Winemaker, Jeff Gaffner
Owner/winemaker Jeff Gaffner is a 25 year veteran of the wine industry. Jeff’s career as a winemaker was launched in 1981 at Chateau St. Jean under the tutelage of renowned vintner Richard Arrowood. Most notably, Jeff was part of the winemaking team responsible for Chateau St. Jean’s 1996 Cinq Cepages, which was named the 1999 Wine of the Year by Wine Spectator Magazine.
In 1997 Saxon Brown was launched, named for the willful heroine in Jack London’s Valley of the Moon. The winery gained instant recognition for its flagship "old vine: Zinfandel and Semillon from heritage field-blended vines originally planted by Italian immigrants. The winery also produces an “old vine” Semillon from the same vineyard, as well as Pinot Noir from the famed Durell Vineyard (Sonoma County) , Pinot Noir, Syrah and Zinfandel from Parmellee Hill Vineyard (Sonoma Valley), Syrah and Syrah Rose from Flora Ranch (Chalk Hill), and Semillon from Cricket Creek Vineyard (Alexander Valley).
In addition to Saxon Brown, Jeff has won critical acclaim as the consulting winemaker for several high-end boutique labels including Xtant (Napa Valley), Stephanie (Napa Valley), Black Kite Cellars (Anderson Valley).