The Mountain Winery, formerly the Paul Masson Mountain Winery, sits in the hills above Saratoga. It's California Historical Landmark No. 733 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It's also where the slogan Orson Welles made famous in TV ads came from: "We will sell no wine before its time."
The Champagne King
Paul Masson worked for Charles Lefranc, one of the French immigrants who expanded winemaking in the Santa Clara Valley. In 1892 Masson introduced his first sparkling wine at Almaden and became known as the "Champagne King of California." He bought the Saratoga property in 1901 and moved his sparkling-wine production there. In 1905 he built a house on a knoll above the winery, called the Chateau, where he became known for lavish dinner parties. His wife, Louise, was a prohibitionist and skipped them. Masson got through Prohibition by selling grapes wholesale and by special permission to sell sacramental wine.
After the 1906 earthquake, Masson rebuilt the winery with sandstone blocks from the quake-wrecked Saratoga Wine Company building on Big Basin Way. He also added the old entrance portal from St. Patrick's Church in San Jose, which the quake had also destroyed.
From wine to music
Winemaking stopped in 1952, and concerts began in 1958. Performers have included Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Ringo Starr, the Beach Boys and Santana. A well-known annual chess tournament was held there in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Around 2000 the owners hired winemaker Jeffrey Patterson, and vineyards were replanted in 2004. AEG has produced the concert series since 2012.
Visiting now
The venue describes its outdoor amphitheater as an intimate 2,500-seat space. Wine tasting is open Friday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m., with no reservations needed. The site also hosts private events, and its 2026 concert series is listed on its website.