Leland Stanford Winery

The 2013 replacement recasts the landmark's 1958 text, present tense and all: the restored buildings, it says, are now occupied and operated by Weibel Champagne Vineyards. They were not. The Weibels bought the Stanford ground in the mid-1940s and made sparkling wine here for half a century, but they had moved operations toward Lodi by the early 2000s, and the vineyards had become subdivisions. What the new bronze stands beside is one unused brick building. The first plaque went missing from this same fieldstone pier; its empty recess was photographed in 2010.

What the plaque says

Leland Stanford Winery This winery was founded in 1869 by Leland Stanford, railroad builder, Governor of California, United States Senator, and founder of Stanford University. The vineyard, planted by his brother, Josiah Stanford, helped to prove that wines equal to any in the world could be produced in California. The restored buildings and winery are now occupied and operated by Weibel Champagne Vineyards. California Registered Historical Landmark No. 642 Plaque placed by California State Parks in cooperation with the Stanford Alumni Association 2013

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Mission San José — 2.1 mi
• Vallejo Flour Mill — 6.1 mi
• First Honeybees in California — 9.5 mi
• Old Sites of Mission Santa Clara de Asis and Old Spanish Bridge — 9.6 mi