Katie Madigan

The Path

Scientific training came first, with work at University of California, Santa Barbara and University of California, Davis giving Madigan a technical grounding before she entered winery work. St. Francis Winery & Vineyards was the first stop in that field, taken on as a Harvest Intern in 2002. The season’s rhythm, and the constant movement of the cellar, left a mark. Her line — “I didn’t want to leave at the end of every day” — says enough: the work was structured, active, and compelling enough to keep her inside it. Rather than treating St. Francis as a temporary stop, Madigan stayed with the estate and learned it from the inside: the pace, the fruit, and the room it left for decision-making. Since 2011, she has been the winemaker of St. Francis Winery & Vineyards, carrying that first harvest experience into a long-term role at the same Sonoma property where her career started.

The Work Today

Winemaking under Madigan’s direction covers the winery’s top-selling Zinfandels, Pinot Noirs, Chardonnays, and other white wines. The target is clear rather than decorative: wines that read as self-expressing, balanced, and tied to their place. In her own words, that means striving to “produce self-expressing, balanced wines from a region known most for its diverse terroir.” The method is restraint. Instead of overriding the material, the work is to hold shape and let the vintage do its part. In a portfolio built around the winery’s top-selling Zinfandels, Pinot Noirs, Chardonnays, and other white wines, that approach keeps the style aligned across categories: balanced, open, and specific to Sonoma County rather than detached from it.

In Their Words “I didn’t want to leave at the end of every day.” “I loved the fast pace and diversity of the job.”

Recognition

Katie Madigan has received International Women’s Wine Competition — Best Woman Winemaker (2015).