Tucked into a nook on the steep hillside of the Sonoma Mayacamas mountain range, Hanzell Vineyards sits with a quiet elegance overlooking the valley of Sonoma.

Hanzell is an iconic and historic property that includes 44 acres of planted vineyards, 6 acres of residences with gardens, and 150 acres of oak woodland, all that truly belong to California and its pioneering wine history rather than the owner, Alexander de Brye.

In keeping with Ambassador Zellerbach, R. Brad Webb, and Bob Sessions, Alex is a quiet and unassuming young man. His gift to Hanzell is not in running day to day operations but in cherishing the original vision and making sure the resources, advisors, and talent are all in place to sustain this property well into the future. An art student and collector, Alex has found his dream and passion in the appreciation of art and the in-depth experience of contemporary artists. It is in this subtle way he is putting his imprint on Hanzell Vineyards. Land Art is a movement that emerged in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. It is not surprising with his love for this land, the winery, and the art of winemaking, that Land Art would capture Alex’s attention, as landscape and art are inextricably linked. The winery and vineyards have always been added on the border of the trees, shrubs, bushes, and the woodlands. Within Hanzell, there is a delicate seam between the wildness of the property and the interwoven design in the cultivation of the vineyards and gardens.

In this gentle way the winery, as well as a few private art installations in the oak woodlands, allows Hanzell Vineyards to carry on with the original vision of “producing wines equal to the best in the world” as well as embody the personality and character of the newest steward of this land.

Hanzell Vineyards’ forty-four acres of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are planted high on the mountain slopes of the Mayacamas Range overlooking the town of Sonoma. The property saddles this ridge with vineyards planted on both west-facing and east-facing slopes as well as on top of the ridge. Originally called Hanzell Farm, the Estate is comprised of the following vineyards – Ambassador’s 1953 Vineyard, Zellerbach Vineyard, Day Vineyard, de Brye Vineyard, Sessions Vineyard, and Ramos Vineyard. The original planting, the Ambassador’s 1953 Vineyard, continues to produce to this day and is now the oldest Pinot Noir vineyard and the oldest continuously producing Chardonnay vineyard in North America. The Hanzell Clone Pinot Noir and Hanzell Clone Chardonnay are regarded as important heritage clones of California and the bud wood has been propagated to establish other vineyards throughout California and Oregon.

Our 1953 Ambassador’s Vineyard, now in its seventh decade of production, stands as testament to our farming philosophy. This philosophical approach is driven by the mutually compatible demands for grape quality and generational sustainability – vineyards installed to last fifty years or more. To achieve this quality for so many years and to continue for decades to come, it is necessary to consider the implications of all our viticultural practices. Our farming philosophy believes the requirement that quality grapes must be tended by good people, such as José Ramos Esquivel, Hanzell’s 35-year veteran as Director of Vineyard Operations. The critical similarity between all great attentive farmers, whether they practice organic, biodynamic, or sustainable farming, is mindfulness. All the viticultural inputs in a vineyard must be considered, and the ramifications weighed against the mandate to continue the highest quality from decade to decade. Hanzell Vineyards recognizes the responsibility we all share to promote the health of our environment and farms in observance of this long term mandate.