Jesse Hall can’t remember a time he wasn’t inseparable from the sea.
Born and raised in Sonoma County, Hall spent his youth surfing the Marin coast and sailing San Francisco Bay. By his early 20s, he was shaping surfboards in San Diego, where he rode the mellow waves of Pacific Beach.
“Winemaking is similar to surfing in that you’re living moment by moment,” said Hall, founder of Seawolf Wines in Mendocino County’s Yorkville Highlands. “The wine is alive—just like the waves—and they both change every day.”
These days, Hall spends most of his time devoted to Seawolf, the small-production winery he founded with his wife (and Mauritson winemaker) Emma Kudritzki Hall in 2014.
Despite its small size, Seawolf produces some of the most energetic wines in Mendocino County, where Hall dry-farms a 14-acre organic vineyard at 2,000 feet.
The vineyard is part of the 165-acre Yorkville Highlands property his father purchased in 1992. Seawolf’s rustic tasting room is on site, making it a worthy stop for wine tasting at the gateway to Anderson Valley.
Typically perched above the fog, the high-elevation site sees warm days and cool nights, extending hang time for fruit on the vine.
Producing less than 400 cases per year, Hall specializes in small lots of native-fermented wines, including light-handed Zinfandel, Grenache, Pinot Noir and cool-climate expressions of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. His Musqué-clone Sauvignon Blanc is the best I’ve ever tasted and sells out in a flash.
“Our grapes have amazing acidity because of the site’s high elevation and cool ocean breezes that blow through every morning,” Hall said. “Our berries are very small and we get less yield, but the flavor is fantastic.”
A valuable mentor
After discovering his passion for wine in his mid-20s, Hall followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, who had their own wine brand in the early 1980s.
Leaving San Diego behind, he studied viticulture at Santa Rosa Junior College before pursuing a degree in enology and viticulture from CSU Fresno.
Eventually, he landed an assistant winemaking role at Martinelli Winery in the Russian River Valley under legendary winemaker Helen Turley.
“Working with Helen was great because she’s really into native fermentation,” Hall said. “That influenced my low-intervention winemaking style.”
Compared to initiating fermentation with cultured yeast, native fermentation relies on ambient yeast on the grapes and in the winery. Despite the increased risk of spoilage and other issues, many winemakers embrace the complexity it adds to the finished wine.
“I’ve been doing native fermentations for 20 years, and it works out 99 percent of the time,” Hall said. “As long as your equipment is extremely clean and you keep a very close eye on fermentation, the results are worth it.”
In 2022, Seawolf produced a semi-carbonic Zinfandel with whole clusters of French Colombard and Muscat. Gently fermented in a sealed tank for 23.5 hours a day, the wine finished ultra-fresh and juicy at just 11% alcohol.
“We didn’t even have to add sulfur because the wine is naturally protected,” Hall said. “It has these delicious notes of cranberry and pronounced spice. It’s been a very popular wine.”
Variety in the vineyard
Initially planted to 14 acres, the Seawolf vineyard now comprises about eight acres of fruit-bearing vines. Among them are some of the original plantings, including nearly 40-year-old Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Last year, Hall grafted 18 new varieties into the vineyard. A “dream project” years in the making, the field blend includes familiar and uncommon grapes, such as Carignan, Gamay, the red-fleshed Petit Bouschet, and Black Prince, a rare variety known for its dark, plump berries.
“I also added a bunch of French Colombard, which has some of the highest acidity of any white grape,” said Hall. “It really adds a fresh pop of brightness to wine.”
A passion for the sea
Outside of managing Seawolf or spending time with family, Hall still surfs about two days a week.
“Sometimes if the waves are really good, I go surfing a couple of days in a row — that really drives my wife crazy,” Hall said, laughing. “But I get so much enjoyment from it. Sitting on your board in the ocean and listening to the waves is one of the most Zen things you can do.”
Open daily, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tastings are $25 per person and last about 1.5 hours. Reservations recommended.
Seawolf Wines: 17770 Highlands Ridge Road, Yorkville; 707-494-0312; seawolfwines.com
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