WINDSOR, California (July 13, 2022) – Mark Hanson, Co-Founder & CEO of Bricoleur Vineyards, is pleased to announce that the winery’s management team has been expanded. The more robust management team bolsters Bricoleur’s infrastructure and scaling capacity, ultimately leading to further growth and an enhanced guest experience.
Bricoleur Vineyards opened in the Sonoma County town of Windsor, just south of Healdsburg, two years ago and in a short time has already earned recognition from national and local press as the region’s “Best New Emerging Winery,” “Most Romantic Winery,” and most recently was nominated for “Best New Winery” in USA Today’s “10Best Readers’ Choice Travel Awards.” Last fall, Bricoleur Vineyards introduced their new six-course Rooted wine & food pairing, a robust array of special events, and a dinner series called “The Seasons,” that showcases the estate’s bountiful, sustainably-farmed culinary garden. This summer their new seasonal offerings include The Essentials Picnic, Rosé in the Roses, and Weekly Yoga & Wellness Days – plus the opening of Bricoleur’s fabulous new Vineyard Residence.
“We’re thrilled and grateful that our wine and food pairings, special events, and distinctive seasonal offerings are incredibly popular,” said Bricoleur Vineyards’ Co-Founder and CEO Mark Hanson. “In the two years that we’ve been open our following continues to grow and our team grows along with it. Our family is happiest when we bring friends together over exceptional wine and food, and we want our guests to make lasting memories here. Expanding our management team helps us deliver the best guest experience.”
Operations
Bricoleur’s Co-Founder and VP of Marketing Sarah Hanson Citron has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer. After working in digital commerce for Tory Burch and Theory for almost six years in New York, Sarah returned to her wine country roots to co-found Bricoleur Vineyards with her parents, Mark Hanson & Elizabeth Wall Hanson. Sarah carries on in the tradition of her great-great-grandfather, Pietro Carlo Rossi, who revolutionized California winemaking in the 19th century as the original oenologist for Sonoma’s Italian Swiss Colony. Sarah’s background in the fashion industry has informed her insightful decision-making, creativity, and leadership at Bricoleur. Far exceeding the responsibilities of her original marketing role, Sarah has seamlessly led all facets of the tasting room, culinary program, hospitality, special events, and imaginative offerings at Bricoleur Vineyards.
“Sarah is responsible for everything we do here at Bricoleur Vineyards. She’s the visionary and leader who has created our brand. I get choked up when I think of how lucky I am that I get to come to work every day with my daughter,” said Mark Hanson. “Sarah has been running our estate from the start and everything our guests experience was created by her. She steers our culinary, hospitality, tasting room, and special events teams with calm and creativity. She’s a strong and inspiring leader.”
Culinary
In the past year, Bricoleur has made a splash by bringing on James Beard Award-winning chef Charlie Palmer as Culinary Advisor, and Four Seasons alum Thomas Bellec as In-House Executive Chef. Known for their creative, immersive six-course ROOTED tasting that expertly pairs Bricoleur’s elegant wines with fine food, the gifted culinary team continues to grow. Chef Todd Knoll is Bricoleur’s new Chef de Cuisine, and Becca Robinson has been promoted to Sous Chef. She has been with Bricoleur for two years, and has enjoyed learning traditional French techniques from Chef Bellec. Becca was previously with Mayacama, Chalkboard, and Guy Fieri’s restaurants, and loves the challenge of constantly refreshing Bricoleur’s menus to match the newest offerings from Bricoleur’s culinary garden.
A 20-year wine country veteran, Chef Knoll worked for both Jordan Winery and the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco. Chef Knoll is an enthusiastic forager and hunts for mushrooms, sea lettuce, and seaweed in Sonoma County. He even harvests his own salt from local sea water – a passion he shares with Chef Bellec, as they both grew up in coastal towns – Chef Bellec in Brittany and Chef Knoll in Hawaii.
“The feeling here at Bricoleur Vineyards is so inviting, I feel at home already. The collaboration and support here are amazing,” said Chef Knoll.
Chef Knoll and Chef Bellec are making the most of the estate’s sustainably-farmed garden. Embracing the “estate to plate” approach at Bricoleur Vineyards, they’re already working with Bricoleur’s farmer, Mikey de Paolo, to cultivate mushrooms, and to plant pumpkins for fall, saffron for winter, and herbs like lemon grass.
Hospitality
Bricoleur’s warm and engaging hospitality is a direct reflection of the Hanson Family’s fun, welcoming spirit. Anyone who has indulged in a tasting at Bricoleur Vineyards has likely met Christophe Richard, who has been promoted to Vice President of Sales & Special Experiences. Friendly and knowledgeable, Chris grew up in Europe and worked with his parents after the family moved to the U.S., cooking in their restaurants in Blackhawk and Anderson Valley. In his new role, Chris will lend his innate expertise in wine and food to Bricoleur’s exciting new series “Bricoleur on the Road,” special dinners and events around the country that feature Bricoleur’s wines. He’ll also oversee Bricoleur’s luxurious new Vineyard Residence and the winery’s many fundraising events for numerous charities.
Bricoleur’s new Vice President of DTC & Hospitality is Nessia Flugger. Nessia has gained valuable experience as the Director of Guest Services at Flowers Vineyards & Winery. Prior to her tenure at Flowers, Nessia built the program at Silver Oak’s Alexander Valley tasting room. Nessia has an intriguing background. Born in Israel, she served in the Israeli army in a combat brigade. She came to the United States in 1998 and fell in love with Sonoma County. She has a BA in Anthropology and an Executive MBA, Wine Business – both from Sonoma State University.
“It’s obvious that Bricoleur Vineyards is going to be an icon, and I’m excited to have the opportunity to be a part of that,” said Nessia Flugger. “Sonoma represents accessible luxury and there’s a unique warmth to Sonoma County’s hospitality.”
Nessia has brought on a new Tasting Room Manager, Alexis Kandanes. A sommelier, Alexis brings immeasurable expertise to Bricoleur from several of Sonoma and San Francisco’s culinary landmarks including The Matheson, Valette, and Quince. She has also served as an Estate Host at Flowers Vineyards & Winery, and was the Assistant Estate Manager for The Spire Collection in Healdsburg.
Finance
Frances Spangler, CPA has been named Bricoleur Vineyards’ Chief Financial Officer. Frances has assumed responsibility for all accounting, finance, compliance and human resources at the winery. A fan of the wine industry since college, Frances began her career with global accounting firm Arthur Andersen and she was the Vice President of Finance for Time, Inc. for more than 13 years. Finally pursuing her passion for wine, Frances moved to Sonoma six years ago and served as Chief Financial Officer for Crescere Wines, Sugarloaf Crush, and Lynmar Estate.
“I like putting things in place that help businesses grow, while creating more efficient infrastructure,” said Frances Spangler.
About Bricoleur Vineyards
Bricoleur Vineyards, which launched its first vintage in 2017 and opened its tasting room in 2020, is tucked away in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley – just south of Healdsburg. Founded by the Hanson family, Bricoleur Vineyards can be found at the end of a winding road in the charming, bucolic town of Windsor, only an hour north of San Francisco – and very close to the Santa Rosa airport. The distinctive name, “Bricoleur,” is French for one who starts building something with no clear plan, adding bits here and there, cobbling together a whole while flying by the seat of their pants.
Bricoleur is known for their truly unique wine and food pairings, created by their Culinary Advisor, James Beard Award-winning Chef Charlie Palmer and their In-House Executive Chef Thomas Bellec. Their six-course Rooted tasting perfectly pairs Bricoleur’s elegant wines with inventive small plates, and changes every two months to express the seasonality of the estate’s sustainably-farmed culinary garden. Chefs Palmer & Bellec also draw upon Bricoleur’s garden for their robust dinner series, The Seasons. The Hanson Family is happiest when they bring friends together over exceptional wine and food, so whether they’re enjoying a casual family-style dinner, or Rosé and bocce in the estate’s rose garden, Bricoleur’s guests make lasting memories.
Bricoleur Vineyards produces two families of critically-acclaimed, award-winning wines – “Bricoleur” and “Flying by the Seat of Our Pants.” The wines are crafted by veteran Winemaker Cary Gott and Assistant Winemaker Tom Pierson. In addition to Bricoleur Vineyards, the Hanson family also owns Kick Ranch Vineyard in Sonoma County’s Fountaingrove District AVA.
The Hanson family’s roots run deep in Sonoma County. Mark Hanson was born in Santa Rosa, and Beth Wall Hanson’s great grandfather, Pietro Carlo Rossi, was the original oenologist for Sonoma County’s historic Italian Swiss Colony. Rossi revolutionized California winemaking in the 19th century and under his direction, the Italian Swiss Colony became one of America’s leading wineries. Philanthropy is important to the Hanson family, and serving their community goes hand-in-hand with their warm hospitality.
Bricoleur Vineyards is open Thursday – Monday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. by appointment only and reservations can be made by visiting www.bricoleurvineyards.com or by calling 707-857-5700. Bricoleur Vineyards is close to the Santa Rosa airport, which accommodates both commercial and private planes, and it’s only an hour north of San Francisco. Bricoleur Vineyards is located at 7394 Starr Road in Windsor, California and can be found on Instagram @bricoleurvineyards.
