Savannah–Chanelle Vineyards is a vineyard located in the eastern foothills of the Santa Cruz mountains above Saratoga,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

and the

Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that serves as a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical areas San Mateo Cou ...

. 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. The existing vines and winery itself have been located on the same hill for over a century.

Lawsuit

In 1998 the Ballards were sued by

Chanel Chanel ( , ) is a French high-end luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. Chanel specializes in women's ready-to-wear, luxury goods, and accessories and licenses its name and branding to Luxottica for eyewear. Chane ...

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, the Ballards modified the vineyard name to Savannah–Chanelle Vineyards. The new name first appeared on their 1999 label wines.

Wines

Savannah–Chanelle Vineyards is best known for their

Pinot noir Pinot Noir () is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French words for ''pine'' and ''black.'' The word ''pine ...

wines produced from both local and estate grapes. They also produce

Zinfandel Zinfandel (also known as Primitivo) is a variety of black-skinned wine grape. The variety is grown in over 10 percent of California vineyards. DNA analysis has revealed that it is genetically equivalent to the Croatian grapes Crljenak Kašt ...

wines that are produced from the original estate Zinfandel vines planted in 1910. These vines are the oldest surviving Zinfandel vines in California.

Cabernet Franc Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire's Chinon. In addition to being u ...

, planted in 1920,

Port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...

Chardonnay Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand. For new ...

and several other varietals are also produced by the vineyard.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Savannah-Chanelle Vineyards Wineries in Santa Cruz Mountains Companies based in Santa Clara County, California