Hanzell Vineyards – Wine Tasting
The second wine tasting on our “Tour de California”, on this warm June day, brought us to Hanzell Vineyard. The wine cellar, 34 feet underground was a welcome respite from the rising temps in Sonoma. The cellar remains at a constant temperature of 57*F, the perfect temperature for barrel aging. We took a moment to stop and enjoy the cooler temps and have a photo taken with our touring friends, the Clampitts, from Texas.
Hanzell Vineyard, founded by Ambassador J.D. Zellerbach, of Crown Zellerbach fame was established in 1957. Zellerbach appointed as Ambassador to Italy by President Truman, developed a taste for wines from the Burgandy region of France during his travels to Europe. Zellerbach discovered and first purchased fourteen acres of private oak woodland on the steep hillside of the Mayacamas Range overlooking the town of Sonoma; combining his wife’s first name, Hana, with his family name Zellerbach, he named his vineyard Hanzell.
After a brief ride around the property for some breathtaking views of the vines we returned to an original building (pictured above) on the property to taste the lovely wines; but not before we took a stroll through the winemaking areas to see just what all the fuss was about. Zellerbach, striving to “make California wine as good as the best of Europe” commissioned the manufacture of twelve double walled stainless-steel tanks, where chilled water circulated between the walls and cooled the wine, protecting it’s fruity characteristics. Of course this process is still used today. Zellerbach was also the first to develop controlled malolactic fermentation; a process in which tart tasting malic acid is converted into lactic acid which lends a softer taste to wine.
Hanzell reeks of history in this region of winemaking. From more than one viewpoint on the property you can see the Zellerbach Vineyard sweep down the hillside and fan around two tall Douglas Fir trees. These sentinel trees, which remain to watch over the vines and provide a nesting home for a pair Red-Tailed Hawks, are protected by a circle of six foot tall boulders that stand close to where they were found on the premises.
After hearing about much of the history and winemaking process we were taken to the tasting room, and seated at a long country style table to taste 3 wines, 2 Chardonnays and 1 Pinot Noir. The wines had been decanted earlier to provide the best tasting experience of Hazell wines. First up Hanzell Vineyards 2012 Chardonnay, with brilliant aromas of tangerine, beeswax, and chamomile that combine with Hanzell’s signature floral scent reminiscent of honeysuckle and jasmine. Ahhh…yes please!
Next we sipped on 2013 Sebella Chardonnay, aromas of honeysuckle, jasmine and citrus blossoms lead into flavors of green apple, nectarine, and Meyer lemon. The flavors strikingly pure. This was my favorite at Hanzell.
We finished with Pinot Noir, with it’s inviting red fruit aromas of pomegranate, Rainier cherry and cranberry that combine with rose, lavender, sandalwood and Indian spice, creating a complex and perfumed quality. This flagship Hanzell Vineyards Pinot Noir is a careful selection of barrels from the Ambassasdor’s 1953 Vineyard, de Brye Vineyard and Sessions Vineyard, all part of Hanzell.
You can thank Mr. Zellerbach for his experimentation and development of so many processes that make California wines what they are today. Coming next, a story about our phenomenal wine tasting with an American screenwriter, who has written major motion pictures like……well you’ll have to come back to read about this veteran Hollywood writer and his vineyard…quite possibly my favorite on this trip!
