Hamilton Family Wines – Grit, Determination and Good Wines
The Background
Photo by Ally Cogbill, permission granted by Greg Hamilton
Lindsay & Greg Hamilton have been dedicated wine lovers since they first met in 2001 in Glasgow, Scotland. At that time Greg was living there and working as a wine merchant. Lindsay, taking a summer break from UC Santa Cruz was visiting her sister in London. They decided to take a trip to Glasgow. As fate would have it, they met at a local pub.
Subsequently they married and moved back to Lindsay’s home state, California. It is in the garage they embarked on winemaking in 2011. Working with rudimentary used equipment they were able to produce some interesting wines. Their first wine was using grapes from Lodi to produce a Zinfandel varietal.
In 2016, they took the opportunity to move to Sonoma County with the dream being to open a small winery. Then only a short time later, 14 months, in 2017 they lost their home and small vineyard in the devastating 2017 wildfires with the vineyard and buildings completely burning down! They took the insurance money and savings and took a major leap to make their dream of owning a small winery reality. In 2019 the first vintage of Hamilton Family Wines was released. It was their Sauvignon Blanc from Sonoma Valley, Rosé of Grenache from the Sonoma coast and a Pinot Noir from Petaluma Gap.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
In 2021 they opened their tasting room in Kenwood, California. Today they have seven wines released including a Sparkling Blanc de Noirs, Sauvignon Blanc (two different vineyards), a Rosé of Grenache, Pinot Noir, GSM and Merlot. When by chance I stopped by, I tried the Sparkling Blanc de Noirs and a Sauvignon Blanc, both were light, airy and refreshing, especially on a 100 degree day!! That said my personal favorite was the 2019 Merlot from Chalk Hill which I purchased a bottle.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The Winery
They use a custom crush winemaking operation located in Sonoma which interesting is called an Alternating Proprietorship. Here they make their wines along with a consulting winemaker Jess Wade who gained his experience working in Napa, Sonoma and New Zealand. Lindsay & Greg keep a watchful eye on each varietal being produced. Their focus is on hand-crafted, artisan and small lot wines produced from Sonoma County. Their focus is on sustainable and small vineyards delivering an authentic taste with minimal “human intervention”. This being native-fermented, produced without chemicals or additives and are bottle unfined and unfiltered. They are all vegan friendly, following closely their “purest” philosophy in making wines. Total yearly production is now at 700 cases/year. When asked about a 5 and 10 year plan, Greg remarked with production in 5 years being 1500 cases and 10 years being 2,500 to 3,000 cases. That stated, his key concern is to have a firm hand in making the wines to their specifications of natural and organic. Their current and mid-term goal is for all their grapes to be from sustainable and certified organic vineyards and eventually transitioning all to be biodynamic. This is followed closely by their view of being “light handed” in using only 40% new French oak barrels and letting the grapes speak with minimal “outside intervention”.
Two other comments about where Hamilton Family Wines are heading are to shine a light on Sonoma County’s wide arsenal of grape varieties. While wanting to showcase Sonoma’s established portfolio of grapes as they expand, they also would like to branch out into some unique varietals. That expansion is driven by their own educational component as well as imparting new and deeper understanding for consumers. Greg stated many of the visitors appreciate the openness and safe space in asking questions while tasting their wines.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The tasting room is adorned with charming and simple open barrel tables with lively paintings on the walls. Additionally, they have a counter bar area also. For those wonderful Sonoma Valley days, they have lots of shaded outdoor tasting areas under cabanas and olive trees just outside their back door.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The Wine “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photos ©Michael Kelly
Their Merlot, the only wine departing from 40% new French oak barrels, here they went with 70% new French oak as the wine was so rich. On the eyes a dark rich royal purple with translucent edges and medium to medium-heavy viscosity. On the nose the aromas were hiding in the beautiful color, but once on the palate, the flavors of blueberry, Bing cherry along with a hint of strawberries and cranberry, provided ample reward of each sip. The tannins were more like warm cuddling hugs comforting one and requesting yet another sip. The finish provided an unfiltered rustic quality. The price is $48/bottle and only 115 cases were produced of this delicious and concentrated wine.
The Food and Wine Pairing “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Re-heated the Birria sauce from the weekend which used the following ingredients plus a few others: 7 ancho chilies, 7 guajillo chilies, 3 chilies de arbol, 1 white onion (halved), 6 garlic cloves, 4 Roma tomatoes, black peppercorns, dried Mexican oregano, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, ground cloves, Mexican cinnamon stick, bay leaves, apple cider vinegar and beef broth. Some of the ingredients (onions, tomatoes, etc.) were simmered together, strained and added to the blender with other spices and poured onto the BBQ’d chicken. Then topped off with minced Serrano peppers. Roast Jalapeño peppers on the BBQ were also served on the side. Accompanied with black beans, fresh guacamole dip, Spanish rice and a garden salad. The meal was definitely on the warm side and the Merlot help calm down the spicy meal. With its “softness” the food and wine pairing was very good. The food and wine played off each other beautifully.
When visiting Sonoma County and having a plethora of wineries to choose from, Hamilton Family Wines is truly one small family winery that should be supported for not only their wines but as people who with grit and determination, are making their dream come true.
Sláinte,
Michael