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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 87 vineyard lot, barrel and press lot separate, so he's frequently working with small amounts of wine. This also means the cave houses a variety of wines in kegs, carboys and 30-gallon and smaller barrels that are all awaiting blending trials. John Hamel says he's done some trials with American and Hungarian oak, but he's sticking with French oak for the Hamel wines. He uses about half neutral and half new oak, and he says some of his preferred barrel suppliers are Taransaud, Baron and Vincent Darnajou. Barrels are stored in the 12,000-square-foot cave that has entrances on both sides of the 7,000-square-foot production building. Magorian Mine Services designed and dug the wine cave, and excavation proved relatively simple with the contractor remov- ing about 10 to 15 feet of material per day. At three spots in the cave, the Hamels opted to leave the natural rock exposed, providing a cross view of their estate soil. The layers of different colored soils makes for a striking, natural aesthetic to the cave inte- rior. The effect is heightened by concrete egg fermentors that have been placed in front of the exposed rock walls. The eggs are used for the winery's Sauvignon Blanc wines. Grapes are pressed with a Puelo SF-22 press from Carlsen & Associates, and the juice is settled in a portable tank and then racked to the eggs. The Hamels' winery is permitted to produce up to 30,000 cases, but George Hamel says they'll likely never reach that point. He says he didn't particularly want to repeat the permit process, so he sought far more capacity than the business really needed. The existing production facility could handle 10,000 cases, but the Hamels plan to only make around 4,000 cases this year and eventually grow to about 6,000 cases. John Hamel says the winemaking program also doesn't involve quick tank turnaround, so he'll likely be using almost all of that 10,000-case capacity to produce half as much wine. Finished wines receive little fining, and the Hamels don't plan to filter. They have used a mobile bottling line in the past and plan to continue to do so in the future. The wines are packaged in Bruni Glass with M.A. Silva Corks and Ramondin USA capsules. Noted label artist Tom Rodrigues cre- ated original artwork depicting a stuffed badger for the Hamel Family Wines label. The badger is not directly related to the multiple generations of Hamels who attended the University of Wisconsin, but rather a family legend about a well-inten- tioned anniversary present that almost caused cardiac arrest and later provided inspiration for the label. The whole story is explained in detail on the winery web- site, hamelfamilywines.com. Limited production ties into the Hamels' goal of managing a premier estate with a focus on direct-to-consumer sales. "We're creating a sustainable family business that has world-class ambitions in terms of quality, and quality all the way through from how we care about the grapes to how we make our wines to how we deliver the experience to a select group of people who appreciate what we're doing," George Hamel says. Hillside and historic vineyards The original 1-acre vineyard has grown to more than 90 bearing acres with 25 acres in development, and the Hamels now own a few notable Sonoma vineyards. The family purchased the 2-acre Stellwa- gen Vineyard and the 6-acre Chauvet Vineyard (both in Sonoma Valley). The Stellwagen Vineyard was planted in the 1880s and is about 90% Zinfandel. The Hamels have renamed it Armor Plate Westside Mechanical, Inc. PO Box 0367 Cotati CA 94931 P: 707-795-9606 F: 707-796-6761 Making wine is your expertise Making sure your facility is up to it is ours u Plumbing u Hydronic Heat u Fire Protection u Refrigeration G R A P E G R O W I N G W I N E M A K I N G