This little-known winery is making waves in Mendocino County – The Mercury News
Jesse Hall can’t remember a time when he wasn’t separated from the sea.
Born and raised in Sonoma County, Hall spent his youth diving off the coast of Marin and sailing in San Francisco Bay. In his early 20s, he was shaping surfboards in San Diego, where he rode the gentle waves of Pacific Beach.
“Making wine is like surfing because you live every moment,” said Hall, founder of Seawolf Wines in Mendocino County’s Yorkville Highlands. “Wine is alive—like the tides—and both change every day.”
These days, Hall spends most of his time at Seawolf, a small production company he founded with his wife (and Mauritson winemaker) Emma Kudritzki Hall in 2014.
Despite its small size, Seawolf produces some of the strongest wines in Mendocino County, where Hall dry-farms a 14-acre, 2,000-square-foot vineyard.
The vineyard is part of the 165-acre Yorkville Highlands estate that his father bought in 1992. Seawolf’s elegant tasting room is on-site, making it the perfect wine tasting destination at the gateway to Anderson Valley.
Sitting above the fog, the highest elevation sees warmer days and cooler nights, which increases the time the fruit hangs on the vine.
Producing just under 400 cases a year, Hall specializes in many traditionally fermented wines, including easy-to-handle Zinfandel, Grenache, Pinot Noir and cool-climate Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. His Musqué-clone Sauvignon Blanc is the best I’ve ever tasted and sells out in no time.
“Our grapes have incredible acidity because of the high altitude and the cool sea breeze that blows in every morning,” says Hall. “Our berries are very small and we get a small yield, but the taste is good.”
A valuable mentor
After discovering his love for wine in his mid-20s, Hall followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, who had their own winery in the early 1980s.
Leaving San Diego behind, he studied viticulture at Santa Rosa Junior College before pursuing a degree in enology and viticulture at CSU Fresno.
Eventually, he landed an assistant winemaking role at Martinelli Winery in the Russian River Valley under renowned winemaker Helen Turley.
“Working with Helen was really fun because she loved traditional fermentation,” says Hall. “That influenced my less interventionist style of winemaking.”
Compared to starter fermentation with cultured yeast, traditional fermentation depends on the yeast present in the grapes and the winemaking environment. Despite the increased risk of spoilage and other problems, many winemakers welcome the added complexity to the finished wine.
“I’ve been doing native fermentation for 20 years, and it works 99 percent,” said Hall. “As long as your equipment is extremely clean and you pay close attention to fermentation, the results are worth it.”
In 2022, Seawolf produced a semi-carbonic Zinfandel with French Colombard and Muscat clusters. Well-fermented in a closed tank for 23.5 hours a day, the wine finishes fresh and juicy with an alcohol content of 11%.
“We didn’t even need to add sulfur because the wine is naturally protected,” said Hall. “It has these lovely notes of cranberry and pronounced spice. It’s been a very popular wine.”
Variety in speed
Originally planted on 14 acres, the Seawolf vineyard now includes nearly eight acres of fruit-bearing vines. Among them are some of the first vintages, including a 40-year-old Merlot and a Cabernet Sauvignon.
Last year, Hall grafted 18 new varieties to the vineyard. A “dream project” years in the making, the field’s blend includes familiar and unusual grapes, such as Carignan, Gamay, Petit Bouschet with a red body, and Black Prince, a rare variety known for its dark, dense berries.
“I also added a lot of French Colombard, which has the highest acidity of all the white grapes,” says Hall. “It really adds a new pop of light to the wine.”
Love for the sea
Besides managing Seawolf or spending time with family, Hall still surfs about two days a week.
“Sometimes when the waves are right, I go surfing for days in a row – it drives my wife crazy,” Hall said, laughing. “But I get a lot of joy out of it. Sitting on your board in the ocean and listening to the waves is one of the most Zen things you can do.”
Open daily, from 10 am to 7 pm Tastings are $25 per person and last approximately 1.5 hours. Reservations are recommended.
Seawolf Wines: 17770 Highlands Ridge Road, Yorkville; 707-494-0312; Seawolfwins.com
