Chateau St. Jean

The chateau at the heart of the property predates the winery by half a century. Ernest and Maude Goff, who had built a family fortune in Michigan's Upper Peninsula iron ore mines and Pacific Northwest lumber, came to California from Saginaw, Michigan, and purchased approximately 300 acres in the Valley of the Moon area of Sonoma County. Construction of their summer home, the Chateau, began in 1920, with solid oak banisters, an oak-paneled hallway and a large oak fireplace in what is now the estate's Reserve Tasting Room; white wine grapes grew on the property at the time, and the family added prunes and walnuts once Prohibition began. In the early 1970s, Ken Sheffield and Bob and Ed Merzoian, San Joaquin Valley table grape growers and shippers, searched for a site for a premium California winery and focused their attention on 250 acres of the Goff estate. Chateau St. Jean was founded in October 1973 and named after Jean Sheffield Merzoian, the wife, sister and sister-in-law of the three founders. The winery's first winemaker was Dick Arrowood; the inaugural vintage was produced at another winery in 1974, and the first vintage made on the property followed in 1975. The winery and grounds in Kenwood were completed in 1980, designed from the outset to keep individual vineyard lots separate through the winemaking process so that vineyard designation stayed pure.

• Chateau construction began 1920 as the summer home of Ernest and Maude Goff, who had purchased about 300 acres in the Valley of the Moon
• Founded October 1973 by Ken Sheffield, Bob Merzoian and Ed Merzoian on 250 acres of the former Goff estate
• Named after Jean Sheffield Merzoian, wife, sister and sister-in-law of the founders
• Dick Arrowood was the winery's first winemaker; inaugural vintage 1974, first vintage made on-property 1975
• Winery and grounds completed 1980, built to keep vineyard lots separate for single-vineyard designation

Before Foley Family Wines, Chateau St. Jean was owned by Treasury Wine Estates, the Australia-based company that also owns Penfolds. Wine Spectator reported that at the time of the December 2021 sale, Chateau St. Jean's wines were not being made at the estate; the Press Democrat reported that production had been moved to Treasury's Beringer facility in Napa Valley roughly five years earlier. Foley Family Wines, founded in the 1990s by businessman Bill Foley, announced its acquisition of Chateau St. Jean on December 8, 2021. The deal, for an undisclosed price, included the historic 1920s chateau, a 6,000-square-foot visitor center, a 39,000-square-foot wine production facility and 79 planted acres of estate vineyards, along with a legacy use permit allowing up to 30 events a year, including 24 special events and six large-scale gatherings such as weddings. The winery holds a permit to produce up to 750,000 cases annually, according to the Press Democrat. Foley said at the time that Treasury "didn't do it any favors" and that his plan was to focus on single-vineyard Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs and to get Cinq Cepages "back to where it was a 100-point wine at one point." Foley Family Wines said it intended to have a fully functioning estate winery by the 2022 harvest, and Chateau St. Jean's own account states that in August 2022 the winery completed its first full production in six years, including rebuilding the destemmer, crush pad and presses. Lisa Evich joined Foley Family Wines and Spirits in 2024 as Winemaker for Southern Sonoma, crafting wines for both Chateau St. Jean and Sebastiani; she holds a BA in Environmental Studies and Planning and a Wine Business MBA from Sonoma State University and a Winemaking Certificate from UC Davis.

• Previously owned by Treasury Wine Estates (Australia-based, also owner of Penfolds); wines were not being made on-site at the time of the 2021 sale
• Foley Family Wines announced its acquisition of Chateau St. Jean from Treasury Wine Estates on December 8, 2021; financial terms were not disclosed
• Deal included the 1920s chateau, 6,000-square-foot visitor center, 39,000-square-foot production facility and 79 planted acres; the winery holds a permit for up to 750,000 cases annually
• August 2022: the winery completed its first full on-site production in six years, rebuilding the destemmer, crush pad and presses
• Lisa Evich joined Foley Family Wines and Spirits in 2024 as Winemaker for Southern Sonoma, serving Chateau St. Jean and Sebastiani

The Foley acquisition included 79 planted acres of estate vineyards in Kenwood. Beyond the home estate, Chateau St. Jean sources fruit from named vineyards across Sonoma County. Belle Terre Vineyard, owned by the Dick family, sits on the Russian River in southern Alexander Valley; the family has grown grapes there for three decades and the site supplies the winery's Late Harvest Riesling, made from hand-selected, botrytis-affected berries. Hallberg Ranch, a hillside vineyard in the heart of Russian River Valley with sandy-loam soils, supplies the winery's Pinot Noir. The estate's Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon draws on Alexander Valley fruit, and its Carneros Chardonnay is grown in the cooler, fog-influenced Carneros district near San Pablo Bay.

• 79 planted acres of estate vineyards in Kenwood, part of the Foley acquisition
• Belle Terre Vineyard (Dick family, southern Alexander Valley on the Russian River): source for the Late Harvest Riesling
• Hallberg Ranch (Russian River Valley, sandy-loam hillside soils): source for the Pinot Noir
• Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Carneros Chardonnay draw on their named appellations

Cinq Cepages is Chateau St. Jean's flagship wine. Each year the winemaker selects fruit from what the estate calls outstanding and proven Bordeaux varietal vineyards across Sonoma County. The 2023 vintage is composed of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Malbec, 6% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, at 14.4% alcohol. The 1996 vintage became the first Sonoma wine to win Wine Spectator's Wine of the Year, awarded in 1999. In 2017, the release of the 2014 vintage marked the 25th anniversary of Cinq Cepages. In February 2024, Chateau St. Jean announced stylistic changes to the blend beginning with the 2022 vintage release, aiming for what the estate describes as a more full-bodied, expressive wine. The current lineup also includes single-vineyard and appellation-designated wines such as the Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Carneros Chardonnay, Hallberg Ranch Pinot Noir, Belle Terre Vineyard Late Harvest Riesling, Founder's Block Chardonnay, Benoist Ranch Pinot Noir, Macaama Ranch Chardonnay, Estate Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot, Le Blanc Sonoma County, Oak Hill Sauvignon Blanc, Blanc de Noirs and the 8555 Reserve Cuvee.

• Cinq Cepages: Bordeaux-style red blend; 2023 vintage is 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Malbec, 6% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot at 14.4% alcohol
• 1996 Cinq Cepages: first Sonoma wine to win Wine Spectator's Wine of the Year, awarded 1999
• 2017: 25th anniversary of Cinq Cepages marked by the release of the 2014 vintage
• February 2024: stylistic changes to Cinq Cepages announced with the 2022 vintage release
• Current lineup spans single-vineyard and appellation wines including Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Carneros Chardonnay and Hallberg Ranch Pinot Noir

Chateau St. Jean's 1996 Cinq Cepages winning Wine Spectator's Wine of the Year in 1999 was the first time a Sonoma wine received that award, a milestone the estate and outside press both point to in describing the winery's place in Sonoma Valley history. The winery is also known, per its own account, for its early and sustained focus on single-vineyard designation, a practice built into the winery's 1980 production facility design. The 2021 change in ownership marked a deliberate attempt at revival: Bill Foley described buying a winery whose previous owner, in his words, "didn't do it any favors," and the estate's own history page frames 2022 as the year it rebuilt its production capability after six years of production being carried out elsewhere. The 2023 fiftieth anniversary and the February 2024 stylistic reset of Cinq Cepages both mark points in an ongoing effort, under Foley Family Wines, to restore the winery's reputation for site-driven Sonoma County wines.

• 1996 Cinq Cepages was the first Sonoma wine to win Wine Spectator's Wine of the Year (awarded 1999)
• Winery's 1980 production facility was purpose-built to keep vineyard lots separate for single-vineyard designation
• 2021 Foley Family Wines acquisition framed explicitly as a revival after the Treasury ownership period
• August 2022: first full on-site production in six years; 2023: fiftieth anniversary; February 2024: Cinq Cepages stylistic reset

Primary sources (the winery's own site, chateaustjean.com): home, our-story (history), people, wines (shop listing), visit, and the wine pages for Cinq Cepages, Carneros Chardonnay, Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Belle Terre Vineyard Late Harvest Riesling and Hallberg Ranch Pinot Noir. Secondary sources: Decanter (December 2021 acquisition report), Wine Spectator (December 9, 2021 acquisition report), and the Press Democrat (December 8, 2021 acquisition report). Last verified 2026-09-14. Where the winery's own site and a secondary source disagree, the winery's own site governs; where the winery's site is silent, this article relies on secondary sources that independently agree, as noted in the text.