Home Industry News Releases Hill of Tara Wines Appoints Alex Kanzler as Winemaker

Hill of Tara Wines Appoints Alex Kanzler as Winemaker

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Premium Pinot Winemaker veteran expands his skills with Sonoma Valley’s Moon Mountain fruit 

March 14, 2022 (SONOMA, CA) – Hill of Tara Wines, a family-owned, boutique winery located in Sonoma, California, is pleased to announce the appointment of Alex Kanzler as Winemaker.

Dedicated to farming and crafting premium wines from Sonoma Valley’s coveted Moon Mountain District, Hill of Tara was founded in 2015 by Sonoma County native, Danny Fay. Alex, also a Sonoma County native, was sought out by Danny after the two developed a great relationship while working together on other winery projects over the years.

“After working with Alex on his family’s brand for the last 6 years, it’s clear we are cut from the same cloth,” said Danny. “We are both hyper focused on high quality farming and crafting wines that let each vineyard speak and each vintage be expressed. I could not be more excited to welcome Alex into our Hill of Tara family.”

When invited to make Hill of Tara wines just ahead of the latest 2018 vintage, Alex jumped at the chance. After 11 vintages of making mostly Pinot Noir, the opportunity to work with Moon Mountain fruit, was an exciting new opportunity for Alex.

“Working with Bordeaux varietals again is an exciting challenge, and Hill of Tara is an ideal project to be a part of,” said Alex. “My entire winemaking career has been about making small-production, site-specific wines and there’s really nothing like the Moon Mountain District. Danny has a clear vision for Hill of Tara wines and I’m humbled to be chosen to execute the winemaking part of this vision.” 

With great feedback and support from the existing Hill of Tara team — and most importantly, great fruit — Alex has been making Hill of Tara Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc for the last four vintages alongside Kanzler Vineyards’ Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in Sonoma County.  

“Alex is not a clipboard winemaker. He’s in the trenches every day and takes great pride in his work,” Danny continued. “Having Alex in our cellar will not only improve our wine quality, but allow me to have more time farming in our vineyards, improving our grapes too.”

Alex grew up in Sebastopol, California on the 15-acre Pinot Noir vineyard his parents Stephen and Lynda planted in 1996. While Alex’s first paying job at 16 years old was in vineyard management, and he’s technically a “second generation” member of the wine industry, he didn’t officially start his wine career until after graduating from University of Colorado with two liberal arts degrees (history and sociology) in 2008.

Not wanting to immediately start a career in education, he decided to join a winery team for harvest in 2008. It was there he found a love for the craft of winemaking. The 2008 internship in Sonoma Valley led to further harvest experience in Central Otago, New Zealand, Dundee Hills, Oregon and Russian River Valley, CA. Alex then polished up his academic winemaking at Santa Rosa Junior College while working as a cellar hand at Vinify Wine Services. 

First at Vinify, then later at Jemrose, VML Winery and Truett Hurst wineries, Alex worked his way from cellar-hand to associate winemaker while collaborating with amazing mentors like Greg Stach, Shane Finley, Russell Bevan and Virginia Lambrix.  

Alex took over winemaking for his family’s Kanzler Vineyards in 2011, growing the case production from about 200 cases to over 2,200 with the most recent 2021 vintage. 

About Hill of Tara

Hill of Tara Wines is a family owned, premium boutique winery located in Sonoma, California dedicated to farming and crafting premium wines from Sonoma Valley’s coveted Moon Mountain District. A passion project started in 2015 by Danny Fay with 2 barrels of Moon Mountain Cab, Hill of Tara wines now proudly farms two organic mountain vineyards and crafts single-vineyard wines from some of Moon Mountain’s most prestigious vineyards. 

Hill of Tara is released through an allocation offering on St. Patrick’s Day each year. The 2018 Moon Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, 2018 Moon Mountain Cab Franc and 2018 Moon Mountain Red Cuvée will be released in 2022.

For more information about Hill of Tara Wines, please visit www.HillofTaraWines.com or email Danny@HillofTaraWines.com.

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