Our Hanzell Family

Our visionary founder of Hanzell, Ambassador James D. Zellerbach, was a man of many talents. More than anything, he understood and valued the critical role people would be in helping him achieve his dream of bringing Hanzell to life. With this understanding, he hired two of the most innovative and creative minds in the California wine scene at the time—Winemaker, Brad Webb and Viticulturalist, Ivan Schoch. Together, the trio not only brought his dream to life, but achieved great innovation in winemaking and viticulture in just a few short years. In 1953, it was no easy task to create a multi-generational winery from the ground up, but more than seven decades later, standing as a testimonial to the value of collaboration and leadership, Hanzell has passed the test of time.

With Ambassador Zellerbach’s passing in 1963, ownership transferred to the Day family who honored his vision for the next decade. Then, the 1970s ushered in one of the most impactful decades in our long history with the hiring of Winemaker Bob Sessions in 1973 and Vineyard Manager, José Ramos in 1976. In 1975, the de Brye family acquired Hanzell and their steadfast stewardship continues almost fifty years later.  Without the unwavering dedication and commitment of the de Brye family, Hanzell simply would not exist today. With their support, Bob and José, working side-by-side, cemented the bond between winery and vineyard. Together, they crafted some of California’s most age-worthy and site-expressive wines for nearly three decades. These are the benchmark wines Hanzell is still modeled on today.

If you’ve ever visited Hanzell, it’s likely the word ‘family’ was mentioned more than once. Not only is our story deeply rooted in family history, but this group of us fortunate enough to work here are truly a family in our own right. I’m proud to say that today, 24% of our staff has a tenure of over twenty years, 67% of over ten years and an average tenure of all staff is fourteen years. Still one of the newbies, now in my tenth year leading Hanzell, I often pinch myself in disbelief of how honored I am to be leading this amazing group of dedicated individuals. No matter what mother nature, global pandemics, or the macro economy throws at us, I have no doubt our team will persevere and come out the other side a stronger, even more connected and dedicated group. We are guided by our four pillars of people, place, passion and perception and without doubt, people will always be our foundation. - Jason Jardine, President | Farmer | Director of Winemaking