Where Cinnabar Makes Wine

In 1987, Cinnabar founder Tom Mudd built his winery in the hills above Saratoga intent on producing 5,000 cases of estate-grown Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet and Chardonnay. As the brand became established, other varietals were added to the portfolio: Merlot, Central Coast Chardonnay and Xcellence (now named Mercury Rising) in 1996. Pinot Noir was planted starting in 1993 with a first vintage date of 1997.

Cinnabar became even more popular over the next few years, and production was increased to meet the demand. A 1999 snap shot of the caves reveals a cellar with barrels stacked four-high in every direction — a risky proposition in an area prone to earthquakes.

It was apparent that the winery — now holding 15,000 cases — was well above capacity and that additional facilities were needed. Since most of our fruit was sourced along the burgeoning Central Coast wine region, we searched for nearby cellars to maximize grape quality, minimize transportation, and leave a smaller carbon footprint.

In 2000, we began making our Merlot and Mercury Rising in San Luis Obispo County, a strategic move given that our winemaker was a graduate of Cal Poly and already familiar with the exciting local wine scene.

Today, we continue to make wine at facilities that are close to our vineyard sources and have infrastructures capable of producing world-class wines. Winemaker George Troquato and his assistant, Alejandro Aldama, are involved in every aspect of the winemaking process: from the selection of fruit produced by growers with whom we’ve had longstanding relationships, to fermenting with state-of-the-art equipment, to finishing in the finest French, Hungarian and American oak barrels.

Where we make our wine:

• Los Gatos: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir
• Monterey: Chardonnay
• Paso Robles: Merlot, Mercury Rising, Petite Sirah, Marsanne, Roussanne
• Sonoma County: Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Petite Verdot, Cabernet Franc