Rhone-Style

The 2021 Sarah’s Vineyard Madonne Blanc is our effort to emulate the traditional white wines of the southern Rhône Valley. It is a marriage of California soils and climate to a classically styled blend of estate grown Rhone white varieties.Our estate vineyards bridge the historic Santa Clara Valley and the cooler climate “Mt. Madonna” district of the southern Santa Cruz Mountains. Here
fog and winds from nearby Monterey Bay dramatically cool down the estate, extending the season and providing unique conditions for growing complex Rhône cultivars.

To create our estate Madonne Blanc, we actually make 4 individual wines, then blend them carefully to make the best wine we can. 

The Sarah’s Vineyard Madonne is our local effort to emulate the traditional red wines of the southern Rhône Valley. It is a blend of estate grown, Rhône red varieties – in this case, primarily Grenache. Our estate vineyards bridge the historic Santa Clara Valley and the cooler climate “Mt. Madonna” district of the southern Santa Cruz Mountains. Here fog and winds from nearby Monterey Bay dramatically cool down the estate, extending the growing season and providing unique conditions for complex Rhône cultivars. 

The 2020 Sarah’s Vineyard Syrah is based on this noble variety of France’s Northern Rhone, responsible worldwide for classic reds. From French Hermitage to Australian Shiraz, Syrah is one of the most popular and widely-planted red wine grapes.

The Syrah for our 2020 release came from our good friend George Besson, Jr.’s old vineyard, just 300 yards to the east of Sarah’s. This historic property was originally planted in 1922. George’s and our estates bridge the historic Santa Clara Valley and the cooler climate “Mt. Madonna” district of the southern Santa Cruz Mountains. Here fog and winds from nearby Monterey Bay dramatically cool down the vineyards, extending the growing season and providing unique conditions for complex Rhone cultivars.

The 2021 Sarah’s Vineyard Viognier is based on this noble variety of France’s Northern Rhone - responsible for the famed, rare whites of Condrieu and Château Grillet. Despite a surge in its popularity in California in the 1990s, there is still relatively little Viognier planted in the state.

The 2020 Sarah’s Vineyard Madonne Blanc is our effort to emulate the traditional white wines of the southern Rhône Valley. It is a marriage of California soils and climate to a classically styled blend of estate grown Rhone white varieties.Our estate vineyards bridge the historic Santa Clara Valley and the cooler climate “Mt. Madonna” district of the southern Santa Cruz Mountains. Here
fog and winds from nearby Monterey Bay dramatically cool down the estate, extending the season and providing unique conditions for growing complex Rhône cultivars.

To create our estate Madonne Blanc, we actually make 4 individual wines, then blend them carefully to make the best wine we can. In the 2020 vintage, the final cépage was 53% Roussanne, 21% Grenache Blanc, 21% Clairette Blanche, and 5% Picpoul Blanc.

The Sarah’s Vineyard Madonne is our local effort to emulate the traditional red wines of the southern Rhône Valley. It is a blend of estate grown, Rhône red varieties – in this case, primarily Grenache. Our estate vineyards bridge the historic Santa Clara Valley and the cooler climate “Mt. Madonna” district of the southern Santa Cruz Mountains. Here fog and winds from nearby Monterey Bay dramatically cool down the estate, extending the growing season and providing unique conditions for complex Rhône cultivars. 

The 2019 Sarah’s Vineyard Syrah is based on this noble variety of France’s Northern Rhone, responsible worldwide for classic reds. From French Hermitage to Australian Shiraz, Syrah is one of the most popular and widely-planted red wine grapes.

The Syrah for our 2019 release came from our good friend George Besson, Jr.’s old vineyard, just 300 yards to the east of Sarah’s. This historic property was originally planted in 1922. George’s and our estates bridge the historic Santa Clara Valley and the cooler climate “Mt. Madonna” district of the southern Santa Cruz Mountains. Here fog and winds from nearby Monterey Bay dramatically cool down the vineyards, extending the growing season and providing unique conditions for complex Rhone cultivars.