Our Team
Katie crafts St. Francis Winery’s top-selling Zinfandels, Pinot Noirs, and Chardonnays. A key member of the winery’s production and winemaking team since 2002, Katie Madigan became a St. Francis Winemaker in 2011.
For Katie, winemaking is the perfect combination of science and creativity. A chemistry major at UC Santa Barbara, she joined St. Francis as a harvest intern. After working long hours for four months, doing everything from lab work to vineyard visits, she was hooked. “I loved the fast pace and diversity of the job,” she says. “I didn’t want to leave at the end of every day.”
Two years later, Katie became a full-time lab tech at St. Francis and began studying Enology & Viticulture at UC Davis. Promoted to Assistant Winemaker in 2006, she focused on Chardonnay production and championed night picking of all Chardonnay fruit to preserve flavors, aromas, and acid levels.
As Winemaker, Katie continues St. Francis’ long tradition of creating high-quality wines from Sonoma County grapes. She appreciates the beauty and uniqueness of the historic vineyards – some over one hundred years old – that make up her “Old Vines” Zinfandel blend.
“I look forward to harvest every year and see it as an opportunity to create self-expressing, balanced wines that reflect our diverse growing region and remarkable vineyard sites.”
With the acquisition of St. Francis’ fourth estate vineyard, Río Este in the Russian River Valley, Katie was able to take part in planting the winery’s first Pinot Noir vines, now an integral part of her Appellation and Sonoma County Pinot Noir programs.
In 2015, Katie was awarded “Best Woman Winemaker” by the International Women’s Wine Competition. She also won Zinfandel Producer of the Year in 2014 and 2015 at the California Zinfandel Championship. Most recently, she was named the winner of North Bay Business Journal’s 2023 Influential Women Award.
