Bob Sessions (winemaker)

Bob Sessions (December 11, 1931 – May 13, 2014) was an American winemaker. He was winemaker for Hanzell Vineyards for 28 years.

Bob Sessions
Born
Robert B. Sessions

(1931-12-11)December 11, 1931[1]
Glendale, California, United States[1]
DiedMay 13, 2014(2014-05-13) (aged 82)
Sonoma, California, United States
NationalityAmerican
OccupationWinemaker
Years active1973-2001[2]
Known forWinemaker at Hanzell Vineyards
Spouse(s)
    Molly Cross
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1959; died 2000)​
    [1][3]
      Jean Arnold
      ​
      (m. 2002⁠–⁠2014)​
      [1]

      Early life

      Robert Sessions was born in Glendale, California in 1931.[1] He attended the University of California, Berkeley. He earned a degree in English literature in 1957. After graduation, he traveled to France and Brussels.[4] His trip to Europe started his interest in wine.[1] Sessions would marry Mary J. Cross, known as Molly, on December 19, 1959.[3]

      Life in wine

      Sessions was a self-taught winemaker.[1] From 1964 until 1971, he worked at Mayacamas Vineyards.[1][5] Next, he worked at Souverain as production manager.[5] He also worked at Stags Leap Wine Cellars, which he helped open.[1] While at Stags Leap, he helped Warren Winiarski create and bottle the 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon that was blind tasted in the Judgement of Paris.[6]

      Hanzell Vineyards

      Sessions became winemaker and general manager at Hanzell Vineyards, in Sonoma, California, starting in 1973.[7] He was recruited by then Hanzell winemaker Brad Webb.[5] Hanzell Vineyards became a family affair for the Sessions, with wife Molly helping to manage the property and son Ben working in hospitality. Molly worked at the winery until her death from ovarian cancer in 2000.[8]

      At Hanzell, he created wines that Wine Spectator described as what "most winemakers could only dream of." He made primarily Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with a foray into Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1980s.[5] In 1999, the winery named a vineyard block was named after Sessions.[2] Sessions also served as president at Hanzell, retiring in 2001 and becoming winemaker emeritus.[2]

      Production methods

      His style was Burgundian in nature and Sessions was considered a "pioneer" for his early adoption of stainless steel tanks and French oak barrels.[5] Despite being called a "pioneer," he respected the tradition of winemaking at Hanzell and sought to continue those traditions as winemaker.[1] Sessions utilized the same wine production method, year after year, during his career at Hanzell. Grapes were picked at their ripest, early in the harvest season. The Chardonnay was fermented in stainless tanks prior to being aged in barrel. He did little treatment to the wines as they aged, enabling the wine varietals to represent their terroir. He also filtered his wines.[5]

      Personal life and legacy

      Sessions and his wife Mary (Molly) J. Cross raised two children, Sarah and Benjamin. Molly died of Ovarian cancer in 2000.[2][4] Sessions would introduce his son, Ben, to cheesemaker and chef Sheana Davis. Davis became Sessions' daughter-in-law in 2016.[9]

      Sessions married Jean Arnold in 2002.[1] He met Arnold while she served as a consultant at Hanzell Winery. She became President of Hanzell when Sessions retired.[10] After a few months of marriage, Sessions was diagnosed as suffering from dementia in 2003.[11] In December 2012, Arnold announced that Sessions had Alzheimer's disease.[11] He had been suffering from the disease for almost ten years. He died on May 13, 2014 in Sonoma, California.[5]

      In 2014, a lot of wine called the "Hanzell Heritage Tribute" was auctioned at the Sonoma Harvest Wine Auction in memory of Sessions. The lot sold for $80,000.[12]

      References
      1. Virbila, S. Irene. "Bob Sessions dies at 82; Hanzell Vineyards winemaker for 28 vintages". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
      2. Bonne, Jon. "Hanzell winemaker Bob Sessions dies". Inside Scoop SF. SF Gate. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
      3. Ancestry.com. California, Marriage Index, 1949-1959 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.
      4. Frances, D. "Hanzell's Bob Sessions dies at 82". Sonoma Index-Tribune. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
      5. Laube, James. "Former Hanzell Winemaker Bob Sessions Dies at 82". News. Wine Spectator. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
      6. Woodsmall, Michael. "Flashback Friday: Bob Sessions helps found Stag's Leap". Grape Collective. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
      7. Tony DiDio; Amy Zavatto (2003). Renaissance Guide to Wine & Food Pairing. Alpha. pp. 39–45. ISBN 978-1-59257-114-7.
      8. Emert, Carol. "Hanzell comes clean". SFGate. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
      9. Stierch, Sarah. "Sonoma Chef Getting Back to Cheese". Sonoma Magazine. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
      10. Furer, David. "Insider Interviews". San Francisco Wine School. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
      11. Teague, Lettie. "When a Great Winemaker Must Move On". On Wine. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
      12. Robertson, Scott. "Harvest Wine Auction shatters records". Scott Robertson Auctioneers. Retrieved September 20, 2016.

      Further reading
      • DiDio, Tony and Amy Zavatto. Renaissance Guide to Wine & Food Pairing. London: Penguin (2003). pp. 39–45. ISBN 978-1-59257-114-7
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