P.B. Hein Vineyards

Paul Bernard Hein, Proprietor – P.B. Hein Vineyards

Paul is a fifth generation Napan with roots into viticulture and winemaking dating back 129 years to 1879 when his three times great grandfather PJ Hein had 29,000 vines on Mount Veeder. However, like the rest of the current generations of the Hein family, his interest in wine was for many years confined to tasting and collecting.

Paul felt that as a native Napan it made sense to make wine. With the intention of eventually opening a small boutique winery on his 47 acres above Saint Helena after he retired, he actively started making wine as an amateur in 2002. His early efforts won a few awards and had people asking him when they would be able to purchase his wines. He realized that it was time to get serious, so in 2005 Paul started his first commercial production under the name P. B. Hein Vineyards.

Paul’s approach to winemaking is to produce an extremely small lot, 1 ton or so, as a test to prove out both the vineyard and the winemaking method prior to releasing any wine for production. The best technique can’t make excellent wine from poor grapes. Given the right vineyard in the right terroir, the grapes will do most of the work of making an excellent wine. According to Paul, it is the job of the winemaker to do no harm, and allow the grapes to ‘do their thing’.

Paul believes strongly in old world winemaking: small lots, bin fermentation and as little mechanical intervention as is humanly possible. No huge stainless steel vats, no mechanical pumpovers. Being ‘hands on’ with each bin allows us to produce the highest quality wines possible, albeit in small quantities.