Hanzell Vineyards is a California wine

California wine

California wine has a long and continuing history, and in the late twentieth century became recognized as producing some of the world's finest wine. While wine is made in all fifty U.S. states, up to 90% of American wine is produced in the state...

 producer located just outside the town of Sonoma. The winery was founded by James David Zellerbach

James David Zellerbach

James David Zellerbach was an American businessman and ambassador.Zellerbach was sworn in as United States Ambassador to Italy in 1957. He held the post until 1960. He was a member on the board of Wells Fargo Bank Council on Foreign Relations.He died on August 3, 1963 of a brain tumor.-External...

 (future United States Ambassador to Italy

United States Ambassador to Italy

Since 1840, the United States has had diplomatic representation in the Italian Republic and its predecessor nation, the Kingdom of Italy, with a break in relations from 1941 to 1944 while Italy and the U.S. were at war during World War II. The U.S. Mission to Italy is headed by the Embassy of the...

) who acquired 200 acres in the Mayacamas Mountains in 1943 and began planting Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir

Pinot noir is a black wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes...

 and Chardonnay

Chardonnay

Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...

 in 1953. At the entire state of California had fewer than 200 acres planted to Chardonnay.

Hanzel would go on to pioneer in the California several winemaking

Winemaking

Winemaking, or vinification, is the production of wine, starting with selection of the grapes or other produce and ending with bottling the finished wine. Although most wine is made from grapes, it may also be made from other fruit or non-toxic plant material...

 techniques that would become associated with the style of California Chardonnay including the use of barrel-aging, malolactic fermentation

Malolactic fermentation

Malolactic fermentation is a process in winemaking where tart-tasting malic acid, naturally present in grape must, is converted to softer-tasting lactic acid. Malolactic fermentation tends to create a rounder, fuller mouthfeel. It has been said that malic acid tastes of green apples...

, and the use of inert gases and anaerobic

Anaerobic

Anaerobic is a word which literally means without oxygen, as opposed to aerobic.In wastewater treatment the absence of oxygen is indicated as anoxic; and anaerobic is used to indicate the absence of a common electron acceptor such as nitrate, sulfate or oxygen.Anaerobic may refer to:*Anaerobic...

 winemaking. Hanzell was also among the first vineyards to plant the Wente Clone of Chardonnay .

History

The first plantings of Hanzell took place in 1953, when Zellerbach planted two acres of Pinot Noir and four acres of Chardonnay. James Zellerbach and winemaker Ralph Bradford "Brad" Webb aimed to produce wines that would compare favorably to Old World wines such as Burgundy, but were quick to adapt some of the modernizing winemaking techniques that became characteristic of New World style of winemaking. Webb commissioned what are believed to be the first small temperature-controlled stainless steel fermenters, an early nitrogen-sparged bottling machine and an electrode to measure dissolved oxygen .

Vineyards

The original vines planted at Hanzell are purported to be the oldest continually producing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines in the Western Hemisphere. The original Chardonnay vines planted at Hanzell are Wente Clone and arrived at Hanzell by way of the McCreas' Stony Hill vineyard in St. Helena, which obtained its cuttings from the Wente Livermore Vineyard in 1948. The original Pinot Noir vines planted at Hanzell were derived from Martin Ray estate cuttings (now commonly referred to as the Mount Eden clone). The original Pinot Noir vines at Mount Eden Vineyards were pulled out in 1997, and the original block of Pinot Noir at Chalone planted in 1946 was replaced in 2003. As of 2010, the 1953 blocks (C53 and N53) at Hanzell continue to produce, and the grapes are typically blended with grapes from the vines planted in subsequent years. From time to time, Hanzell bottles wines derived solely from these original blocks and dubs them "Ambassador's 1953 Vineyard" wines.

A total 42 acres have been planted at Hanzell over the years ranging from 1953 to 2001. Interest in local growing conditions and grape quality have persisted at Hanzell, and careful monitoring and selection have yielded a their own "Hanzell Clone." This clonal selection is now planted at other vineyards in California and is used by such wineries as ZD and Brewer Clifton, among others. Hanzell's involvement with the establishment of high-quality wine in California can be seen as well in the example of Joe Heitz'

Heitz Wine Cellars

Heitz Wine Cellars is a California wine producer located within Napa Valley east of the town of St. Helena. An early modern era Napa Valley presence and pioneering exponent of French oak, the estate enjoys a historical renown with the success of its Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, and has...

purchase of several barrels of Hanzell wine in 1963, which he blended with success, achieving lucrative prices for the times.

Ownership and winemakers

Three families have owned Hanzell Vineyards and four winemakers have been involved there since its founding. The first winemaker was involved for nearly 20 years, and the second continues to advise as Winemaker Emeritus after nearly 30 years overseeing production.

• Zellerbach, James D. and Hana (inception to 1965)
• Day, Douglas and Mary (née Schaw) (1965 - 1975)
• de Brye, Jacques and Barbara, then Alexander (1975 - present)

Winemakers

• Brandon Webb (1956 - 1973)
• Bob Sessions (1973 - 2001, currently Winemaker Emeritus)
• Michael Terrien (2001 - 2006, currently Consulting Winemaker)
• Michael McNeill (2006 - present)