Saratoga News

Marty Mathis

Kathryn Kennedy winery earns honors for red wine

By Sarah Lombardo

One of the state's smallest wineries just won one of the industry's most prestigious awards. Officials from the West Coast Wine Competition, formerly called the Reno/West Coast Wine Competition, gave the Sweepstakes Award for "Best Red Wine" to Kathryn Kennedy Winery 1996 Syrah. The 1996 syrah is the winery's first release of that variety of wine, and the first vintage by Saratoga resident Charlie Maridon, who has been involved with Kathryn Kennedy Winery since 1992.

Marty Mathis, winemaker and youngest son of winery founder Kathryn Kennedy, said he is proud of the award, considered an even higher honor than a wine receiving a gold medal.

"Whenever a wine receives a sweeps award, it means it made it through several levels of judging to be named the best red wine," Mathis said. "It really does take a bit of luck and proven abilities to win that award. It's about every 10 years that an award like this comes along."

But it isn't the first time the winery has been recognized. In January 1997, the winery's cabernet sauvignon won World Wine Championship's gold medal, decided by the Beverage Tasting Institute in Chicago.

"It's the biggest award we've ever gotten," Mathis told the Saratoga News at the time.

The winery began on eight acres of land off Pierce Road when Kathryn Kennedy planted her first vines in 1973. Kennedy had attended viticulture classes at UC-Davis, consulted locals about which grapes she should choose and planted cabernet sauvignon exclusively. About 112 acres of cabernet grapes were later planted in 1988, seven years after Mathis took over as winemaker in 1981.

About 10 acres of the property were later sold, and a 12-home subdivision, which created a cul-de-sac at each end of Paramount Drive off Pierce Road, was approved by the Saratoga Planning Commission in October of 1996. The project already had the approval of the Kennedy family, although some Saratoga residents complained about the plans, citing that Paramount Drive was slated to be a continuous road in city plans.

Only 180 cases of the award-winning syrah were produced, and will be sold at $38 per bottle. The winery is too small to have a tasting room, but Mathis said the wine can be ordered through direct mail from the winery by calling 867-4170 or by visiting the winery online at www.kathrynkennedywinery.com.

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