Mount Saint Joseph Wines
Visit our Granite Bay Tasting Room. While our St. Joseph’s Vineyard is in Loomis, our Tasting Room is conveniently located in the Granite Bay Village shopping center next to Dominick’s. Come taste our award-winning wines in a cozy “Cheers-like” environment, while enjoying great company and a rotating selection of food offerings. Live music is featured each week.
History: Formed in 2015, Mount Saint Joseph Wines is managed and operated primarily by Catholic volunteers. From the outset, the mission of the company was to support the Oblates of St. Joseph, a small order of priests within the Catholic Church. To help maintain and beautify their Mount Saint Joseph Seminary and Novitiate property in Loomis, we leased land from the Oblates and planted a vineyard in 2017. Our Cabernet Franc, Petite Sirah and Petit Verdot are flourishing.
Winemaking: From 2015 to 2025, our winemaker was Derek Irwin. Using his extensive Napa, Sonoma and Sierra Foothills experience, he helped us develop our vineyard and craft award winning wines from grapes grown by others. When our first estate-grown grapes became available in 2020, he crafted a double gold medal winning Cabernet Franc and silver medal winning Petite Sirah. In the years that followed, more award-winning and highly rated wines were produced. Our ’23 estate wines made by Derek are bottled and will be released beginning in 2026. His ’24 vintage estate wines are barrel aging for later bottling and release.
Beginning with our 2025 harvest, an owner winemaking team led by Will Carlton is responsible for making wine from estate-grown and other carefully selected fruit. Wines made by this team will be released in 2028.
Beginning with the 2015 vintage, our varietal wines and blends have garnered over 45 awards. Recent awards include:
• 2022 MSJ Estate Cabernet Franc – Gold Medal 2025 California State Fair
• 2022 MSJ Estate Meritage – Gold Medal 2025 California State Fair
• 2022 MSJ Estate Petit Verdot – Silver Medal 2025 California State Fair
• 2021 MSJ Estate Cabernet Franc – Silver Medal 2024 California State Fair
• 2021 MSJ Estate Meritage – Silver Medal 2024 California State Fair
• 2021 MSJ Estate Petite Sirah – Silver Medal 2024 California State Fair
• 2020 MSJ Estate Cabernet Franc – Double Gold Medal 2023 San Francisco Chronicle
• 2020 MSJ Estate Petite Sirah – Silver Medal 2023 San Francisco Chronicle