Winemaking

The role of “winemaking” at Hanzell is to nurture the process from grapes to wine without compromising the distinct qualities Mother Nature has so generously given us. We strive to capture and illuminate the personalities of our diverse bio-farm, greater surroundings, and people through the wines with an emphasis on harmony, verve, freshness, and structure. In keeping with our time-honored traditions, our wines are produced in small lots using state-of-the-art technology to manage fermentation and aging, while still keeping with the natural rhythms of the fruit and the wine. All production processes are viewed through the lens of the land, with thoughtful consideration of the unique qualities each vintage wishes to express. We are known for the age-ability and continuity of our wines and this is the core tenet at the root of our philosophy.

The Truth in Our Wines

·       All wines are fermented with native yeast naturally occurring on the grape skins from the vineyard

·       No malolactic bacteria is added

·       We strive to eliminate all additives except sulfur, grape tartaric acid, and bentonite clay for stabilization of Chardonnay, if required
·       All wines are bottled with Diam “Origine” natural corks, greatly reducing “corked” and/or “off” bottles

·       Any product used in vineyard or winery is certified organic and suitable for organic wine production

·       We use NO color, pectin, enzymes, tannins, or any other additives

·       Sanitation is done by steam which conserves massive amounts of water and is safer for the environment, wines, and winery staff

·       All wines are cross-flow filtered, preserving malic acid in Chardonnay and preventing re-ferment in bottle.  In reds, we believe it provides the most pure un-muddied aromatics, palate structure, and also provides the best aged-wine drinking experience

·       Our wines are vegan friendly

·       All wines are safe of known carcinogens and organically farmed

·       We use only light-weight glass bottles, made in the USA 

·       We no longer use capsules on our bottles as they provide no real benefit and are tremendously taxing on our environment and those who mine the tin

many clusters of pinot noir being sorted by hand on sorting table
Man on orange tractor pulling trailer with two one quarter ton picking bins full of pinot noir grapes overlooking early morning in the mountains of sonoma
Angled view of six one quarter ton picking bins full of chardonnay grapes
Overhead view of just picked pinot noir clusters
View of Indoor/outdoor winery at Hanzel with stainless steel tanks on side and large wooden cave door on end
Just destemmed and crushed pinot noir grapes in stainless steel tank
Just sorted pinot noir clusters on stems
Chardonnay clusters being sorted by hand on sorting table
Vineyard marker saying C53 #1 Wente to denote vines planted in 1953 in row one with the Wente clone
View in cave of two rows of french oak barrels stacked two high
Chardonnay vine in spring with new leaf growth and Hanzell Heritage Winery in background
Single chardonnay grape sitting in nook of old vine
Angled view of five one quarter ton picking bins full of pinot noir
Person walking downhill with small bin of pinot noir grapes on their head
Two tractors with three people gathering chardonnay grapes into bins during harvest
One bin marked "24" "HV" with pinot noir clusters just harvested
Man pulling leaves from two bins of chardonnay clusters just picked during harvest in the vineyard
Three men picking grapes early morning with light in background
Silhouette of person putting grapes in bin in early morning hours during harvest in vineyard
Overhead view of many clusters of pinot noir clusters and one single green leaf