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Philippe Langner

Winemaker, Hesperian Wines

I learned viticulture and wine-making in Bordeaux. In 2001 I started working at Sullivan Vineyards and in 2002 I became the viticulturist and the winemaker. I started my own label, Hesperian, in 2004 when I fell in love with a tiny vineyard in Coombsville. After almost 10 years at Sullivan Vineyards we parted ways. A few months later I moved in my new vineyard on Atlas Peak where I spend a lot of time in the vineyard to get the best possible fruit in a very challenging, but rewarding, terroir. Thru the years I have consulted on a number of wine-making projects.

Country born: El Salvador but i'm french

Education: Bachelor of Science in Agronomy - UC Davis
Master of Science in Agronomy - UC Davis
Master of Science in Agricultural Economics - UC Davis

Years in the wine industry: 15-20 years

Winemaking Philosophy:
I used to extract a lot from grapes and let time soften the wine. Now that I have my own vineyard that produces very tannic grapes I extract much more gently to create rich relatively soft wine with strong but integrated tannins.
There is no recipe. You have to adapt your technique to the fruit and to the kind of wine you are trying to make.
What drives my wine-making is balance before all. I like to make age-worthy wines that will show their true complexity with time.