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Forbes
3 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
One Sonoma Winemaker's Passionate Pursuit Of Expressing Terroir In Wine
Does Hamel's Nun Canyon Vineyard have the terroir or not? JIMMY HAYES Walk into a vineyard and what do you see? Vines and soil, sun and sky—a snapshot of place, a moment in the vineyard's lifetime. The ecosystem here is influenced by a myriad of factors. Some work over eons—building the bedrock, for example—and some change daily. Taken together, along with the wine maker's hands, these slow and fast factors present a unique taste of time and place in wine. This concept, known in French as terroir, provides what passionate wine enthusiasts believe influence a wine's character, and the authentic expression of craftsmanship sought by younger wine consumers. Winemakers, by and large, recognize terroir as a key component to wine growing, yet often disagree about how and where it is achieved. As a Sonoma Valley winemaker, John Hamel, winemaker of Hamel Family Wines, is deeply passionate about expressing Hamel wines' terroir, something he feels is easier for European winemakers than those in California. To achieve this lofty goal, he partners with world-renowned terroir specialist, Pedro Parra. The results are a promising work in progress. 'Does [Hamel Family Wines] have the terroir or not? Because you have all the ideas, all the philosophy, and then you don't have the site. And if you don't have the site, in my experience, there's not many things that you can do.' 'I love European wines. There's a character in those wines that you find more often and with more intensity that I would call minerality,' says Hamel. 'In California, I think there's a very technologically savvy approach. We're very technical, but the connection between the wines and the place and the resulting minerality that you get in the wines is lower frequency, lower volume.' In 2016, Hamel learned Parra was asking similar questions about why some regions produce wines of tension and energy with ease while others struggle. Having wrestled with locating unique site expression consulting California wineries in the past, Parra was ready to re-up the challenge. However, he knew it would be risky. 'Does [Hamel Family Wines] have the terroir or not? Because you have all the ideas, all the philosophy, and then you don't have the site. And if you don't have the site, in my experience, there's not many things that you can do,' says Parra. Hamel Family Wines is located in Sonoma's Mayacamas Mountains, part of the California Coast Ranges that formed one-hundred million years ago. As the two began researching and mapping the estate vineyards, they discovered basalt in the early stages of decomposition—a bounty of volcanic stones—in the Nuns Canyon vineyard. This high elevation sloped site is filled with fractures formed by a lava flow three million years ago, in a Mediterranean climate. Early signs for expressing terroir. 'The stonier the terroir, the more character, the more depth, more energy, tension, the things that really make a wine distinctive and unique and interesting and fascinating. And it's the thing that I loved about the wines from Europe. Once we were able to dissect the terroir, you can see very clearly the conditions that give you those types of wines,' Hamel says. To maximize this sense of place, Hamel estate has been Demeter certified biodynamic since 2015. Additionally, eighty percent of the vines are not irrigated, a practice known as dry-farming. Because the un-decomposed basalt is fractured rock, the fractures act as a tunnel for rain to flow through while simultaneously allowing the vines' roots to grow deeper in source of water and nutrients. Many colleagues told Hamel dry-farming was a bad idea. It is too hard in California and that the quality of the wine would suffer. But an early mentor of Hamel's, Tod Mostero, director of viticulture and winemaking at Dominus Estate in Napa Valley, demonstrates dry farming can be successful. Hamel's experience has been equally successful, finding the vines with deeper root systems produce higher quality wines. He is quick to suggest he is not seeking regenerative farming for the sake of it. Rather, it's part of the team's fundamental philosophy of extracting as much expression of place as possible to make the best wines. He also believes his vines are better adept at weathering climate change perturbations because they are resilient to heat spikes and erratic weather patterns. Hamel Family Nuns Canyon Vineyard is a high elevation sloped site is filled with fractures formed by a lava flow three million years ago, in a Mediterranean climate Hamel Family Vineyard Beyond his vineyard work, Hamel intervenes as little as possible in the winemaking process. 'You see something that's very evocative and, you know, things like oak, things like over maceration, all these tools and equipment in the winery just starts to get in the way of that. And when you show that, you don't want there to be any makeup on that. You want to show the thing itself, Hamel says. 'And I think in a way, Pedro cured me of the inherent American mentality, which is if you just work hard enough on something, it'll be good. Terroir is not as democratic as that. Ultimately, we've got areas that are very, very good.' Parra believes over the past nine years they have come a long way in understanding the vineyards and maximizing farming methods to express place through vitality in the glass. What's next? Parra says its consolidation. 'To me, consolidation is the last stage. And that means that you are confident enough, holistic enough, and you have the confidence to be able to be proud and show it to the rest of the world. You can play the game well, but you need to score. To me, where're in the beginning of that era.' However, Parra offers high praise for Hamel. He sees what Hamel is doing is incredible and worthy of respect. 'John is a Ferrari. He's driving super fast. He has the terroir, the mentality, he's hungry, and few others are doing this in California. So, the future is incredible. It takes time to get the people to know and respect what is behind the wine, but it's going to happen. In three years, five, ten, I don't know. But it's inevitable because the terroir is great and the wines are great so it's going to happen.' Will Hamel Family Wine fully realize John Hamel's vision? Both men suggest it takes a couple of decades to determine grand cru quality wine. However, the current vintage delivers vibrancy, finesse, and tension, transporting oenophiles and novices alike to the ancient lava flows of Nun's Canyon Vineyard in the Mayacamas Mountains, truly a sense of place. How Tariff Uncertainty Impacts The Wine Industry Who's This Pedro Parra Guy Anyway? And Why Do Wine People Love Him? This Q&A Might Help The Dirty Truth Soil Health Plays In Wine
Forbes
01-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Hamel Family Wines Redesigned Its Labels, Much To Wisconsin's Sadness
The new label on Hamel Family Wines features a stylized M in the middle, representing their mountain vineyards. JIMMY HAYES for Hamel Family Wines Hamel Family Wines wanted a label that better reflected the ethos of its Sonoma terroir and biodynamic farming practices, but wine lovers in one state mourn the original label's iconic animal image. 'Last year, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of our tasting room so we decided to mark the occasion with a new label,' says John Hamel winemaker and son of owners Pamela and George Hamel, Jr. The new label features a stylized 'M' in the middle of Hamel, representing the Mayacamas Mountains, as the estate produces wines from its western hillsides in the Moon Mountain District and Sonoma Valley. This is the new label for Hamel Family Wines. Hamel Family Wines This label started with the 2022 vintage of Estate Sauvignon Blanc and Grenache and the 2020 vintage of Hamel's Bordeaux blends – the Stratum, Isthmus, Nuns Canyon Vineyard and Pamelita wines. 'The new label was a collaborative effort with Mike Hambleton and David Freas from the marketing and design firm Supermoon, and it reflects how our wine growing sensibilities have progressed over the past decade,' Hamel says. 'This label focuses on our high-elevation mountain terroir with the design of the 'M' and how we take a less is more approach with dry-farming and biodynamic and organic practices that are reflected through the minimalism and precision of the design,' Hamel explains. This clearer label represents industry trends. A study on wine labels published by MDPI this year noted that 'It has been found that there is a strong interest in clear and detailed labeling.' 'The wine label is a very powerful tool functioning in two directions: on the one hand, it aims to inform consumers, providing useful information, and, on the other hand, it is a dynamic communicational tool to attract consumers,' this study noted. This is the legacy label for Hamel Family Wines. Hamel Family Wines This previous label, which debuted on the 2010 vintages, featured Hamel Family Wines in cursive and an image of a badger. The badger reflects two things, Hamel says. Badgers are found in their Sonoma vineyards, and Hamel, his father and his grandfather all graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, and Bucky badger is not only the school mascot, but Wisconsin is considered the Badger State. 'Wine buyers in Wisconsin got it right away,' Hamel says. 'When I would go into restaurants or meet with distributors, I have about ten minutes to introduce them to our wines, and I would spend five minutes explaining that it was a badger on our label,' Hamel says. 'I would rather explain our winemaking processes than have to explain what a critter on our label is.' But the badger on their legacy label really confused many wine buyers and restaurant owners. 'When I would go into restaurants or meet with distributors, I have about ten minutes to introduce them to our wines, and I would spend five minutes explaining that it was a badger on our label,' Hamel says. 'I would rather explain our winemaking processes than have to explain what a critter on our label is.' 'This would happen in 49 out of 50 states,' Hamel explains. Wisconsin, which is the badger state, not only recognized what the animal on their label was, but some wine buyers are sad to see the label go. 'Only in Wisconsin have I had people ask to have the badger stay on the label,' he says. 'But again, 49 out of 50 states, didn't understand the label.'
