Bob Sessions (December 11, 1931 – May 13, 2014) was an American

winemaker A winemaker or vintner is a person engaged in winemaking. They are generally employed by wineries or wine companies, where their work includes: *Cooperating with viticulturists *Monitoring the maturity of grapes to ensure their quality and to de ...

. He was winemaker for

Hanzell Vineyards Hanzell Vineyards is a California wine producer located just outside the town of Sonoma (wine), Sonoma. The winery was founded by James David Zellerbach (future United States Ambassador to Italy) who acquired 200 acres in the Mayacamas Mountains in ...

for 28 years.

Early life

Robert Sessions was born in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles. As of 2024, Glendale ha ...

, in 1931. He attended the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

. He earned a degree in

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

in 1957. After graduation, he traveled to France and Brussels. His trip to Europe started his interest in wine. Sessions would marry Mary J. Cross, known as Molly, on December 19, 1959.Ancestry.com. California, Marriage Index, 1949-1959 atabase on-line Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.

Life in wine

Sessions was a self-taught winemaker. From 1964 until 1971, he worked at

Mayacamas Vineyards Mayacamas Vineyards is a California wine producer located in the Mt. Veeder AVA in the Mayacamas Mountains within the Napa Valley AVA, bordering the Sonoma Valley AVA. The estate is known for producing wine of a more traditional style than the Nap ...

. Next, he worked at

Souverain Souverain (foaled 1943) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. After winning his only race in 1945 he emerged as the leading European three-year-old of 1946 when his wins included the Grand Prix de Paris and the Prix Royal Oak in France a ...

as production manager. He also worked at Stags Leap Wine Cellars, which he helped open. While at Stags Leap, he helped

Warren Winiarski Warren Winiarski (October 22, 1928 – June 7, 2024) was an American Napa Valley winemaker and the founder and proprietor of Stag's Leap Wine Cellars. Winiarski owned and operated Arcadia Vineyards in the Coombsville AVA of Napa Valley, whic ...

create and bottle the 1973

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebano ...

that was blind tasted in the

Judgement of Paris The Judgement of Paris is a story from Greek mythology, which was one of the events that led up to the Trojan War, and in later versions to the foundation of Rome. Eris, the goddess of discord, was not invited to the wedding of Peleus and Th ...

Hanzell Vineyards

Sessions became winemaker and general manager at

, in

Sonoma, California Sonoma () is a city in Sonoma County, California, United States, located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Sonoma is one of the principal cities of California's Wine Country and the center of the Sonoma Valley AVA. Sonoma' ...

, starting in 1973. He was recruited by then Hanzell winemaker Brad Webb. 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 Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different ...

in 2000. At Hanzell, he created wines that ''

Wine Spectator ''Wine Spectator'' is an American lifestyle magazine that focuses on wine, wine culture and wine ratings. It is the flagship publication of M. Shanken Communications, which also publishes ''Cigar Aficionado'', ''Whisky Advocate'', ''Market Watch' ...

'' described as what "most winemakers could only dream of." He made primarily Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with a foray into

in the 1980s. In 1999, the winery named a vineyard block was named after Sessions. Sessions also served as president at Hanzell, retiring in 2001 and becoming winemaker emeritus.

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. Despite being called a "pioneer," he respected the tradition of winemaking at Hanzell and sought to continue those traditions as winemaker. 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.

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. Sessions would introduce his son, Ben, to cheesemaker and chef

Sheana Davis Sheana Davis (born 1969) is an American cheesemaker, chef, and culinary educator. She is the owner of the ''Epicurean Connection'', in Sonoma, California, and is the creator of ''Delice de la Vallee'' cheese, along with other fresh cheeses. Davi ...

. Davis became Sessions' daughter-in-law in 2016. Sessions married Jean Arnold in 2002. He met Arnold while she served as a consultant at Hanzell Winery. She became President of Hanzell when Sessions retired. After a few months of marriage, Sessions was diagnosed as suffering from

dementia Dementia is a syndrome associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by a general decline in cognitive abilities that affects a person's ability to perform activities of daily living, everyday activities. This typically invo ...

in 2003. In December 2012, Arnold announced that Sessions had

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

. He had been suffering from the disease for almost ten years. He died on May 13, 2014, in Sonoma, California. 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.

Early life

Life in wine

Hanzell Vineyards

Production methods

Personal life and legacy

References

Further reading