Hamacher Wines

Eric Hamacher never intended to enter the winemaking business; his plan was to study medicine. But a discussion with a close family friend, a doctor, caused him to question his career choice. As he considered switching his path, many family friends in the wine industry offered their input. One invited Eric to Sonoma to work the harvest.

Eric found the labor fun and enjoyed how everyone worked toward a common goal. The family-oriented lifestyle attracted him, as did the seriousness of the curriculum at UC Davis. It quickly became apparent that winemaking was an intellectual pursuit.

Eric Hamacher

When he arrived in Oregon in the 1990s, he held a degree in viticulture and enology from UC Davis, and extensive winemaking knowledge gained from working 15 vintages numerous wineries around the world. Each winery, be it Mondavi, Chalone, Etude or others helped shape Eric's wine making style, almost all nudged him further and further in his pursuit of the perfect Pinot Noir and, ultimately, to Oregon, Pinot's Promised Land.

These experiences provided Eric with a new winery concept: the multiple winery facility. Eric's theory was that larger wineries with excess space could lease cellar space and equipment to smaller wineries in need of facilities benefiting both wineries. After considerable time and effort on his part, legislation was passed in Oregon and Eric's concept of a multiple winery facility became a reality.

What is important to Eric today is making the best wines he can while having a sustainable life and consistently doing things that are important to him. He and wife Luisa live on a 40-acre farm near Gaston in a historic farmhouse that has been in the Ponzi family for nearly half a century. There they raise their two children, Nico and Mia.

The Hamacher family

From the winery:

Winemaker Eric Hamacher founded Hamacher Wines with his wife Luisa Ponzi in 1995. Their objective was simple: to handcraft high quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines. By letting this goal guide the winery, it has, in less than a decade, become one of the most respected and sought after of Oregon's many great producers. The relatively small winery, which produces only 2,000 cases a year, is featured in nearly a dozen markets in the U.S. and exported around the world.

Hamacher Wines produces small quantities of both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. In each vintage the goal is to craft wines of elegance, supple texture and balance. Hamacher makes his wines traditionally, with minimal intervention and handling, using wild yeast and bacteria, aging for almost a year and a half in barrel before racking by gas pressure, and blending and bottling by gravity.

" My attempt is to sculpt consistently complete wines through close management of the vineyards and careful blending at the winery. I believe the best wines are still made by resisting the temptation to do something. Good grapes with gentle and minimal handling describes my winemaking philosophy."

View of the Carlton Winemakers Studio through piles of "must",
the solid grape seeds and skins left after crushing.
A typical late fall misty rainy day in the Willamette Valley

The "pad" at Carlton Winemakers Studio, where grapes are unloaded, sorted,
and moved via gravity feed into the winery for processing.
Finished practically as the grapes arrived at the dock,
the winemakers report that it performed well during its first (2002) harvest.

View of Carlton Winemakers Studio from Cuneo Cellars
on a misty rainy November day in 2002.

Hamacher "H" Pinot noir 09 $19.95 Retail $17.95 Qty. The Hamacher "H" Pinot noir 09 has aromas of black raspberry, black cherry, violets, brown sugar and spice box. Approachable now, this fruit forward pinot will cellar for up to 6 years. 2008 Vintage Tasting Notes Eric ... read more

Hamacher Pinot noir 07 $44.95 Retail $40.46 Qty. Hamacher Pinot noir offers pure scents of violets, berries, and graham in the glass. On the palate, it is sumptuous and silky. Sweet and field fresh blackberry and black raspberry flavors mingle with rich toasted hazelnut, vanilla, and viole... read more

Hamacher Chardonnay 08 $34.95 Retail $31.46 Qty. Eric Hamacher's Chardonnay is the result of a long-term plan to re-invent Oregon Chardonnay, a wine that lacked character and richness in the 80's and 90's. Eric identified new clones of Chardonnay, and starting in 1995, developed a ... read more

Hamacher "H" Chardonnay 06 $14.95 Retail $13.45 Highly recommended. Eric Hamacher declassified all of his 2006 vintage Chardonnay and put it in this great value wine. The nose has an enticing mixture of tart pippin apples, nutmeg and beeswax. The mouth feel is luscious, broad and long. Thi... read more

Retour Pinot noir 06 $64.95 Retail $58.45 Retour Wine Company 2006 Pinot noir Tanzer 92 Points "Bright red. Seductively perfumed aromas of raspberry, cherry preserves, Asian spices and a hint of smoked meat. Lively red berry flavors are given depth and a refreshingly bitt... read more

Hamacher Rose of Pinot noir $16.99 Retail $15.29 This wine is what summer is all about! It holds a beautiful salmon color, and is richly textured from barrel fermentation and stirring the lees. It has great acidity and should be served COLD! It's built for slaking the summer heat and bringing s... read more