Fodor's Expert Review Hamel Family Wines

Seeking respite from foggy San Francisco summers, Pam and George Hamel Jr. purchased a vineyard mostly for the scenery but quickly got bitten by the wine bug. The family now owns four biodynamic, mostly dry-farmed (no irrigation) vineyards. Collector-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon, the flagship Isthmus red blend, and carefully crafted Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc account for the bulk of production. Pam and George's son John, who makes the wines, also supervises the farming, striving for "purity of fruit" that, he says, requires little of him post-harvest. He's too modest. His choices during fermentation and aging beget magnificent wines. Appointment-only private tastings take place at the family's steel-and-glass Estate House, where guests indoors or on the broad stone terrace enjoy valley and Sonoma Mountain views. Despite its Sonoma address, the estate is closer to Glen Ellen.