Paul Masson
Encyclopedia
Paul Masson was an early pioneer of California
viticulture
and successful popularizer of Californian sparkling wine
.
in 1878 to California
, United States
, where he met Charles Lefranc
, one of a number of French immigrants who had expanded the viticulture
introduced into the Santa Clara Valley
by the Catholic mission
fathers. Masson went back to France in 1880, but later returned to California due to the depression in the French wine industry caused by the Phylloxera plague
. According to the Paul Masson company web site, in 1892 Masson's first sparkling wine
under the name "champagne" was introduced at Almaden, and Masson eventually became known as the "Champagne King of California".
above Saratoga, California
and built his "chateau" on a knob overlooking the Santa Clara Valley
in 1905. Now known as "The Mountain Winery
", the Paul Masson Mountain Winery is on the National Park Service
's National Register of Historic Places
. Various events are held at the winery, such as concert series, weddings, and other special events. A famous chess tournament was held there annually for a number of years in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The Paul Masson winery and brand were acquired by Vintners International in 1990. Vintners was in turn purchased by Centera Wine Company (formerly "Canandaigua") in 1993 as part of Vintner's bankruptcy proceedings. Canandaigua was renamed Constellation Brands
in 2000.
In 2008, Wine Group LLC of San Francisco purchased Paul Masson and two other California wine brands.
The Paul Masson brand is best remembered for its 1970s marketing association with Orson Welles
, who promised for Masson: "We will sell no wine before its time." An infamous outtake for one commercial from the Orson Welles campaign features Welles attempting to deliver his lines while very severely inebriated. Despite a lucrative contract which included a clause allowing for generous quantities of free wine, Welles was subsequently sacked from the Paul Masson commercials in the early 1980s after admitting on a US talk show that he never drank Paul Masson wine.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
viticulture
Viticulture
Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...
and successful popularizer of Californian sparkling wine
Sparkling wine
Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it making it fizzy. The carbon dioxide may result from natural fermentation, either in a bottle, as with the méthode champenoise, in a large tank designed to withstand the pressures involved , or as a result of carbon dioxide...
.
Biography
Masson emigrated from the Burgundy region of FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1878 to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where he met Charles Lefranc
Rancho San Juan Bautista
Rancho San Juan Bautista was a Mexican land grant in present day Santa Clara County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to José Agustín Narvaez. The grant extended along the Guadalupe River from Los Gatos to San Jose...
, one of a number of French immigrants who had expanded the viticulture
Viticulture
Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...
introduced into the Santa Clara Valley
Santa Clara Valley
The Santa Clara Valley is a valley just south of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California in the United States. Much of Santa Clara County and its county seat, San José, are in the Santa Clara Valley. The valley was originally known as the Valley of Heart’s Delight for its high concentration...
by the Catholic mission
Spanish missions in California
The Spanish missions in California comprise a series of religious and military outposts established by Spanish Catholics of the Franciscan Order between 1769 and 1823 to spread the Christian faith among the local Native Americans. The missions represented the first major effort by Europeans to...
fathers. Masson went back to France in 1880, but later returned to California due to the depression in the French wine industry caused by the Phylloxera plague
Phylloxera
Grape phylloxera ; originally described in France as Phylloxera vastatrix; equated to the previously described Daktulosphaira vitifoliae, Phylloxera vitifoliae; commonly just called phylloxera is a pest of commercial grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America...
. According to the Paul Masson company web site, in 1892 Masson's first sparkling wine
Sparkling wine
Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it making it fizzy. The carbon dioxide may result from natural fermentation, either in a bottle, as with the méthode champenoise, in a large tank designed to withstand the pressures involved , or as a result of carbon dioxide...
under the name "champagne" was introduced at Almaden, and Masson eventually became known as the "Champagne King of California".
Paul Masson winery and brand
Masson shifted part of his production to the Santa Cruz MountainsSanta Cruz Mountains
The Santa Cruz Mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are a mountain range in central California, United States. They form a ridge along the San Francisco Peninsula, south of San Francisco, separating the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco Bay and the Santa Clara Valley, and continuing south,...
above Saratoga, California
Saratoga, California
Saratoga is a city in Santa Clara County, California, USA. It is located on the west side of the Santa Clara Valley, directly west of San Jose, in the San Francisco Bay area. The population was 29,926 at the 2010 census....
and built his "chateau" on a knob overlooking the Santa Clara Valley
Santa Clara Valley
The Santa Clara Valley is a valley just south of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California in the United States. Much of Santa Clara County and its county seat, San José, are in the Santa Clara Valley. The valley was originally known as the Valley of Heart’s Delight for its high concentration...
in 1905. Now known as "The Mountain Winery
Mountain Winery
The Mountain Winery, formerly the Paul Masson Mountain Winery, is a winery in Saratoga, California, USA. It was founded by Paul Masson, a pioneer of the California wine industry...
", the Paul Masson Mountain Winery is on the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
's National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. Various events are held at the winery, such as concert series, weddings, and other special events. A famous chess tournament was held there annually for a number of years in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The Paul Masson winery and brand were acquired by Vintners International in 1990. Vintners was in turn purchased by Centera Wine Company (formerly "Canandaigua") in 1993 as part of Vintner's bankruptcy proceedings. Canandaigua was renamed Constellation Brands
Constellation Brands
Constellation Brands, Inc., headquartered in Victor, New York, is the world’s leading wine company with a broad portfolio of widely admired premium brands across the wine, beer and spirits categories.-History and description:...
in 2000.
In 2008, Wine Group LLC of San Francisco purchased Paul Masson and two other California wine brands.
The Paul Masson brand is best remembered for its 1970s marketing association with Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
, who promised for Masson: "We will sell no wine before its time." An infamous outtake for one commercial from the Orson Welles campaign features Welles attempting to deliver his lines while very severely inebriated. Despite a lucrative contract which included a clause allowing for generous quantities of free wine, Welles was subsequently sacked from the Paul Masson commercials in the early 1980s after admitting on a US talk show that he never drank Paul Masson wine.