The Four Faces

The Four Faces of Winemaking: A Journey Through the Seasons

We’re often asked about the four faces on our logo, and what they represent. To us, they’re a reflection of the cycles that define the art of winemaking—each one representing a season, a stage in the journey from vine to bottle. The faces capture the essence of this ever-changing rhythm, a constant reminder of the work, the patience, and the beauty that unfold as the year progresses.

Each face is tied to a specific season, and each season plays a critical role in the story of the wine we create. From the hopeful start of spring to the reflective stillness of winter, these four faces remind us that winemaking is a journey—one that is shaped by nature, time, and the hands that guide it.

Spring: The Face of Renewal

Spring is the season of new beginnings. After the cold, the earth begins to warm, and the vines start to wake from their winter slumber. Tiny buds begin to form, a promise of what’s to come, and the air is filled with the scent of fresh growth. In the vineyard, we can’t help but feel a sense of renewal. The soil, rich with the potential of the coming months, provides the foundation for the vine’s new growth. It’s a time of hope and possibility. In the cellar, the wines are quietly maturing, transforming in barrels, patiently waiting for their time. Spring is about trusting the process, knowing that from this tiny spark of life, something great will grow.

Summer: The Face of Growth

By summer, the vineyard is alive with activity. The vines stretch tall, their leaves catching the sun’s warmth, while the grapes begin to swell and ripen. It’s a season of growth, of nurturing what has been planted, tending to each vine and ensuring that the conditions are just right for the fruit to flourish. The air is thick with anticipation as we watch the grapes ripen, knowing that everything we’ve worked for will soon come to fruition. In the cellar, the work is quieter, but the wines continue their slow transformation, aging gracefully. Summer is a season of patience and care, as we continue to guide the wine through its journey, one step at a time.

Fall: The Face of Harvest

Fall is when everything culminates. It’s the heart of the winemaking process, the moment when all the hard work of the year comes together. The vineyard is vibrant, and the grapes are ready—ripe, sweet, and full of promise. Harvest is a time of urgency and excitement. We move quickly, carefully picking each grape at its peak, ensuring that every cluster is handled with care. It’s a time of celebration, but also of hard work—of gathering the fruit that will become the wine we’ve been dreaming of. In the cellar, fermentation is underway, the air filled with the scents of fresh fruit and yeast. Fall is the moment of fullness, when the vineyard’s potential meets the work of our hands, and the wine begins its journey into something uniquely its own.

Winter: The Face of Reflection

And then, as the year winds down, we find ourselves in winter—a season of stillness, reflection, and patience. The vines are dormant, resting in the cold, while the wines in the cellar continue to develop. It’s a quieter time, but one that’s just as important. The work slows, but it doesn’t stop. Winter is a time to reflect on the journey of the year, to look back on what we’ve learned, and to anticipate what’s ahead. It’s also a time for the wine to settle, to age and mature, gaining complexity and depth. Winter teaches us patience, reminding us that good things take time, and that the best wines need their own space to grow.

The Cycle Continues

The four faces on our logo are a reflection of the winemaking journey—the ever-turning cycle of seasons that shape every bottle. Spring, summer, fall, and winter are not just stages in the vineyard; they are the essence of winemaking itself. Each season brings its own challenges, its own beauty, and its own story, and together, they create the wines we’re so proud to share with you.

As we look ahead to another year, we’re grateful for the work of the seasons, and for the way each one shapes the wines we create. The four faces remind us that winemaking is not just a process—it’s a connection to the land, the seasons, and the people who make it all possible. We’re honored to be part of this journey, and we’re excited to see where the next cycle takes us.

The Madson Monthly - Feb 2025

February in the Cellar: A Time of Transition and Celebration

As February draws to a close, we reflect on a month of steady progress and unforgettable moments. The days have been slowly growing longer, and with each passing hour of sunlight, we can feel the cellar beginning to thaw out from the chilly grip of winter. Though the temperatures have been low, there’s a sense of quiet anticipation in the air. The cellar, though still cold, is a place of reflection during these months—a space where we pause to think about last year’s harvest, the work that lies ahead, and the excitement building for the seasons to come.

While it’s been a bit of a quieter time in the cellar itself, there’s no rest in the vineyards. Out there, the work has been focused on winter pruning, carefully tending to the vines and preparing them for what’s to come. The vineyard may seem still now, but beneath the surface, it’s a time of subtle preparation, ensuring that every vine is ready to produce its best fruit when harvest 2025 arrives. There’s a quiet rhythm to this work—each cut is made with purpose and foresight, ensuring a strong, healthy foundation for the growing season ahead. In this way, the vineyard feels like an extension of the cellar itself—waiting, but full of potential.

February also brought with it a special opportunity to connect with our community and share the magic of the cellar in a more intimate way. On Valentine’s Day, we hosted our Chef in the Cellar event, a celebration of fine food and exceptional wine. Chef Diego, alongside Cole and Ken, curated a menu designed to pair beautifully with our wines. The atmosphere in the cellar was warm and inviting, a perfect contrast to the crisp winter air outside. As guests enjoyed a night of culinary delights, laughter, and of course, our wines, it felt like the perfect way to celebrate love—whether for food, wine, or the people we share it with.

As the month ended, Cole and Ken ventured out of the cellar and into the broader world of winemaking at the World of Pinot Noir in Santa Barbara. This prestigious event is a gathering of some of the finest Pinot Noir producers, and it was an incredible opportunity for them to connect with other winemakers, share stories, and gain new insights into the world of Pinot Noir. It was a chance to see the bigger picture, to be inspired by others in the industry, and to bring back fresh ideas for our own work in the vineyard and cellar.

Now, as we look ahead to March and the coming months, we are filled with excitement and optimism. The work in the cellar and the vineyard is ongoing, each day bringing us closer to the next chapter of our winemaking journey. It’s a time of transition, of thawing, of renewal—and we can’t wait to share it all with you. From the slow, steady growth of our vines to the opportunities for celebration and connection, this year promises to be one full of possibility.

Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to make our way through this beautiful season of change. We’re looking forward to what’s ahead, and we hope you’ll be there with us every step of the way.

The Madson Monthly - Jan 2025

January at the Winery: A Fresh Start to 2025

The chill of January has settled in, and as we step into a new year, there’s a sense of calm and quiet anticipation in the air. The days are still short, and the world outside is in its winter slumber, but here at the winery, we’ve been finding beauty in the stillness. January is always a time of reflection, a moment to look back on the year that’s passed and take stock of where we are before the rush of the seasons ahead.

In the cellar, the work has been steady but slower-paced, which gives us the space to focus on the details. Bottling season is in full swing, and while it’s often seen as a quieter part of the process, it’s still full of meaning. Each bottle we seal represents not just our hard work, but the time, care, and energy that have gone into every step along the way. We’re already looking ahead, excited to see what the next few months will bring, and as always, there’s something satisfying about watching this part of the journey come to fruition.

Meanwhile, the vineyard has been quiet, too. The vines are resting, the earth is still, but we’ve been keeping a close eye on them. Soon enough, it will be time to start pruning, selecting the strongest canes to make way for the growing season ahead. There’s a kind of peace that comes with this time—an understanding that nature moves at its own pace and that we’re simply here to help guide it when the time is right. It’s a time of waiting, but also of preparing for the busy work that will come when the first buds appear.

Outside the vineyard, the winter waves have been rolling in. For a few of us, this means grabbing a board when we can, chasing the surf on a crisp winter morning. It’s a rare moment of freedom—just the ocean and the thrill of a good wave—before coming back to the work that always awaits us at the winery. There’s something about those moments in the water that refreshes the spirit and resets the mind, giving us the clarity and energy to dive back into the work that we love.

Back at the winery, we’ve found other ways to connect with each other and keep the spirit of fun alive. A few team dinners have become the perfect way to unwind after a long week, often featuring a blind wine tasting challenge. It’s all in good fun, of course—just a chance to laugh, share stories, and test our palates a little bit. It’s a small ritual that reminds us of why we do what we do, and how lucky we are to be able to share these moments together.

This month, we also made a little addition to the winery—a piano! It’s a simple change, but it feels like it adds something new to the space. We’ve always loved the quiet hum of conversation and the occasional clink of glasses, but there’s something about the sound of live music that feels right in the atmosphere we’ve created here. We’re already dreaming of future jazz nights, and can’t wait to see where this new addition takes us.

As the month wraps up and we look ahead to February, we’re filled with excitement for what’s next. There’s more work to be done in the cellar, but there’s also time for new traditions to take root. Our Friday pizza pop-ups with Lido Pizza are returning, and we’re already looking forward to the evenings spent together, eating good food and enjoying each other’s company.

Looking back at the month, it feels like we’ve taken a deep breath, readying ourselves for the year ahead. There’s a quiet sense of gratitude in the air—grateful for the work, grateful for the community we’ve built, and grateful for the simple moments that remind us of why we’re here.

Here’s to the year ahead, and to the stories yet to be written. We’re so glad to have you with us on this journey.!

Vintage 2022, Raw Reflection

As we toil away in vineyards looking to the future vintage it is a pleasure to revel in the joy of what we are selling in bottle currently. The 2022’s mark our first vintage making wine in Bonny Doon Vineyard’s old tank room. A place where many of Bonny Doon Vineyard’s 90’s and 2000’s wines were vinified. There is a lot of history in this building we call “home to Madson Wines”. Before wineries, it was a brussel sprout packaging facility as early as the 1940’s. Alas, skip forward to 2022 and we finally get to make wine inside with all the necessary equipment and temperature control. No more outdoor fermentations, no more driving forklifts off road, no more directing fedex through the redwood forrest to a tiny barn. The 2022 vintage was the last drought vintage. The winter was as dry, had little rainfall and abnormally warm termperatures. The vines sprung forth early with fresh bud-lings as early as March 10th in some sites. Such an early bud break gives more time for Spring frost to damage our crop and sure enough we had a state-wide frost that effected even our coastal vineyards but especially the vineyards at higher elevations. The frost naturally minimized our grape yield by 30-50% depending on the site. 2022 was an early havest for us with due to the early budbreak and the hot summer to follow. We began picking in the Santa Cruz Mountains August 15th (a month earlier than our average). Overall, the heat ripened the fruit well, maturing soft tannins and giving the wines plenty of delicious and giving fruit on the palate. The small yield made dense wines, packed full of flavor and freshness. The dryness of the previous winter increased the concentration. It is a joy to look back on these 2022 wines. Specifically the 2022 Toyon Vineyard Pinot Noir and the 2022 Red Tail Syrah stand out, showing better than previous years. To watch raw footage from the Madson harvest in 2022 click here.

Thanks for reading,

Cole

Winter Vineyard Care

Is there ever enough daylight to attend to the trials and tidbits of farming? Thank goodness it’s a leap year! A bonus day to get all of our ducks in a row for the Spring. Sure thing. February is a month of pruning. Every vine in each vineyard needs handwork. We cut out old growth to make room right where we want it for new buds to burst forth. Madson Wines predominantly relies on cane pruning, which is a method of selecting a couple of the past year’s canes as the main source of new growth. We also spur prune when needed, depending on the varietal and the condition of the vine. Pruning is an art form. Many choices made now will affect the fruit conditions months down the line. This is your winemaker’s favorite vineyard activity. As sunshine breaks the ridgeline over Toyon Vineyard, 3 miles from the Pacific coastline, hear Cole Thomas announcing, “This is the best job in the vineyard!” with a big grin. Check out this article from Wine Folly for some detailed pruning technique illustrations. https://winefolly.com/deep-dive/grape-vine-training-methods-illustration/

Vintage 2023

Everything we do at Madson is part of a cycle. The cold winter kept soils cool late into Spring and mild coastal temperatures delayed flowering. A late flowering can influence how much “shatter” the vineyard experiences. Shatter is a term used when the climate conditions cause some failure in pollination, resulting in less fruit. We harvested each vineyard about one month later this year than we did in 2022, and do on average. Despite a lower yield and a later start, we are very excited about what the vineyard conditions meant for the quality of our wine. Clusters hung on the vines longer, getting to mature fully without overheating. It will be a memorable vintage for our palates, hurrah!

Participating in this process is humbling and wonderful. Thank you for sharing in the fruits of our labor.

Spring Sauvignon Blanc Pairing

Have you been adding Meyer lemon zest to just about everything these days?

Madson’s cellar - the office corner, tasting room, snack fridge, spare books stack - all but the vineyards are located in a lovely large warehouse on the west side of Santa Cruz, California. Folks on the team enjoy an occasional lunchtime wander around the neighborhoods adjacent to our building. And from Winter on through Spring you’ll witness Meyer lemons ripening from trees on nearly every street. Grateful for plenty of citrus to go ‘round, here is one way to employ the tangy rinds:

Joy of Lemon Zest Salad

Use 1 head of fresh lettuce or frisee, rinse clean and chop as you like.

Place greens in a large bowl and toss with a generous drizzle of olive oil, 2 pinches of flaky salt.

Add a scoop of toasted walnuts or almonds, roughly chopped.

Add 1/4-1/2 cup of dried Montmorency cherries or a handful of fresh raspberries.

Crumble a good bit of plain or honeyed goat cheese into the bowl, enough so that every second bite gets taste of that creamy tart flavor.

Lastly, using a microplane or other fine grater, grate the zest of 1 Meyer lemon over the salad. Toss the whole delightful mess together and savor with a slice of sourdough toast and a glass of Madson’s 2022 Sauvignon Blanc.

Serves 1 - 4, depending on the day, the crowd, the appetite.

End of Year Notations

December 28, 2022

A dose of gratitude, a bit of reflection, and some anticipation…

Practical joys like warm lighting, a lovely shade of green, and a friend’s “welcome in” offer comfort through the toils and triumphs of a year. As this one comes to a close and our team at Madson reflects on a year of change and growth, I give particular thanks for our new efficient steamy glass cleaner, the Cellar Door dishwasher!

Over the summer Madson moved the winery from a small barn in Corralitos to the west side of Santa Cruz, California. Tino and Cole got right to work organizing tanks and tools for the team’s first successful vintage in the new space. Grapes were ripe for harvest starting mid-August with Pinot Noir (early for the Santa Cruz mountains) and finishing mid-October with Syrah. Come November post-harvest relief, Madson could shift focus to the Cellar Door, or Tasting Room. Those of you who’ve come by for tastings or a glass of our fall-release wines have witnessed firsthand some of the progression, beginning with one picnic table and a dozen glasses tucked in the corner. Currently, the space is more verdant and spacious with a beautiful, concrete bar in collaboration with Oxford Design and Concrete Craftsman and newly sheet-rocked walls. There are sample shades of clay up for coloring our walls in earthy warmth and we anticipate these last touches before hosting a grand opening in the New Year.

Amongst weekly winery chores and changes, Madson participated in wonderful events including Santa Cruz Wine Walks, RAW Wine festivals, Big Sur Food and Wine, and UCSC Agro-ecology Department’s dinner with chef Alice Waters. In the new year, we plan to continue engaging with these collaborators for events and will invite you to join us along for the ride.

Along with our bravery and love of the process, it is you, willing to savor the aroma and taste of a thoughtfully made wine, who enable Madson to thrive. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Lastly, we are curious, did a friend splash their blind tasting of our chardonnay on themself just as they were about to describe its zesty crisp aroma to you? What memorable Madson moment brought levity or pause to your day this year? And, what collaboration, pop-up, or story of a team member would you like to see or hear from us in 2023?