1981-2011 : On The Field and In The Field

"Posted By : Chris Corley
On January 10, 1982, Dwight Clark made The Catch. It was immediately the defining moment and iconic image of the rising star of the 49ers. At this same time, the inaugural 1981 vintage of Monticello Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon was residing in small french oak barrels in Napa Valley. Ultimately, the 49ers won their first Super Bowl, and our 1981 vintage ended up being labeled in red and gold. For both the 49ers and Monticello Cellars, the 1981 season was the culmination of perseverance, execution and a dose of good fortune. For both the 49ers and Monticello Cellars, the 1981 season marked the beginning of a wonderful run for the red and gold ...

Our dad, Jay Corley, was a colleague of Lou Spadia, when Lou was the president of the 49ers in the late 1960s and early 1970s. While Jay was busy getting Monticello Vineyards started in Napa Valley, Lou was working on making the 49ers be the best they could be, having been with the team since 1946 before rising to become president. Jay would attend games at Kezar Stadium as a guest of Lou's, and when the 49ers were gearing up to move to Candlestick Park, my dad mentioned to Lou his interest in procuring season tickets. Lou asked where he wanted to sit, and our dad said, ""On the fifty yard line and in the sun."" Done. The Corley Family has been cheering the 49ers from LE Section 31, Row 23, Seats 9-10 since the 49ers moved into Candlestick Park.

There are some correlations between football and winemaking that are not immediately apparent. We talk about both in terms of seasons or vintages. We celebrate the 1981, 1984, 1988, 1989, 1994 (and hopefully 2011) seasons of the 49ers for the exciting Super Bowl victories. In the same way, we celebrate the best of our winemaking vintages ... in Napa Valley, for example, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon. In between the celebrated vintages are seasons that may be less exciting or even sometimes disappointing. We've certainly sat through some difficult seasons at Candlestick, but we've always kept the faith with the team and cheered them on regardless of the circumstances. I imagine we have some long time Monticello fans that get more fired up about the celebrated vintages than others. Thats okay, and its the nature of both wine and football. The important thing is, in the long run, they are still Monticello Faithful and are still excited about what we do.

In a way, this 2011 49ers season reminds me of the 2005 vintage in Napa Valley. We were excited to have Jim Harbaugh at the helm. Our dads a Stanford grad, so we follow the Cardinal, their last few seasons with Harbaugh and Luck have been as exciting as any recently. We used to go to the games at the old Stanfor Stadium when John Elway was tossing balls to a very acrobatic Kenny Margerum. My mom recently dug out those old rusty Cardinal seatbacks for those old wooden Stanford benches. Now we use them to watch my son Jackson play for the Napa Saints.

Anyway, I digress. With Harbaugh on board, my personal forecast for 2011 was that the 49ers might go 9-7 and hopefully get into the playoffs. As each game was played, it just kept working out, and the Saints-49ers divisional matchup was the most exciting 49ers game I've watched in the last 15+ years. The season just kept developing and the 49ers kept figuring out ways to win, with great team play. The 2005 vintage in Napa Valley was similar. The season started out with good expectations, but nothing that foreshadowed greatness. As the cool season continued, and we kept sampling and tasting the fruit, we began to realize that we really had something special developing. The fruit kept hanging and improving, and by the time we picked, we knew we had a great vintage on our hands. Things sometime just work out both on the field and in the field in ways that are not foreseen.

Today, I'm a little reflective thinking about the parallels of the last 30 years of 49ers football and Monticello Vineyards winemaking. Tomorrow, my brother Stephen and I will be at the NFC Championship game. Look for us on the TV. We'll be the two guys in red and gold cheering loudly. We just might need to dig out a dusty bottle of 1981 Monticello Cabernet Sauvignon next week and celebrate this season, regardless of tomorrows outcome. Somehow that seems appropriate ...

For now, Lets Go Niners!

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