Savannah Chanelle Winery

Savannah Chanelle is by far one of the most beautiful winery settings I have experienced. The upper villa has exquisite views of the coastal redwoods and Douglas fir tree lined ridges of the Santa Cruz Mountain summit.

As a teenager, we hiked off-trail from Indian Rock, down to this property, as it was abandoned in the mid 50’s. It was overgrown, and you could barely see the vines through the brush. The small villa was  boarded up.

The first vines were planted by Pierre Pourroy; Zinfandel 1910, Cabernet Franc in 1920, and Carignan in 1924. By chance, in the mid 70’s my friends Dan and Robin also discovered the neglected vineyard. With an education in wine making Dan and Robin saw a potential dream come true.

They contacted the owner and received permission to resurrect the vines and the winery. They called it Congress Springs Winery. I was honored to produce their first wine label. The photo on the label was taken from the old landing strip (now a sports field) across the canyon, just above the historic Welch-Hurst House.

I was also married at the winery on the hillside next to the villa, with the layers of the Santa Cruz mountains as the backdrop. I don’t believe weddings are allowed there any longer. In 1996 the new owners Michael and Kellie Ballard purchased the winery and named it Savannah Chanelle Winery after their two daughters, Savannah and Chanelle.