SAVIEZ FAMILY HISTORY
Francois Saviez
Marie Saviez
In 1890 Francois Saviez took the long voyage across the Atlantic ocean to America from his native homeland of France. After arriving to Ellis Island he made a decision to head west to California. Francois found himself in the small town of Calistoga California in the Napa Valley where he met and married Marie.
From 1890 to 1900 Francois worked for the prominent Coit Family of San Francisco managing their vineyards along the Silverado Trail and Larkmead Lane. In 1900 the Coit Family decided to sell the Vineyards to Francois and return to San Francisco. It was at this time the Saviez Family set it roots in Calistoga. In 1916 Francois decided to build a small winery and began making premium wines.
On January 16th, 1920, only a few years after the completion of the Saviez Winery, prohibition was enacted by the United States Government. Francois had made a decision to continue to produce wine to provide for his family. That decision did not come without severe consequences. In 1923, Government Agents (G Men) came to the winery and destroyed the families prized wine. After 13 long years of bootlegging the prized Saviez Wines, prohibition was finally lifted on December 5th 1933. The family was again able to make wine and was back in business.
In the year 1944 Francois passed away and shortly after that the Saviez Family Winery was devastated by the Napa Valley fire of 1946. It wasn’t until 1997 that the Saviez Family resumed making award winning Napa Valley wines. Today the family continues to make some of the finest single vineyard wines from some of the most coveted vineyards in the Napa Valley. In 2006 the family expanded its wine production and started making wines from their other estate vineyards in Central California along the San Joaquin River.
For over 150 years the tradition of making fine wine has been carried on throughout the generations and continues to this day.
Mike Saviez
Mike started his career in the wine business in 1999 at 25 years of age in Calistoga California. Calistoga is at the northern end of the famous wine region of the Napa Valley. After working with his cousin Paul Saviez in vineyard development and management Mike took over as general manager of the Saviez Vineyards Wine Company.
After several years in the Napa Valley the Saviez
family decided to expand the wine production to the San Joaquin Valley where his parents Frank and Alice Saviez farm along the San Joaquin River. In 2006 Mike and his parents decided it was time to create their own wine company and Saviez Family Estates was established. The Saviez Family is now making wine in the Napa Valley and the San Joaquin Valley and continues to combine his knowledge of farming premium wine grapes with making some of the best wines California has to offer.
Frank & Alice Saviez
Frank and Alice Saviez along with their son Mike have combined to establish Saviez Family Estates Wine Company in 2006.
Frank was born in Calistoga and worked many of his early years on the Saviez estate vineyards along the Silverado Trail. Several years later Frank moved to the San Joaquin Valley and married Alice Collins.
Frank worked in the agriculture industry as an executive and farmed wine grapes along the San Joaquin River while Alice grew up in the bay area in Northern California and taught special education in her early years. Together Frank and Alice raised three children and are farming several hundred acres around Central California.