Madson Wines
Cole's love for wine originates from his love for agriculture. Prior to his career in wine, he worked as an organic vegetable farmer, as an edible landscaper, and as manager of the Demeter Seed Library (a non-profit seed saving project). Cole found viticulture when he started working for Jeff Emery of Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard. Cole moved to Victoria, Australia where he worked in vineyards on the Mornington Peninsula. Crafting Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Shiraz at Paringa Estate Winery. Cole returned to Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard for four years, as Assistant Winemaker applying and gaining new perspectives of vinification and tradition. Then, an opportunity arose to work in Central Otago, New Zealand for Prophet's Rock and Amisfield Winery in 2017. It was in New Zealand, that Cole discovered many techniques for making natural wine. Cole returned to the Santa Cruz Mountains to launch Madson Wines in Spring 2018. Winemakers such as: Ken Burnhap, Jeff Emery, Lindsay & Jamie McCall, Sam Hambour, Paul Pujol, Stephanie Lambert and André Lategan have inspired Cole to make California wines that express terroir with poise and concentration.
Viticulture
As a standard, all of the vineyards that Madosn works with have been converted to 100% organic practices. Madson uses only ecologically based pest controls and biological fertilizers including animal waste and nitrogen fixing cover crops to help regulate and maintain the health of soil microbes. Many of the vineyards were not organic prior to their adoption; they find that motivating vineyard owners to adopt organics is more rewarding than merely searching for growers who already understand its value. However, organic agriculture does not encompass all of the solutions for responsible agriculture.
Regenerative agriculture is a holistic farm system that enriches and sequesters carbon dioxide in soils, increases biodiversity, and improves watersheds. While organic agriculture ensures a healthy crop for anthropogenic purposes, organics does not necessarily improve surrounding ecosystems and soils. With an evolving climate, we believe that agriculture must evolve to not only care for people but also care for the environment and the atmosphere.
We understand that our farming practices directly impacts the surrounding ecosystems and therefore we take great responsibility for our decisions. There are 4 major factors we evaluate for each of our agricultural decisions:
1) How can we farm high-quality grapes to best support a clean, healthy fermentation and a premium finished wine?
2) What will the effect be on biodiversity of flora and fauna in the vineyard?
3) What will the effect be on soil structure and green house gas sequestration into the soil or emission into the atmosphere?
4) What will the effect be on surrounding communities?
