Unafraid to be unconventional, Hailstone Vineyards celebrates the art of boutique wineries. This small production brand brings together a selection of California grapes focusing on quality, fun, and surprisingly, the weather; it’s the best of several vineyards chosen for extremely high-quality grapes.
A Crazy Roofer
A chance meeting with Jessica, a former accomplished equestrian trainer and now judge, led to marriage and a successful business expansion. Today, Jessica and Chris Zazo have a busy life and a storybook tale to tell. That’s how the love, the passion, and the fun all come together, the couple acknowledge. With a business background in roofing restoration specializing in hail damage (one can see where “Hailstone” comes in), Chris also has a self-taught culinary arts background, prompting a personal connection to wine appreciation.
Jumping in with his first vintage in 2012—Impact Cabernet Sauvignon—Chris became known as “the crazy roofer that started a winery.” Distinctly different pewter-colored labels bear the mark of a hailstone shattering glass, and wine names follow through on the unique theme: Restoration Chardonnay, 32 Degrees Sauvignon Blanc, Weather Dancer Rosé, for example.
Small Production for Perfection
Hailstone doesn’t own the land nor purchase fruit by the tonnage. Instead, they lease rows in specific vineyards for each varietal. Carefully considering soil type, elevation, temperature ranges, plus additional key factors, everything plays a part in their decision-making process. This allows the opportunity to move around the valley in concert with Hailstone Vineyards Winemaker Chad Alexander as he seeks out pedigree blocks.
We Love What We Do
“Mt. Veeder is where we’ve spent a lot of time,” said Hailstone Vineyards Owner Chris Zazo. “We then moved into exploring valley floor AVAs, including Calistoga, Coombsville, Yountville, and Oakville, most recently returning to Mt. Veeder. We want to walk those rows to make our selections.” Regarding their philosophy, Chris added, “We do it right because we love what we do—and that’s how we’ve approached this undertaking since the beginning. We always say you don’t know until you know, and then you know!”
Gold and Silver Awards
At the prestigious TEXSOM International Wine Awards in Dallas, Hailstone Vineyards was honored to bring home recognition for three new releases in 2023, winning gold for 2020 “Proprietor’s Reserve” Cabernet Sauvignon; silver for 2021 “Restoration” Chardonnay; and silver for 2021 “32 Degrees” Sauvignon Blanc.
Where to Taste
Jessica, operations director for the boutique winery, shared information about Hailstone Vineyard’s opportunities for consumers. In addition to three wine clubs and the online website shop, five of the six wines (not including “ICE,” the brand’s California sparkling wine) are poured at downtown Napa’s historic Vintner’s Collective, the premier showcase tasting room for small, family-owned Napa-based wineries. At local restaurants, Hailstone Vineyards wines are on the menu at Bottega Napa Valley in Yountville and Cole’s Chop House on Main Street in Napa.
