Paul Masson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Paul Masson
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| Born | 1859 Burgundy, France
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| Died | (aged 82) San Jose, California
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| Occupation | Viticulturist |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) |
Louise Lefranc
(m. 1888; died 1936) |
Paul Masson (1859 – October 22, 1940) was a key person in the early days of California's viticulture (grape growing and winemaking). He became well-known for his brand of Californian sparkling wine.
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Paul Masson's Life and Work
Paul Masson moved from the Burgundy region of France to California, United States, in 1878 when he was 19 years old. There, he met Charles Lefranc, who owned a large vineyard called Almaden Vineyard. Many French people like Masson and Lefranc had helped grow the wine industry in the Santa Clara Valley. This industry was first started by the Catholic mission fathers.
In 1880, Masson went back to France to finish his studies at The Sorbonne. After college, he returned to San Jose, California. He came back because the French wine industry was having problems due to a tiny insect called phylloxera. This insect destroyed many grapevines. Paul Masson then became the winemaker at Almaden.
After Charles Lefranc passed away, Masson bought 573 acres of land in Saratoga, California. He named this land La Cresta. He planted 60 acres of grapes, mostly Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, using cuttings from Burgundy. He then renamed his new winery the Paul Masson Champagne Company. This company is now known as The Mountain Winery.
In 1892, Masson introduced his first sparkling wine, which he called "champagne". He eventually became known as the "Champagne King of California" after winning an award at the Paris Expo in 1900.
Paul Masson died at his home in San Jose on October 22, 1940. He is buried at Oak Hill Memorial Park.
The Mountain Winery
Paul Masson moved some of his wine production to the Santa Cruz Mountains above Saratoga, California. In 1905, he built his "chateau" (a large country house) on a hill overlooking the Santa Clara Valley. This place is now called "The Mountain Winery".
The Paul Masson Mountain Winery is listed on the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places. It stopped making wines in 1952. Today, it is used for concerts, weddings, and other special events. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, a chess tournament was held there every year. Around the year 2000, new owners decided to start making wine there again. New vineyards were planted at the Mountain Winery in 2004.
Paul Masson Advertising
The Paul Masson brand is well-remembered for its advertisements from 1978 to 1981. These ads featured the famous actor and director Orson Welles. He would famously say for Masson: "We will sell no wine before its time." This slogan meant that the wine was aged perfectly before being sold.
Orson Welles was later replaced as the spokesperson by John Gielgud. Even though the ads were popular, the Paul Masson brand sometimes had a reputation for making less expensive wines.
Paul Masson and NASA
In the 1970s, NASA bought some Paul Masson Rare Cream Sherry for a Skylab space mission. They even packaged some for testing on a special aircraft that could create a "zero-G" (weightless) environment. However, the strong smell of the sherry quickly filled the cabin. Also, there was public concern about taking alcohol into space. Because of these reasons, NASA decided not to take the wine into space.
What Happened to the Paul Masson Brand?
After his wife Louise Lefranc died in 1936, Paul Masson decided to sell his winery. Martin Ray, a California wine expert who Masson had mentored, bought the winery and vineyards.
However, two years after Masson's own death in 1940, Martin Ray sold the winery. He used the money to buy land nearby and continued to make wine using grape cuttings from the Masson estate.
Changes in Ownership
In 1942, the Seagram Company, Ltd, a large global wine and spirits company, bought the Paul Masson winery and brand. Seagram owned the brand for 45 years. They closed Masson's original Saratoga winery in 1952.
Seagram later sold the Paul Masson brand to Vintners International in 1987. Vintners International then went bankrupt six years later.
In 1993, the Centera Wine Company bought Vintners International. Centera was later renamed Constellation Brands in 2000. Constellation Brands produced two main types of products with the Paul Masson name: Paul Masson brandies and Paul Masson wines.
In 2008, Constellation Brands sold the Paul Masson wine line and the original Paul Masson winery to Wine Group LLC. Wine Group LLC then removed the Paul Masson name from the winery and renamed it "The Mountain Winery". They also continued to sell Paul Masson table wines for a while, but quietly stopped selling them around 2018.
Constellation Brands continued to make Paul Masson brandies until 2021. In 2019, E & J Gallo Winery began talks to buy the Paul Masson brandies from Constellation Brands. This sale was approved in 2021, meaning the brandies would once again be made in California. Currently, no one makes Paul Masson wines, as The Wine Group LLC stopped production in 2018.
