California women in wine - Part 5

As we near the end of 2009, it is time to take a moment and recognize one of the great women in the California wine industry, Kathryn Kennedy. Kathryn Kennedy passed away in August, 2009. She was one of the first women in California to establish a wine label in her name.

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Kathryn graduated from Stanford at the age of 19, married and moved to her Saratoga property in 1949. By the late 1960’s she started her plans in winemaking. After studies for a short time at UC Davis in their enology and viticulture program she learned a primary lesson in winemaking in California. A high-caliber wine should be 100 percent varietal and from a single vineyard site. She established her vineyard at her Saratoga home planting Cabernet Sauvignon. Her first vintage was in 1979 and by 1988 she had her first bottling of the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon.

Kathryn Kennedy winery is a boutique winery. They produce approximately 600 cases a year of the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon in a hand-crafted style. She believed strongly in her responsibility as a steward of the land and the Estate vineyard was certified organic in time for the 2007 vintage. Her youngest son, Marty Mathis, has been the winemaker since 1981.

"For me, Kathryn Kennedy the person was much like her wines. Perhaps a bit shy at first, she was marvelously complex, witty, and warm. She was strong and focused, graceful and loving. It took me several years to get to know Kathryn and experience her diverse qualities. But the wait was surely worth it. Like her wines, she made me pause to think and to realize that I got to experience someone unique, someone truly special", said Eric Fountain, Director of Sales at Kathryn Kennedy Winery.

Besides the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, they also produce Lateral, a red blend; a small-lot Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon, and a Sauvignon Blanc made entirely from organic grapes. Check out the article by the San Jose Wine Examiner to learn more about these wines from Kathryn Kennedy Winery.

Photos are courtesy of the Kathryn Kennedy Winery.

• Kathryn Kennedy Winery
  
• San Jose Wine Examiner review of Kathryn Kennedy wines
• California Women in Wine Series

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