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W i n e s & V i n e s n O V e M B e R 2 0 1 4 89 Vineyard. The Chauvet vineyard is also Zinfandel and has been managed by Coturri since the 1970s. Both vineyards will support the Hamels' Zinfandel program, but the family also purchased the Nuns Canyon vineyard in the new Moon Mountain AVA, which is situated in the hills above the winery. The Nuns Canyon vineyard is comprised of about 60 planted acres with 13 more in development. The Hamels also have nearly 30 acres of estate vines, which include a small portion of Grenache. The original vineyard is now part of 6 acres planted almost entirely to Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon used for the Hamel Family Wines' white program. A small demonstration vineyard is planted near the tasting room and includes a mix of two Cabernet Sauvignon clones, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. George Hamel III says this vineyard will be featured on tours, and they plan to make a field blend with the grapes and sell the wine as a tasting room special. All of the Hamels' vines will soon be cer- tified through California Certified Organic Farmers. The hillside property is managed through a partnership with Coturri's Enter- prise Vineyards, and what grapes the Hamels don't use for their own wines they sell to other wineries in Napa and Sonoma counties. "We're less interested in Biodynamics from a marketing perspective or from the moon cycle per- spective," George Hamel says, adding that if the prop- erty is going to bear the fam- ily's name, his utmost concern is that it produces interesting wines that are unique to the site. Despite a relatively quiet launch over the past sum- mer, the tasting room was packed on a warm afternoon in late July. The crowd was putting a bit of stress on the new staff, which was try- ing to seat newcomers while still helping those folks lingering over their glasses. George Hamel was there in the center of the maelstrom, setting people up for a tast- ing and checking to see if they'd like a tour of the new winery. In September, the Hamels hosted a $10,000-per-couple dinner at the winery as a fundraiser for the Sonoma Har- vest Wine Auction, and the family chipped in an additional $100,000 to raise a total of $350,000, which helped the auction bring in a record of more than $4 million. The winery and vineyards by themselves are an impressive investment, but the Hamels also appear to be committing themselves to making a successful and sustainable family winery a reality. "We've raised the bar on ourselves," George Hamel says. "We're not trying to be Napa in Sonoma or be the best in Sonoma, we're trying to be world class regardless of location." Views of the Mayacamas Mountains provide the backdrop to the 5,000-square-foot tasting room at the winery. bruce damonTe G R A P E G R O W I N G W I N E M A K I N G