Mountain Winery
Paul Masson Mountain Winery | |
Location | 14831 Pierce Road,Saratoga, California |
---|---|
Coordinates | 37°15′37.34″N122°3′53.77″W/ 37.2603722°N 122.0649361°W |
Built | 1901 |
NRHP referenceNo. | 83001239[1] |
CHISLNo. | 733[2] |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | June 9, 1983 |
Designated CHISL | 1960 |
TheMountain Winery,formerly thePaul Masson Mountain Winery,is awineryinSaratoga, California,United States,North America.It was founded byPaul Masson,a pioneer of theCalifornia wineindustry. The winery became famous for its slogan, voiced byOrson Wellesin television commercials:"We will sell no wine before its time."
The winery is aCalifornia Historical Landmark(#733) and is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.
History
[edit]Masson originally worked forCharles Lefranc,one of a number of French immigrants who had expanded theviticultureintroduced into theSanta Clara Valleyby theCatholic missionfathers. After Lefranc's death in 1887, Masson had a short-lived partnership with Lefranc's son Henry. Masson bought out Henry's share in theAlmaden Vineyardsand in 1892, Masson introduced his firstsparkling wineat Almaden, and he eventually became known as the "Champagne King of California".[citation needed]
Early 20th century
[edit]In 1901, Masson purchased the Saratoga property. He later centered his sparkling wine production here in Saratoga while other wines were developed at the Almaden operation.[citation needed]
In 1905, on a knoll above the winery, Masson built his house, dubbed "The Chateau", where he developed a reputation as an unrivaled host. His wife Louise Masson was a prohibitionist and did not attend the lavish dinner parties held at The Chateau. Masson weathered the strainsProhibitionplaced on the wine industry by selling grapes to the wholesale market and by receiving a special dispensation to sellsacramental wines.[citation needed]
After the1906 San Francisco earthquake,Masson had thesandstonewinery rebuilt using sandstone blocks from the Saratoga Wine Company's building on Big Basin Way, which had also been destroyed. At the same time, the ancient entrance portal fromSt. Patrick's ChurchinSan Jose,another structure claimed by the quake, was added to the structure.[citation needed]
Recent history
[edit]In 1952, wine making ceased. A series of concerts began six years later, in 1958. These concerts featured famous performers such asElla Fitzgerald,Tony Bennett,Aimee Mann,Ringo Starr,Stevie Wonder,Ray Charles,The Beach Boys,Santana,Airto Moreira,andFlora Purim.[citation needed]
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, a famous chess tournament was held annually on the grounds of the winery, becoming a regional fixture during the early years ofSilicon Valley.[3]
Around 2000, the owners hired winemaker Jeffrey Patterson to restart winemaking at the site. The vineyards were reestablished at the Mountain Winery in 2004.[4]
On August 19, 2010, during a concert featuring folk bandThe Swell Season,a concert attendee leapt to his death from the roof of the venue onto the stage. The death was deemed asuicide.[5]
In 2011, the concert series was produced in affiliation with Live Nation for the last time. Since 2012, each season of the concert series has been produced by AEG Live.[6]
References
[edit]- ^"National Register Information System".National Register of Historic Places.National Park Service.March 15, 2006.
- ^"Paul Masson Mountain Winery".Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks.RetrievedOctober 14,2012.
- ^NPS (date unknown) Paul Masson Mountain Winery. National Park Service. Retrieved on December 28, 2004 fromhttp:// cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/santaclara/mas.htm.
- ^"The History and Legacy of Our Estate".mountainwinery.RetrievedAugust 11,2017.
- ^Berton, Justin (August 20, 2010)."Apparent suicide at Saratoga concert".San Francisco Chronicle.RetrievedAugust 26,2010.
- ^Winery, Mountain."Amphitheater Information | Mountain Winery | Saratoga, California".saratogamountainamphitheater.RetrievedMay 20,2024.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- "Paul Masson Mountain Winery".California's Historic Silicon Valley.National Park Service.RetrievedMarch 12,2007.
This article incorporatespublic domain materialfrom websites or documents of theNational Park Service.
- Tourist attractions in Silicon Valley
- Industrial buildings completed in 1901
- Wineries in Santa Cruz Mountains
- Music venues in the San Francisco Bay Area
- Companies based in Silicon Valley
- California Historical Landmarks
- Agricultural buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in California
- National Register of Historic Places in Santa Clara County, California
- Agricultural buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places
- Saratoga, California