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Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
Bill Hirschman talks with neighbors of the Mountain Winery about plans for the future.
Winery officials open up to public
By Steve Enders
The Mountain Winery opened its doors last week, not for a concert or wedding, but to the public. Not that that's odd--the public comes to the historic winery all the time.
But on Sept. 15, winery officials capped off a summer of small, intimate neighborhood meetings with a larger version at the winery to keep neighbors apprised of what's happening with expansion plans and county review of those plans, as well as the traffic- and noise-mitigation efforts that have been made.
Another meeting is scheduled for Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. at the winery, and organizers are hoping for an even better turnout.
Since May, winery owner Bill Hirschman and his staff from Chateau Masson have been meeting with residents who live on or near Pierce Road in hopes of addressing whatever concerns they have, most notably noise and traffic issues related to events at the winery.
Because of those discussions, some neighbors say, the traffic situation has been drastically improved. While the noise hasn't necessarily gotten better, some say, it hasn't gotten any worse either.
Additionally, some neighbors are waiting, if and when the winery reconfigures its concert bowl, to determine whether or not the noise might decrease, too.
"It's tough," said Rick Denton, who lives near Mt. Eden in a housing development underneath the winery. "It's hard to please everybody, but I think [the winery ownership] is really making a serious effort to get input from everyone. They've been very responsive."
Denton said he and some neighbors met Hirschman and his staff at a Santa Clara County Planning Commission meeting after hearing a status report on the winery's use-permit application last spring.
There, Denton and a few neighbors encountered a group willing to listen and keep them informed. Even some city officials have gotten into the act. Two weeks ago, Nick Streit said, he sat in on one of the smaller meetings between neighbors and Chateau Masson officials.
Kristine Syskowski, project manager for the winery, said that the new ownership, behind Hirschman and Chateau Masson, wants to create a different atmosphere around the winery than in years past.
"What we're trying to do is give a broad brushstroke of information and say, 'This is who we are.' People have a lot of questions, and we want to give answers," she said. "We're trying to introduce Chateau Masson as a partnership that's entering into a more positive era than we've seen before."
Chateau Masson established a concert hotline that residents could call to leave a message about their concerns. Also, Chateau Masson's parking staff has reconfigured the way cars creep up the hill to get onto the property. Instead of letting them queue up on the roads around the winery, they're letting them do it inside the gates. Adding a sheriff's deputy for traffic control has helped as well.
Also, the owners have sent out 300 copies of a newsletter to nearby residents to keep them informed and invite them to meetings.
While Denton says he can't speak for everyone on the hill, he has seen an improvement.
"It'd be a mistake to say that [other neighbors] are wildly enthusiastic about the winery," he said, "but it'd also be a mistake to say they're opposed to it, too. It's hard to get people involved for a long process, and then things get approved and everyone jumps on their backs and says they're upset."
Syskowski said that Chateau Masson is waiting for county staff to review its submission, which includes applications for use permits to operate concerts--something the winery has never had in its history. Officials say the county should make its decision sometime this winter.
Although the winery has filed paperwork with the Santa Clara County planning department saying it would like to expand the concert bowl and add more seats and services for patrons, there are no official plans for the site.
If Chateau Masson officials decide to expand or drastically move the concert area, it will have to go through another lengthy environmental- and site-review process with the county, which could take years to complete.
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
