Handley Cellars

Six miles west of the tiny town of Philo in Mendocino County the traveler comes to a sign announcing that he/she has arrived at Handley Cellars, where Milla Handley is winemaker. As the great great granddaughter of Henry Weinhard of Oregon brewery fame, Milla must have had some bubbles in her genes and, thinking in terms of wine, not beer, Milla enrolled in fermentation science courses at the University of California at Davis.

vineyards-at-handley

She worked at several northern California wineries before she and her husband, Rex McClellan produced their first wine, 250 cases of Chardonnay, in the basement of their home in 1982. For the next three years their attention was centered on Chardonnay, then Milla added Sauvignon Blanc from her dad’s vineyard in Dry Creek Valley west of Healdsburg. It was in this same year that the old Holmes Ranch, the property where the winery now stands, came onto the market and Milla, Rex and Milla’s dad, Raymond, started drawing up plans for a winery. The 30-acre estate vineyard was planted in 1986 and the winery facility took form from 1986 to 1987.

There was Gewürztraminer growing on the property when Milla and Rex purchased the land, and since 1987 they have produced a dry Gewürztraminer (1000 cases a year), and for the tasting room audience which may desire something sweeter, Milla and assistant winemaker Denny Dudzik created Brightlighter White, a blend of Gewürztraminer and White Riesling. It is in limited production, about 200 cases annually, and is only available in the tasting room. The name “brightlighter” translates as “city folk” in the unique local language, Boontling. The principal Handley red is Pinot Noir, which was added to the line in 1990, and Milla makes a group of dazzling sparkling wines.

“One of the great things about being a winemaker, ” says Milla, “is that you start fresh every year. As you finish the cycle in the vineyard you start the cycle in the winery. My job is to make the wine the best I can every year, without covering up its qualities or trying to make it something it doesn’t want to be.”

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