SPRING CHEF’S TABLE | A Note from Chef Thomas Mendel
Spring at Hamel is a special time for us in the kitchen. Our herb and flowers are in full bloom, and we’re fortunate to have some of the best produce from our local purveyors make their way onto the plate. We invite you to experience the Spring bounty for yourself.
Book your Chef’s Table Experience via the link in bio.
📸: Slide One | @verenadohmen
Very grateful for the invitation and opportunity to speak at the UC Davis @ucdavisvande Winemaker Seminar course this week. We really enjoyed sharing our approach to terroir expression, dry-farming and biodynamics, and connecting with the next generation of industry leaders.
Vineyards are distinctive in how they reward thoughtful stewardship and natural farming with wines of greater depth, character, and vitality. Embracing dry-farming and organic and biodynamic practices not only elevates the wine but ensures the enduring health of the vineyard and the broader ecosystem of which it is a part.
Happy Earth Day to all who treat the land and nature with the respect and awe it truly deserves.
With elegant terroir expression as our guiding ambition, grafting is a tool that allows us to align our cultivars more closely with the intrinsic characteristics of the land.
This spring, we are transitioning a small block from Cabernet Franc to Cabernet Sauvignon. While we value the red-fruited and floral elegance of Cabernet Franc, this specific site—defined by its warmth and higher exposure—is better suited to a cultivar like Cabernet Sauvignon, which maintains its sense of elegance and balance in warmer conditions.
With the arrival of spring, we are unearthing our Biodynamic Preparation 500. Buried around the fall equinox, this fermented compost is sprayed onto the soil to enhance microbial activity and root development, and improve soil structure for the new growing season.
First evening magic at the 4th Annual Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas, Women’s Symposium🍷
We gathered in Santa Rosa to kick things off with a golden hour happy hour at the Hyatt Regency Sonoma Wine Country, beautifully sponsored by Drop of Sunshine, a perfect start filled with connection, laughter, and incredible women in wine.
The evening continued at Hamel Family Wines, where we were welcomed with heartfelt hospitality, an inspiring blind tasting, a beautiful tour and education of the property and wines, and a truly memorable dinner. Thoughtful cuisine, beautiful wines, and even better conversation. This is what it’s all about.
Grateful to be surrounded by such passion, talent, and community. Cheers to learning, sharing, and lifting each other up 🥂
Thank you again to our amazing sponsors, Drop of Sunshine, Hamel Family Wines, and Pure Luxury Transportation.
@sonomacountywinegrowers@hamelsonoma@pure_luxury_transportation@dropofsunshinewine
#WomensSommSymposium
#womeninwine #sonoma #californiawinery #womeninhospitality
For the past decade, our focus has been on expressing the character of our volcanic soil and terroir at Nuns Canyon Vineyard. We are very appreciative of @wineenthusiast and @swirlingsonoma for highlighting the broader terroir of the Moon Mountain District, and our long-term commitment to expressing it through a biodynamic and dry-farming approach.
Great week with terroir specialist @pedroparraterroir in Texas tasting and discussing volcanic terroir, minerality, dry-farming and biodynamic practices ✨
