Meridith May of The Tasting Panel Magazine, April 2013 issue, writes, "Christine Hanna, statuesque and beautiful, leads a thriving family business in the heart of Northern California’s Alexander Valley: Hanna Winery."

1. 34 / the tasting panel / april 2013
INTRO-VINOUS
“A
s our business
evolved and
the competi-
tion continued to
enter the arena, we
knew we had a stake
in the ground for one
varietal: Sauvignon
Blanc.” Christine
Hanna, statuesque and
beautiful, leads a thriv-
ing family business in
the heart of Northern
California’s Alexander
Valley: Hanna Winery.
But not content to
rest on the laurels of
her popular Hanna
Sauv Blanc, Christine
has four estate vine-
yards in full produc-
tion in Sonoma, from
the Alexander Valley,
where she sources
Cabernet Sauvignon
and Merlot, to the
Russian River, for
Pinot Noir and
Sauvignon Blanc, to the Bismark Vineyard, which
lies on top of the Mayacamas on the Sonoma side
of Mt. Veeder, for Zinfandel.
“We are in refinement mode,” she comments.
“In many ways I have come into my own as a
businesswoman and a mother.”
As a super mom, Christine is successful at both,
adding the extra glory of launching her cook-
book, The Winemaker Cooks, just two years ago.
Whether working with her winemaking team in
the cellar or on the streets hitting accounts with
distributors as a seller, she finds opportunities to
become more strategic as the face of the winery.
But her results and rewards are in the bottle and
the following notes are a tribute to her hard work.
—Meridith May
Catching Up with
Christine Hanna
A SONOMA VINTNER—AND SUPER MOM—HITS HER STRIDE
Hanna 2012
Sauvignon Blanc,
Russian River
Valley ($19) may
be their best
ever release. This
tank-fermented,
cool climate white
zings out lime zest
and peach, but this
edginess is held in
check by a jasmine, heather and lilac trio
and bundled by incense and spice.
Hanna 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon,
Alexander Valley ($35) hypnotizes with
a fragrance of spiced cinnamon and dried
cherries. The coffee and blueberry combo
along with the lush mouthfeel gets an
A-plus for food pairing. “We used to get
too many herbal notes and sometimes
too chalky tannins,” Hanna points out.
“But in ’09, we experimented with
canopy management, pulling more leaves
and picking earlier. With our western
exposure in the Alexander Valley, the
berries tended to shrivel up and become
dehydrated, with high alcohol. Picking
earlier keeps that alcohol lower and we
still can have development of flavor.”
Hanna 2010 Bismark Mountain
Vineyard Zinfandel, Sonoma Valley
($56) turned Christine into a Zin lover.
Sitting high on top of the Mayacamas
Mountains at 1,400 to 1,600 feet,
Bismark is the highest-elevation vineyard
in Sonoma. The wine is not jammy or
port-like; rather, it is structured, with
natural acidity, overt fruit and amaz-
ingly juicy. There is a nutty quality, and
Amarone-like extraction. Think osso buco
or venison chops.
Christine Hanna.
Photographed at
Pelican Hill Resort in
Newport Beach, CA.
photos by Anne Watson