Where? Southern Napa Valley, California

When? Founded 1939, First Vintage 1992

What? Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Zinfandel, Primitivo, Albariño, Rosé, Cabernet Sauvignon, Red blends

Why? A nuclear physicist/winemaker? This has to be good!

In 1939, George and Margaret Hendry purchased 70 acres of farmland in the southern part of Napa Valley, California. George, an agronomy professor, and Margaret, a school teacher, concentrated on growing mostly wheat crops, but the Hendry Ranch also had a 6 acre vineyard and plum trees.

In 1944, George Hendry passed away unexpectedly, leaving his wife and two young sons, George Orr and Andrew, to manage the farm. The vineyard became the responsibility of the two boys.

Though George Orr went on to earn an undergraduate and graduate degrees (1963) from UC Berkeley in nuclear physics, his first love remained the family vineyard. As a nuclear physicist, he started his career with the medical information technology company Siemens, patenting new breakthroughs in PET scan imaging. He then began designing particle accelerators called cyclotrons*, which are used to make radio pharmaceuticals for cancer research and medical imaging. (George is currently president of his own company, Cyclotron Inc.) All the while, George nurtured his love of the grape vines, eventually converting much of the Hendry Ranch into vineyards.

Throughout the 70s and 80s, Hendry established a reputation for growing quality grapes. For years, Hendry fruit found its way into Opus One, Mondavi Reserve, and Rosenblum wines. But it wasn’t until 1992 that nine tons of zinfandel was reserved to create the first Hendry label wine, released in 1995. In 1994, the 70 acre operation was expanded to 200, with 115 acres planted with grape vines, and in 2000, a winery was constructed. The facility is state-of-the-art, with the fermentation tanks situated below the crushing floor, so that the juice flows by gravity, not pumps. Today, most of Hendry grapes are used to produce Hendry label wines, with only a few tons reserved for outside wineries.

The Hendry Ranch is divided into 50 separate blocks, each with its own unique terrior. These blocks are harvested, fermented, and even aged separately. Ever the scientist, George’s approach to winemaking is methodical and precise. His nephew, Andrew’s son Mike, also a physicist, worked summers at the ranch during the 80s and in 2001, became the vineyard manager. Together, the two “approach the task of making great wines with scientific method and a healthy respect for the unpredictability of nature.” The physiological ripeness of the grapes before harvest is of utmost importance. Hendry believes that winemakers should not “impose a style” on their wines, but simply make sure that the grapes are nurtured and harvested properly.

Along with George and Mike, Hendry retains a full time crew of vineyard workers, most of whom have been employed there for over 20 years. Susan Ridley, George’s neighbor who became a partner in the business in 1995, manages winery sales and marketing. Jeff Miller has been with the winery since its inception and is also a partner in Cyclotron Inc. He manages the winery and his wife Jan handles the accounting and lab. Rafael Melgoza and his son Luis, a student of viticulture and enology, are in charge of daily cellar operations. The winery is essentially a family of committed, vested, passionate people, a fact that is apparent in every bottle of wine they produce.

George Hendry has been called “perhaps the greatest stickler to fine detail in the California wine scene.” And though he has taken the science of grape growing to a whole new level, he humbly believes that the most important thing about winemaking is to “focus on the bottom line, which is not profit. It is the glass of wine.”