Savannah-Chanelle Vineyards
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Savannah-Chanelle Vineyards, is a 53 acre vineyard located in the eastern foothills of the Santa Cruz mountains above Saratoga, California and the Silicon Valley. The vineyard was renamed Savannah-Chanel Vineyards in 1996 when the Congress Springs Vineyards were purchased by the Michael Ballard family, naming the vineyard after the family's two daughters. In 1998 the Ballards were sued by Chanel cosmetics over the use of the name "Chanel" in the winery's name even though it had no relation to their corporation. Rather than fight a long costly court battle however, the Ballard's modified the vineyard name to Savannah-Chanelle Vineyards. The new name first appeared on their 1999 label wines. The existing vines and winery itself have been located on the same hill for over a century
[edit] Wines
Savannah-Chanelle Vineyards is most well known for their fine Pinot Noir wines produced from both local and estate grapes. However they also produce award winning Zinfandel wines that are produced from the original estate Zinfandel vines planted in 1910. These vines are the oldest surviving Zinfandel vines in California. Pinot Blanc, Port, Chardonnay and several other varietals are also produced by the vineyard.
Recently Savannah-Chanelle's Garys' 2002 Pinot Noir from the Santa Lucia Highlands was named "Best Pinot Noir in California" by the 2005 California State Fair.
