Paul Clinton You can jog on its...

Paul Clinton

You can jog on its trails. You can visit it for a bird-watching

trip. And in the near future, you may just be able to enjoy the

fruits of its soil.

Richard Moriarty, the colorful Segerstrom heir with the

rambunctious past, has been perfecting a Back Bay Bordeaux, fermented

from grapes grown in soil bordering Upper Newport Bay.

As the owner of Newport-Mesa’s sole winery, the simply-named

Newport Beach Vineyards and Winery, Moriarty says the somewhat arid

climate is ideal for growing grapes. He describes it as a cross

between Baja Mexico and the Mediterranean.

“It’s a great climate,” Moriarty said, overlooking his 3.5-acre

Newport Beach property. “Growing grapes is nothing. I have more

problems with the [city’s] planning department.”

With the air of a developer hardened by the bureaucratic

roadblocks at City Hall, Moriarty can quickly recount his struggle

over the past year or so to construct a wine cave at his Mesa Drive

property.

His dream hasn’t died, but there’s an air of resignation about the

cave venture. One thing he’s optimistic about is his winemaking

craft, developing high-quality wines and adding a tasting room at his

exotic plant nursery nearby.

To put himself on the map in the wine market, Moriarty is working

on a deal to purchase a bulk chardonnay, known as “shiner” wine, to

sell under his label. The practice is a common one for novice

vintners looking to get on their feet.

By next year, Moriarty plans to roll out a crop of his own

vintage, harvested from one of the varieties of red grapes now

growing on his land. Neatly regimented rows of Bordeaux varietal

grapes -- cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, malbec, merlot and

petit verdot -- line Moriarty’s property.

He finished harvesting this year’s crop in late September, leaving

the vines to grow dormant during the winter months.

The jovial Moriarty isn’t taking a highly scientific approach to

winemaking, though he has poured himself into the endeavor.

“Once the grapes reach ripeness, the birds will let you know,”

Moriarty joked. “My dog even eats them.”

Moriarty established the winery with girlfriend Loren Blackwood in

1999. The two have been a couple for six years. Blackwood handles a

lot of the marketing efforts. She designed the winery’s Web site

(www.nbwine.com) and is working to place the wine in Orange County

restaurants.

So far, the wine has reached the cellar of Anaheim’s Napa Rose and

Newport Beach’s Pascal. Blackwood said she strikes up many of the

leads, then brings in Moriarty to close.

“We work together really well as a pair,” Blackwood said. “I’ll

just pass the ball to Richard and he finishes the deal.”

His efforts have begun to pay off. Moriarty won a silver medal

from the Orange County Fair’s wine competition in 2001 for a Back Bay Cuvee and a gold medal during this year’s fair.

Moriarty has been seeking advice from David Vergari, the head

winemaker at Los Angeles’ San Antonio Winery. Vergari said he likes

what he has tasted so far.

“He’s very inquisitive,” Vergari said. “He’s keen to hear all he

can about wine and he’s well on his way.”

Moriarty’s love of fine wines stretches back to his bachelor past,

in which he developed a Rodman-esque reputation of wild bacchanalian

parties around town.

Moriarty’s mother, Ruth Ann Moriarty, is the sister of Henry

Segerstrom.

In the 1980s, he sponsored annual theme parties, with names like

“Pimps, Hookers, Drug Dealers and Lawyers Ball.” Hundreds of revelers

arrived in scantily-clad outfits, which rarely stayed in place as the

night progressed.

Moriarty says he has been banned in “every hotel in Orange

County,” as well as the Spruce Goose. In 1985, more than 3,000 people

attended a party at the then-Disney-owned dome. Moriarty was politely

asked not to come back.

Moriarty can also recount tales from Balboa Bay Club parties he

threw in the early 1970s and chili cook-offs in Newport Beach that

featured wet T-shirt contests.

“It was the wildest party in town,” Moriarty said about the

cook-off.

Moriarty, 54, graduated from USC, with a degree in international

management. For 30 years, as a landscape architect, he grew exotic

orchids and other plants. Via his Newport Beach nursery, Green

Systems International, Moriarty continues his green thumb ways.

He still holds dinner parties for close friends, but Moriarty now

seems content to live a quieter life. Quieter, but not lacking in a

fine local vintage.

* PAUL CLINTON covers politics and business. He may be reached at

(949) 764-4330 or by e-mail at [email protected].