The Hess Collection

1876 - 1884: H. HUDEMANN

The first pioneers in the area (last half of the 19th century) were of German descent including the families of Fisher, Brandlin, and Streich.  H. Hudemann settles on a property that is now the site of the Hess Collection Winery.  Hudemann establishes his “Sprout Farm” (a beautiful botanical garden resort), planted a 12 acre vineyard, and built a small stone winery.

1884 - 1900: RUDOLPH JORDAN

Rudolph Jor...

VEEDER SUMMIT VINEYARD

Our highest estate vineyard was once the site of an old cherry orchard near the summit of Mount Veeder. Donald Hess originally planted the site to Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. However, due to the unique microclimates, the vineyard now is considered to be well suited for early-ripening varietals such as Malbec and Merlot.

VEEDER HILLS VINEYARD

To accommodate the steep mountain slopes, the vines at this site...

DAVE GUFFY

DIRECTOR OF WINEMAKING

Dave Guffy first became interested in wine as a Food Science student at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. He was working in restaurants where he had the opportunity to sample a variety of different wines and wanted to learn more. This inspired him to work a harvest at a small Santa Cruz Mountain winery, and he decided to transfer to Fresno State to be part of the enology and viticulture program.

In 1999...