Hawley Wines

I cannot express enough how much I love Hawley wines. Their Viognier and Pinot Noir are two of my favorite wines ever and I look forward to every time I have them.
The girls who work here are a good chunk of the reason why I keep coming back. Jaime and Jordan are awesome and always so accommodating when we visit. I always get mad at them for having such good wine because I have nothing bad to say about it and never want to leave!
If you’re looking for a great tasting room in Healdsburg to hang out with a small group of friends with amazing room and a good ambiance, this is most definitely your place.

The depth of their Zin is just wonderful. If you like big wines, go no further. I’m not crazy about their whites but their Zin is magnificent w/​o being overly «jammy»…which I prefer! My first wine club, and my favorite.

my big surprise on my most recent wine tour to Napa. Great host and great wine. Sunday afternoon so really low key. No sales pressure but of course I bought.

This was our third stop on our wine tour and our group’s favorite by far. At every other winery one or two couples would buy and the others would not. At Hawley every one of the four couples not only made a purchase but actually signed up for their wine club. It may have been influenced by the wonderful Viognier that Austin let us taste but was not yet ready to be sold and the club was the only way that we would get some. It was that good, even for those of us who are not typically white wine drinkers. I have to say that every wine we tasted was pretty darn good to amazing.
We really felt relaxed and at home at this winery, which is truly a working, family winery. We tasted outside on a plank of wood set on top of two barrels looking out at the vineyard. If anything this added to the charm. If you want a more refined tasting room experience they have one of those as well in downtown Healdsburg, a short walk from the main square. This was a casual, yet informative experience. Austin even did an impromptu barrel tasting for us and that wine, as well was delicious. As we drove away one of the women mentioned that Austin was a cutie and all of the women agreed. All of the men (goodnaturedly) groaned and our guide told us that according to his wife his brother is just as easy on the eyes. I get the feeling this is said about them a lot, their poor wives!
My mother was watching our boys for us while we were on our wine tasting weekend and I intended to buy her a couple of nice chardonnays (her prefered varietal) at different wineries, but instead bought two from Hawley for her and promised to split the Viognier with her when it arrives. We are anxiously awaiting our first shipment. We have never joined a wine club before, so this is high praise from us.

You have to love small family owned and operated wineries, with so many conglomerates in the wine businesses it’s a rare find to know a small winery that makes great product and is friendly, open and fun and Hawley is all and more.
Dad and his two boys work the land, press the grapes and make some fun wine. I first enjoyed the Viognier, a great southern rhone style wine with hints of exotic fruit and just enough acid too balance it out. I moved on their pinots and they are a true expression on Sonoma pinots. They make zins and cabs too.
You can taste in town or make an appointment to visit the winery both are fun.
Cheers

Came here this past weekend with Gears Grapes Getaways. It was the smallest winery that I went to but was super cute. I liked how personal the wine tasting felt.
The owner’s son was super chill and laid back. His dog, named Amos, half lab/​half rot, was the sweetest dog ever. I’m not a huge dog person but he had the best personality. Oh, and all the girls in my group were drooling over the owner’s son, definitely a selling point for all the ladies out there ;) He also brought us to look at the vines up close.
This place is more focused on quality rather than flash (fancy ass labels).

I’m unfairly biased because I grew up next door. But this is the friendliest winery with the nicest people and the best Viognier in all of Sonoma County! I love this family, and I love their wine.

Back in 2006, when my girlfriend and I went on our first camping trip together (the goal was the Redwoods), we got off on Dry Creek Valley Road, got our camp site at Lake Sonoma, went to The General Store for a beer — and that’s when a guy asked us if we’d like to try some Viognier. He cracked a bottle — it was amazing! After some conversation, that guy introduced himself as ‘Austin Hawley’ and this was one of the wines his family made — we’ve been friends and fans of the Hawley family and their amazing wines ever since. Good people, great wines! Everytime we open a bottle of Hawley wine, it’s an occasion.

Hawley Wines are one of the finest wines out in the Dry Creek Valley. They also just opened a neat little shop in downtown Healdsburg on North Street. They also feature Dana Hawley art. Plus it helps they are my cousins! Keep up the great work Dana and John!!!

Back to review again. After just talking to Austin, I’m proud to announce they will be opening a tasting room in downtown Healdsburg soon! It will be on Healdsburg Avenue, and should open in the next month or two. Enjoy.

I love that you really have to search for this winery, even though it is in the popular Dry Creek area not far from Healdsburg. It is even better when you drive there, find family members busily working but willing to take the time to show you their best wines, and also let you sample some of their wine still in the barrels.
We called to schedule an appointment to come to this winery back in October because we had purchased a bottle of their Zinfandel at the River’s End restaurant in Jenner, CA as part of our anniversary celebration. We knew that we had loved the wine but wondered if it was as good as we thought or did it seem better because of the spectacular sunset, a great meal, and the celebration of our anniversary? After visiting the winery, we knew that it wasn’t an aberration.
Having lived in the San Francisco Bay area and near Napa, my husband and I have visited numerous wineries. I’ll admit that I am partial to unpretentious wine-​tasting experiences in Sonoma County. I especially love it when I find a good wine produced and showcased by a family with grape stains on their hands because they are busily preparing the next generation of wines.
We came for the Zin but ended up leaving with much more. Normally, we are partial to red wines. The Viognier (a CA State Fair Best of Class perennial winner) totally surprised us. We also enjoyed other types such as their 2003 Merlot and Cabernet.
While there, Paul (with arms thrust deeply into the bin of grapes) explained to us what he was doing and why. John poured some of his wines for awhile until his son Austin took over. One can tell that Austin is a natural with sales, as he turned on the «right» type of music and proceeded to showcase the family’s wines. Friends stopped by and talked about their film «Corked» that was showing that night.
By the time we left, we had purchased a case of wine after having done something we rarely do, join a wine club. We were pleased that John took the time to sign each bottle. We were also very pleased that we had taken the time to search for this winery.

I have tasted Hawley’s organic ’06 Merlot as part of a blind tasting game our local Wine Styles manager puts on once a months. It was such an impressive wine that I had a hard time believing that it is a single grape varietal. I was also able to taste and purchase several bottles of their Pinot Noir as well, which was even better. It is the kind of wine you are not in a hurry to swallow, you savor every drop of it.
My research of this winery got me in contact with Kathy in the office who encouraged me to visit. My wife and I met my daughter and her husband from the East Coast in San Francisco and made our pilgrimage to Hawley’s. Paul Hawley gave us excellent directions, otherwise we would have not found this wonderful place.
Next to the cold-​soaked grapes, among the barrels we tasted 12 different and uniquely excellent wines. We did a couple of vertical tastings (the same wine from the different years) and even some from the barrels. Paul and Austin, the sons of John Hawley, have shared with us the exciting new Sauvignon Blanc, their first creation which will be available in December of this year. The must tasted wonderful! Grape comes from the Dry Creek Valley vineyard, 20% barrel and 80% tank fermented.
Paul showed my family the different stages of wine making, explained the organic growing process and certification requirements, and took us to the vineyard to taste the grapes yet to be harvested. The cold-​soaking process with dry-​ice was fascinated us. We spent close to two hours at the winery, and wished to stay much longer. During our trip we visited 8 more wineries in the region, but this is the one we bought all our wines and want to come back again. Thanks to John, Paul and Austin for making such a great line of wines!!!

Hawley Wines was the last winery we visited on our wine tour.
All positives:
This is a family run business, and they are normal folks. I was impressed with all the wines. John tells wonderful stories, and he told us how he use to work with Kendall Jackson, and decided to open his own winery 1995.
I agree with Tessa S this place is a great place to visit and one of the least pretentious wineries in Sonoma.

So, you definitely have to look for Hawley — it doesn’t jump right out at you. We were sent here by a friend’s father who lives not too far away. We were really glad we went. We were the only people there, greeted by Austin, the winemaker’s son. He was extremely knowledgeable about all of the wines and had grown up on the property surrounded by the grapes.
All of the Hawley wines were very good, my favorite being the Viognier. We also bought a few bottles and joined the wine club as well.

Great wines in an unpretentious building in the middle of a hillside vineyard.
More places should be like this, instead of wowing the other senses, how about those tastebuds?!
I will seek out Hawley wines going forward. Worth the visit to discover this hideen gem.

One of the least pretentious wineries in all of Sonoma County, Hawley wines is a small family winery run by John and his sons. John’s wife Dana does the beatiful artwork, and their «tasting room» is in their barn, right alongside their barrels. It’s a great place to visit, they don’t charge a tasting fee, and their wine is delicious. I highly recommend their Viognier, sonoma valley. It’s mouthwatering. Join their wine club too-​they have very reasonable prices and John signs the bottles, adding that personal touch. They also hold a spring release party in April that is a blast if you can attend. Live music, great wines, and great bbq.