Hanna Winery was founded in 1985 by Dr. Elias Hanna, a world-renowned cardiac surgeon, who was eager to find a place in the country to continue the farming heritage of his upbringing in Syria. In the 1970s he realized his dream with the purchase of 12 acres in the Russian River Valley. Dr. Hanna’s oldest daughter Christine now runs the operations of the winery. Hanna owns 600 acres of land in the Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley, Alexander Valley and the Mayacamas Mountains, 250 of which are planted.

Under Christine Hanna’s guidance, the winery has evolved into an estate philosophy that blends the viticultural diversity of fruit cultivated in its four vineyard estates in three unique appellations. With the help of winemaker Jeff Hinchliffe, they craft award-winning wines, such as its Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc and Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

• Hanna’s Slusser Road Vineyard and the Home Ranch Vineyard, in the Russian River Valley, are the flagship vineyards, with 25 and 50 acres, respectively, of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir as well as the winery production facility.
• Red wines come from the 88-acre Alexander Valley Red Ranch Vineyard, planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Zinfandel.
• The crown jewel is Hanna’s Bismark Mountain Vineyard, situated high atop the Mayacamas Mountains. The highest-elevation vineyard in Sonoma County, Bismark Mountain Vineyard is on the Sonoma side of the famed Mt. Veeder.

Cabernet, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Syrah and Zinfandel are grown on the steeply-terraced hillsides of Bismark Mountain Vineyard. "It's like standing on top of the world!" says Christine Hanna. "The level of concentration and intensity in flavor make for astounding wines. After the extreme challenge of developing a mountainside vineyard, the Bismark Mountain Vineyard wines are the just reward." The Bismark Mountain Vineyard wines have received excellent ratings from leading publications, including Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Wine Enthusiast and Wine Spectator.

WINEMAKER JEFF HINCHLIFFE
Jeff Hinchliffe became interested in winemaking as an undergraduate student studying brewing science at the University of California, Davis. After a few winemaking courses and work as a laboratory assistant in the enology department, he decided to make the switch from beer to wine. “The creativity and inevitability of winemaking won me over.” Jeff graduated with a degree in fermentation science with an emphasis in enology in 1983. With stints at Christian Brothers in Napa, and Hidden Cellars and Gabrielli in Mendocino, Jeff honed his winemaking skills. In the spring of 1998, Jeff joined Hanna Winery, and has been making award-winning wines ever since.