow on 20 acres of steeply terraced terrain called the 'View Forever Vineyard.' Great care was taken in selecting the grape varieties and clones which are best suited to the soil. The southwestern exposure maximizes the sun's rays, perfectly ripening the fruit with concetrated flavor, color and texture.

As a result, some of the finest grapes in the Sierra Foothills grows in our vineyards and are the origin of our finely crafted wines.

We would like to welcome you to Lucchesi Vineyards and Winery, and hope that you enjoy our collection of wines as much as we love making them.