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TONY CRAIG NETWORK
scmwine edited this page Apr 1, 2026
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Tony Craig (Anthony Craig) is a former Shakespearean actor from Newcastle, England who has become a central figure in Santa Cruz Mountains winemaking, simultaneously making wines for multiple labels and vineyards. His network represents one of the most interconnected winemaking operations in the region.
Background:
- Former Shakespearean actor (hence "Sonnet" label name)
- From Newcastle, England
- Entered wine industry through David Bruce Winery
Career Timeline:
-
1990s-2001: Winemaker at David Bruce Winery (12 years)
- Led Pinot Noir vineyard designation program
- 2001: Founded Sonnet Wine Cellars (his own label)
- 2003-present: Winemaker at Savannah-Chanelle Vineyards
- 2018-present: Winemaker at Silver Mountain Vineyards
- Active: Makes Tondré Wines
- Location: 23600 Congress Springs Road, Saratoga
- Owners: Michael and Kellie Ballard (1996-present)
- Tony Craig's Role: Winemaker (2003-present)
- Wines: Estate Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Zinfandel, Carignane, Chardonnay
Site History:
- Pre-Prohibition: Known as Ville de Monmartre
- Historic vines: Head-pruned Zinfandel and Cabernet Franc from before Prohibition
- 1976-1990: Congress Springs Vineyards (Daniel Gehrs)
- Early 1990s: Sold to British corporation
- 1992-1996: Owned by Mariana family
- 1996-present: Ballard family renamed Savannah-Chanelle
- Location: 269 Silver Mountain Drive, Los Gatos (winery); 328D Ingalls Street, Santa Cruz (tasting room)
- Owner/Founder: Jerold O'Brien (1979-present)
- Tony Craig's Role: Winemaker (2018-present, took over from O'Brien on 40th harvest)
- Elevation: 2,100 feet
- Vineyard: 18 acres, certified organic since 1980
- Wines: Mount Eden clone Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot (estate); plus vineyard designates
History:
- 1972: O'Brien discovered abandoned 18-acre orchard
- 1979: First vintage (350 cases Zinfandel)
- 1980: Certified organic
- 1989: Loma Prieta earthquake destroyed original winery
- 1995: Reconstruction completed
- 2018: Tony Craig took over winemaking
- 2025: Acquired Woodside Vineyards label
- Owner/Winemaker: Tony Craig
- Founded: 2001 (while at David Bruce)
- Focus: Vineyard-designated Pinot Noir
-
Wines:
- Pinot Noir from Muns Vineyard (Santa Cruz Mountains) - "most austere with greatest aging potential"
- Pinot Noir from Kruse Vineyard (York Mountain)
- Pinot Noir from Amber Ridge (Russian River Valley)
- Pinot Noir from Tondré Grapefield (Santa Lucia Highlands)
Significance: Some of the most sought-after Pinot Noir in California
- Winemaker: Tony Craig
- Made at: Silver Mountain facilities
- Owners: Ed Muns, Mary Lindsay
- Elevation: 2,600 feet (one of highest in country; probably highest Pinot Noir)
- Size: 13.5 acres (12.5 acres Pinot Noir, 1 acre Syrah)
- Winemakers over time: Peter Bargetto, Paul Bargetto, Jon Morgan (2003-04), Tony Craig (2005-present)
- Production: 200 cases
- First Vintage: 2003
History:
- 1970s: Pine tree farm
- 1980s: Previous owner planted Pinot, Chardonnay, Cabernet, Merlot but abandoned project
- Late 1990s: Ed Muns began refurbishing
- 1998: First new Pinot vines planted
- 2006: Sales licenses issued
- 2007: Sales began
Fruit sold to:
- Silver Mountain
- Sonnet (Tony Craig's label)
- Soquel Vineyards
Congress Springs Vineyards (1976-1990):
- Founder/Winemaker: Daniel Gehrs (and wife Robin)
- Discovered: Derelict mountain vineyard with pre-Prohibition head-pruned Zinfandel and Cabernet Franc
- Location: Congress Springs Road
- Peak production: 25,000 cases annually
-
Known for:
- 1978 Pinot Noir from Novitiate vineyard (Spectator Selection)
- Chardonnay from San Ysidro District (regularly 90+ points)
- Chenin Blanc and Pinot Blanc from Novitiate
- 1989: Attempted second label "Chaine d'Or" (sparkling wines) - only known release was 1986 blanc de blancs
- 1990: Gehrs left; founded Daniel Gehrs Wines; moved to Santa Barbara County
Transition:
- Early 1990s: Sold to British corporation
- 1992-1996: Mariana family
- 1996: Ballard family purchased and renamed Savannah-Chanelle
- 2003: Tony Craig joined as winemaker
Tony Craig operates a unique multi-winery model rare in California wine:
- Savannah-Chanelle - Employee winemaker (2003-present)
- Silver Mountain - Employee winemaker (2018-present)
- Sonnet - Own label (2001-present)
- Tondré Wines - Custom crush at Silver Mountain
Facility Sharing:
- Sonnet and Tondré made at Silver Mountain facilities
- Jerold O'Brien (Silver Mountain owner) allows custom crush
Non-Competing Focuses:
- Savannah-Chanelle: Estate wines from Congress Springs Road property
- Silver Mountain: Estate organic wines + vineyard designates
- Sonnet: Premium vineyard-designated Pinot Noir (Craig's personal vision)
- Tondré: Specific Santa Lucia Highlands focus
Shared Fruit Sources:
- Muns Vineyard sells to both Silver Mountain and Sonnet
- Craig can allocate different lots to different labels
Geographic Complementarity:
- Santa Cruz Mountains (Savannah-Chanelle, Silver Mountain, Muns)
- Plus access to Santa Lucia Highlands (Tondré), Russian River, York Mountain (Sonnet sources)
- Tony Craig - Central winemaker
- Jerold O'Brien - Silver Mountain owner/founder; mentored Craig; allows custom crush
- Michael and Kellie Ballard - Savannah-Chanelle owners; employ Craig
- Ed Muns - Muns Vineyard owner; works with Craig
- Daniel Gehrs - Congress Springs founder; established Savannah-Chanelle's predecessor
- Muns Vineyard - Supplies Silver Mountain, Sonnet, Soquel
- Silver Mountain estate - 18 acres, 2,100 feet, organic since 1980
- Savannah-Chanelle estate - Pre-Prohibition vines, Congress Springs Road
- Tondré Grapefield - Santa Lucia Highlands (Sonnet, Tondré Wines)
- Miller Hill Vineyard - Silver Mountain Pinot source
- Weideman Ranch - Silver Mountain Cabernet source
- David Bruce Winery - Craig's early career (12 years); Pinot Noir program
- Congress Springs - Predecessor to Savannah-Chanelle
- Ville de Monmartre - Pre-Prohibition predecessor to both
- Woodside Vineyards - Label acquired by Silver Mountain (2025)
Tony Craig demonstrates a modern multi-winery model where a single talented winemaker:
- Works for multiple employers simultaneously
- Maintains own label(s)
- Shares facilities through custom crush arrangements
- Allocates fruit from shared sources
This model maximizes:
- Winemaker income potential
- Small winery access to top talent
- Efficient use of facilities
- Diversity of wine styles from single winemaker
The network preserves multiple historic sites:
- Savannah-Chanelle: Pre-Prohibition vines (Ville de Monmartre lineage)
- Silver Mountain: 1979 founding, organic since 1980
- Muns: 2,600-foot elevation site (highest Pinot Noir)
Craig's Sonnet label has become "some of the most sought-after Pinot Noir in California" - demonstrating Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot quality alongside Russian River, Santa Lucia Highlands, York Mountain.
The network accesses fruit from:
- Santa Cruz Mountains (Muns, estate vineyards)
- Santa Lucia Highlands (Tondré)
- Russian River Valley (Amber Ridge)
- York Mountain (Kruse)
- Santa Clara Valley (Weideman Ranch)
This demonstrates that winemaker vision can transcend single-site focus.
All operations within Santa Cruz Mountains/Silicon Valley nexus:
- Savannah-Chanelle: Saratoga (Congress Springs Road)
- Silver Mountain: Los Gatos (winery), Santa Cruz (tasting room)
- Muns Vineyard: Los Gatos
- Sonnet: Los Gatos (mailing address)
Shared address: Both Silver Mountain tasting room (328D Ingalls Street, Santa Cruz) and Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard (334-A Ingalls Street) are on same street - suggests shared or adjacent facilities.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| Pre-1920 | Ville de Monmartre planted with Zinfandel, Cabernet Franc |
| 1920-1933 | Prohibition; vines abandoned |
| 1972 | Jerold O'Brien discovers future Silver Mountain site |
| 1976 | Daniel Gehrs founds Congress Springs; discovers pre-Prohibition vines |
| 1979 | Silver Mountain first vintage |
| 1980 | Silver Mountain certified organic |
| 1990 | Gehrs leaves Congress Springs |
| 1990s | Tony Craig working at David Bruce (12 years total) |
| 1996 | Ballards purchase Congress Springs property; rename Savannah-Chanelle |
| Late 1990s | Ed Muns begins refurbishing Muns Vineyard |
| 2001 | Tony Craig founds Sonnet Wine Cellars |
| 2003 | Tony Craig joins Savannah-Chanelle as winemaker |
| 2003 | Muns Vineyard first vintage |
| 2005 | Tony Craig becomes winemaker for Muns Vineyard wines |
| 2018 | Tony Craig takes over winemaking at Silver Mountain (40th harvest) |
| 2025 | Silver Mountain acquires Woodside Vineyards label |
This network demonstrates:
- Modern winemaking economics - Single winemaker across multiple labels
- Facility sharing - Custom crush arrangements
- Fruit allocation - Shared vineyard sources (Muns)
- Site continuity - Pre-Prohibition vines still producing (Savannah-Chanelle)
- Quality focus - Sonnet's "most sought-after" status
- Organic pioneering - Silver Mountain certified 1980
- Elevation extremes - Muns at 2,600 feet
- Cross-regional expertise - Craig sources from 5+ appellations
- Savannah-Chanelle Vineyards
- Silver Mountain Vineyards
- Sonnet Wine Cellars
- Congress Springs Vineyards
- Ville de Monmartre
- Tondré Wines
- Savannah-Chanelle Vineyards website
- Silver Mountain Vineyards website
- Sonnet Wine Cellars - Wine-Searcher, Appellation America
- Muns Vineyard website
- Congress Springs - Daniel Gehrs Wines story
- Edible Monterey Bay: "43 Years at Silver Mountain"