Winemaking - Hanzell Vineyards - Established 1957 - Sonoma, California

Hanzell Bob Sessions Chardonnay Sonoma

“To embrace, understand and produce the Hanzell signature style requires great diligence in all facets.

As we continually strive to elevate our wine to an even higher level of quality, great care is required in research, study and examination of each and every detail, both past and present.”

Michael McNeill

Director of Winemaking

Hanzell Ambassador Chardonnay Harvest Sonoma

Hanzell Chardonnay Cluster Sonoma

Hanzell Ambassador Zellerbach Chardonnay Sonoma

Hanzell Bottling Pinot Noir Sonoma

“Sometimes it’s harder to keep something going than starting from scratch. People expect absolute excellence in every bottle.”

Winemaker Emeritus

With six decades of experience with this land, a style for our winemaking has evolved and allowed our winemakers to let the vineyard produce great quality wines. They do not interfere with the wine until required.

We have found that less is more when wanting our vineyards to shine through in the wine. For Chardonnay, we work with a conservative hand in the use of French oak barrels and malolactic fermentation. With Pinot Noir, fermentation is kept at cooler temperatures with an extended maceration, and a moderate use of oak barrels; aging half the wine in new oak and half the wine in one-year old barrels. We find this mindful use of oak barrel aging builds the richness yet brings forward the subtle complexities of our fruit.

The hallmark of “great wine” that we embody is the wine’s age-worthiness. Our winemaking techniques support the development of intensity, structure, and balance in our wines that are required for longevity. One of the single most important decisions in our winemaking, however, is to know the optimal moment to pick this exquisite fruit and then listen closely to what the wine is asking of us as we work through each and every vintage.

Winemaking Firsts

Hanzell Fermentation Tank Drawing Sonoma

For fifty years and counting, Hanzell Vineyards has been the home of great innovation and invention. From the first in the world stainless steel fermenters and the first controlled malolactic fermentation to our current day one-ton tankitos and our clone and rootstock trials, this creativity and ingenuity has been and will continue to be, the hallmark of this iconic estate.

Hanzell Stainless Steel Fermentation Sonoma

Temperature Controlled Stainless-Steel Fermenters

Hanzell’s custom designed jacketed stainless steel fermenters, each with the capacity for one ton of grapes, marked the first time a winery could completely control the temperature of fermentation. This one invention is acknowledged as the singular piece of equipment that has allowed great wine to be made worldwide. After a visit to Hanzell Vineyards, Château Haut-Brion became the first Château in Bordeaux to adopt this technology.

Hanzell French Oak Sonoma

French Oak Barrels

Hanzell Vineyards was the first winery in California to exclusively work with imported French oak barrels for the wine’s élevage. Ambassador Zellerbach and Brad Webb understood the more subtle influence of small French oak barrels was essential to develop the elegance of great Burgundy. Soon, the industry would recognize the merits of French oak barrels and adopt their use. It is universally accepted now as the rule for crafting great wines.
Read the letter shown above in which Canton Barrel & Bag, Inc, attempt to dissuade Brad Webb from using French Oak.

Hanzell Intert Gas Bottling Sonoma

Inert Gas

In the early 1950’s the use of inert gas in tank and during bottling was relatively unknown. Webb’s scientific expertise gave him an intimate understanding of how oxygen matures and eventually degrades a wine. To ensure the longevity of the Hanzell wines, Webb outfitted the tanks with specialized fittings to limit contact with oxygen prior to being filled and during the aging process. At bottling, each bottle was treated with nitrogen immediately before filling – yet another cornerstone of high quality winemaking to this day.

Hanzell Malolactic Fermentation Sonoma

Controlled Malolactic Fermentation

In the 1950’s, malolactic fermentation was generally considered to be a spontaneous chemical reaction that transformed natural malic acid in the grapes to lactic acid in the wine. At that time it was not uncommon for entire vintages to undergo malolactic fermentation in bottle, ruining the wine with fizziness and rancid flavors. With the 1959 vintage at Hanzell Vineyards, Webb succeeded in isolating and propagating the malolactic bacteria, then re-inoculating young wines thereby achieving stability of the wine in barrel.

Hanzell Tankito Fermenters Sonoma

Tankitos

In 2001, along with then Assistant Winemaker Daniel Docher, Bob Sessions was trying to figure out a way to replicate the same winemaking qualities that were achieved by using the 1957 one-ton stainless steel fermentation tanks designed by Brad Webb. Bob was eventually able to envision this new vessel for fermentation, Daniel Docher designed it, and Chris Diaz of Idiaz created it – the new tankito – a one-ton portable stainless steel fermentation tank! Fourteen tankitos became the hallmark of the new winery in 2004.

Wine – with the essential ingredient of time – does not stand still. With years in the bottle and moments in the glass, it continues on a journey unfolding the layers of its history.

Hanzell Pinot Noir Bottles Sonoma - Hanzell Decant Pinot Noir Sonoma

Cellaring

The winemaking cycle concludes the moment a bottle is chosen and opened. The sensory experience of a well-made and cellared wine cannot be bought, borrowed, rushed, or created in a laboratory. The development of the intimate nuances of the particular growing season, the specific terroir, and the winemaker’s craft can only be experienced by giving precious time to the wine in bottle.

For your personal cellaring, you need not have an extravagant underground cave to store your wine. Whether your cellar is a crawl space under your home, or a wine refrigerator, or a cave, there are a few important details to consider. First and foremost, the temperature should ideally remain approximately 55 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition, the space should have minimal exposure to light, space for the bottles to lay on their sides, and a suitable level of humidity. A well-cellared, aged wine can be a magical and transformative experience, and allows you to truly become a part of the winemaking process.

Decanting

We are passionate believers in taking time to decant our wines, both young and old, both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. For older vintages, we recommend standing the wine upright for some time prior to opening to allow any possible sediment to slowly settle at the bottom of the bottle. This allows for the wine to later be cleanly poured into decanter or glass free of sediment.

Also, as wines benefit greatly from some exposure to air, decanting the wine will develop more of its complexity, both in flavor and aroma. At Hanzell, we always decant our wines a minimum of one to two hours prior to service to allow it to open up and begin to show its true expression of the vineyards.