Every so often we come across a true surprise. On day 2 of our "Loud in Loudon" tour, we had an appointment with Jim Hanna at Catocin Creek Winery. Jim's operation is so small, you can see his barrel room, office, wine press, storage room, and tasting room standing in one spot. Nothing against large operations, but these very personal, intimate visits tend to be the most memorable.
Jim began his journey of wine making about 7 years ago. Working closely with Doug Fabilioli, Jim, currently a photographer by trade, produces only about 300 cases a year, but he is deadly serious about developing his craft. Not one to put ideas in your head, he believes in "wine democracy." He understands that everyone's palate is different, and he lets you draw your own conclusions about each wine.
We started with a small vertical tasting of his '09 and '10 Cab Francs. The four of us were in disagreement about which we preferred, but we all agreed that Jim was doing something right. He didn't have any whites bottled, but he gave us a barrel tasting of his Sauvignon Blanc. It still had some aging to do, but it's going to be a great summer wine.
Before we left, we took our obligatory group picture. The server/owner isn't always invited to be in the picture, but Jim was special. As this professional photographer set up our small, point and shoot camera on his tripod, he left us in stitches when the camera decided it wanted to visit the floor. What a funny picture he got as it took our picture on its way down!
Jim's hospitality and stories about his wine making experiences made us feel at home. We highly recommend that you contact Jim and make an appointment to meet him and see his unique operations in person.
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