Saratoga News

Photograph by Robert Scheer

Winemaker Marty Mathis of Saratoga's Kathryn Kennedy Winery won the World Wine Championship's top award.

Cabernet wins gold medal

By Carolyn Leal

Tiny Kathryn Kennedy Winery of Saratoga has won the World Wine Championship's top award, a gold medal, with its cabernet sauvignon. The competition was held in December by the Beverage Testing Institute in Chicago.

"It's the biggest award we've ever gotten," said winemaker and president Marty Mathis. "It puts the spotlight on our town."

The winery, located at 13180 Pierce Road, is too small to have a tasting room. But the winery is planning a big public festival Feb. 15-17. The event will feature barrel tasting and a futures sale.

"In the futures sale, customers get to taste before the wine is bottled and to buy at a discount, and they get their bottles of wine eight months later," Mathis explained.

The festival will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m and is free to the public.

Eight acres of vines were planted by Kathryn Kennedy in 1973, after she attended viticulture courses at UC-Davis. She consulted old-timers in the area and got a strong recommendation to plant cabernet sauvignon grapes, which she did exclusively.

Mathis, her youngest son, took over the position of winemaker in 1981. He and his wife currently manage the vineyard and winery. An additional 112 acres of cabernet grapes were planted at the estate in 1988.

Each vintage is grown by hand and produced in small lots, followed by barrel aging in 90 percent French oak, Mathis said. "The result is a big, full-flavored wine with deep color."

The winery, open by appointment only, recently established a Web page, which includes photographs and information about its award-winning wine. The cabernet sauvignon sells for $62.50 a bottle.

Gold medals also were awarded to Clos LaChance and Cooper-Garrod of Saratoga.

In the chardonnay competition, medals were awarded to Cooper-Garrod and Mount Eden wineries.