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84 W i n e s & V i n e s n O V e M B e R 2 0 1 4 W hat started with a week- end home and an acre of Cabernet vines has grown into one of the most modern and well- equipped wineries in Sonoma Valley, supplied by more than 90 acres of vineyards. Hamel Family Wines owner and founder George F. Hamel Jr. says in 2006 he and his wife were looking for a place to escape to from their fogbound home in San Francisco, for a little sun in the sum- mer. The couple eventually found a home in Kenwood, Calif., that also had a 1-acre vineyard planted to Cabernet Sauvignon. The Hamels bought the place in Septem- ber of that year and had just enough time to harvest the grapes and make wine. That first harvest produced about 300 cases but also sparked an interest in Hamel to solve the riddle of the wine business. "We did love wine, and what intrigued me at the time was why, in a crowded market, do some people consistently succeed and others not? How do you differentiate yourself? The kind of challenge on finding a business model that could be replicated was interesting," he says. As co-founder of ValueAct Capital Management, a San Francisco-based hedge fund currently managing around $14 billion in investments, Hamel had the resources to start a wine business, but it was the prospect of a family endeavor that created momentum for a winery. After the Hamels made their own wine, their second-youngest son, John B. Hamel II, discovered home brewing while attend- ing the University of Wisconsin, Madison. John Hamel had planned to pursue a master's degree in writing but decided to take a year to gain work experience and joined the World Wide Organization of Organic Farms, a work-study program that offers assignments throughout the world. John Hamel's first post was in the Napa Valley, where he discovered an interest in winemaking and grapegrowing. "For John, the combination of science, art and not working at a desk, all of those things got his interest," says his father, George Hamel. With property in Sonoma and experi- ence making wine, the Hamels began to seriously consider a wine business. George Hamel, however, wanted John to learn as much as possible about winemaking to ensure his son was really committed to it. "We said if we're going to do something you need to get as much knowledge as you can as quickly as you can." That education included a winemaking certificate from the University of Califor- nia, Davis, as well as an internship at a winery in Australia and then helping to produce Hamel Family Wines at a cus- tom-crush facility in Sonoma. Raising the Bar in Sonoma Valley Hamel Family Wines opens a modern winery with world-class ambitions By Andrew Adams Highlights • The Hamel family will make the 2014 vintage in their new and modern Sonoma Valley winery. • In the cellar, the focus is on whole- berry fermentations in steel, concrete or barrel—often followed by extended maceration. • The estate features a spacious cave, multiple tasting areas, catering kitchen and other amenities. Red grape clusters arrive at Hamel Family Wines in 40-pound lugs and are destemmed before hand sorting and whole-berry fermentations. kaTe nagle G R A P E G R O W I N G W I N E M A K I N G TECHNICAL REVIEW