Not every winery starts with a chateau and a fortune. Kessler-Haak started with an engineer, his wife, and a patch of cold, wind-raked ground on Santa Rosa Road that they decided to farm themselves.

A small family on a cold hillside

Dan Kessler left a career in the aerospace world to chase a different kind of precision, and with his wife Ellen, whose maiden name Haak completes the label, he founded Kessler-Haak in the mid-2000s. The heart of it is their estate Hilltop Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills, planted on the cool, sandy ground that the appellation is famous for. This is a genuinely small, hands-on family operation, the kind where the owner is often the one pouring your glass, and that closeness shows in the wines.

No fortune, no shortcut. Just a family, a cold hillside, and a lot of careful work.

The wines

Kessler-Haak is a cool-climate house built on the Sta. Rita Hills classics. The estate Pinot Noir is bright and savory, the Chardonnay taut and mineral, and there is a cool-climate Syrah and a traditional-method sparkling wine that show off the range of this cold ground. These are precise, unshowy, food-friendly wines that reward attention.

What to drink it with

The Pinot Noir is a natural with grilled salmon, seared duck, or a mushroom risotto, where its earthy side meets the fungi on the same savory note. The mineral Chardonnay loves Dungeness crab or a roast chicken, and the sparkling wine, crisp and bracing, is one of the great partners for oysters or anything fried, the bubbles and acidity scrubbing the palate clean.

Plan your visit

Kessler-Haak pours in the Sta. Rita Hills, an easy stop on a Santa Rosa Road wine day among neighbors like Sanford, Lafond, and Alma Rosa. Reservations are a good idea, and you may well find a Kessler behind the bar.

Frequently asked questions