Hanatoro Winery Single Vineyard Wines Handcrafted for Friends and Family

​An interview with kevin bozada

Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting Kevin Bozada, the Senior Director of Club and Hospitality at Augusta National and Managing Partner at Hanatoro Winery. I am excited to share the captivating story of his family’s winery, Hanatoro. The dedicated team at Octave Vineyard and Hanatoro truly embodies the essence of winemaking, resonating deeply with members, guests, and properties that hold the Hanatoro legacy in high regard.~ Diana DeLucia

GK: Can you share the story behind the vineyard and the grapes used for Hanatoro?

KB: I grew up around the hospitality and wine business. I developed a deep passion for the industry at a very young age. I knew I wanted to dedicate my career to it at about ten years old. I was fortunate to have an incredible mentor in my stepfather, Steve Thomson. His career took him from high-end restaurants and hotels, then into wine distribution and wholesaling in Kansas City, MO. That’s where I grew up. 

In 1999, Steve took on a role with Oregon’s largest winery, King Estate, and eventually became its Executive Vice President. He then moved our family to Eugene, OR, in the heart of the Willamette Valley. Since 2015 Steve has been CEO at Cristom Vineyards in Oregon. 

Steve had a very accomplished career, and it’s still going strong. He became the President of the Oregon Wine Growers Association and the chairman of the Oregon Wine Board, where he supported several legislative issues facing the wine industry in Washington, DC. He’s an industry leader and champion for the Oregon wine industry. 

Through those appointments, Steve developed many relationships with neighboring wine regions. Most importantly, within Walla Walla Valley, he was invited by a gentleman named Norm McKibben to invest in a new vineyard development called SeVein in 2004.

Norm McKibben owns Pepper Bridge Winery, one of Walla Walla’s most famous and oldest wineries. He is the godfather of Walla Walla Valley. Before long, Norm, Steve and a few other partners planted the Octave Vineyard with Bordeaux varietals.

Steve sold his fruit for several years as he was only producing grapes, not making wine. In 2010, as my hospitality career was blossoming, Steve asked if I’d be interested in partnering on the startup of a Walla Walla winery, keeping the fruit from Octave, and beginning to produce our own wine, and Hanatoro was born. 

Steve, my mother, Karen Thomson, and I are all involved. In our hearts, we are food and beverage people, and we believe that wine should not only represent a specific place and complement a meal but should also encourage reflection and demand attention. That’s something we talk about often.  Hanatoro is produced in a style that pairs with bold food flavors. It ages gracefully for 20 or more years. 

GK: Where does the name Hanatoro originate?

KB: Hanatoro means ‘the path of light and flowers.’ It is a festival in Kyoto, Japan, celebrated each March in the ancient capital city. The festival’s core values are heritage, craftsmanship, community, beauty, and honor—respect for the past. My mother and Steve have been regular visitors over the last twenty years. It’s one of the most memorable journeys in their lives. 

Hanatoro Managing Partner, Kevin Bozada on the golf course.

GK: Tell us about Octave Vineyard.

KB: Six individuals now own Octave: Steve Thomson, my stepfather; Norm McKinnon, owner of Pepper Bridge Winery; Jean Francois Pellet, Managing Partner of Pepper Bridge Winery; Greg Harrington MS,  owner of  Gramercy Cellars; Dennis Murphy, owner of  Caprio Cellars; and Justin Wiley, owner of  Va Piano Vineyards. Octave Vineyard has quickly become recognized as one of the most elite vineyards in Walla Walla. I can’t stress enough how vital the Octave Vineyard is to us. It is our identity. 

Hanatoro is produced at our winery in Washington State, which is an alternating proprietorship within Va Piano Vineyards. Octave Vineyard is located 20 minutes south but physically in Oregon and conveniently located just feet from Former New England Patriots Quarterback, Drew Bledsoe’s Doubleback McQueen Vineyard. What makes Hanatoro special is this unique mix of soil types, elevations, and microclimates at Octave. The soil is an ancient basalt overlaid with wind-blown volcanic Loess and glacial alluvial sediment. This rich combination of soil provides many minerality characteristics unique to the region. 

Octave is at 1300 feet in elevation and on a steep slope. This altitude lends to sun exposure, long growing days and seasons, and massive temperature variation. Sometimes, you can see a swing of 40° in one day, but most importantly, its powerful winds whipping off the Columbia Gorge in the afternoon. These winds are significant because of their stress on our fruit, which lends to smaller berries with thicker skins,  resulting  in fabulous tannins in the wines once you get to the final product. ​Regarding the vineyard practices, we tap water at more than 1000 feet below the surface. Our vineyard has one of the northwest’s finest agricultural water delivery systems. It’s environmentally sound and sustainable. We focus on soil health because it’s essential to grow healthy vines capable of withstanding disease and pest pressures throughout the growing season. It ensures our vineyard will produce excellent wines not only now but for generations. 

Hanatoro is the only winery that produces wine using 100% Octave fruit. Every berry that goes into Hanatoro comes from Octave and Octave only. We don’t source fruit from other vineyards or buy fruit from Oregon, Washington, or California and put it into our wines. We have to use what our land gives us, this is more challenging but always more rewarding. From there, Hanatoro Winemaker and owner of Va Piano Vineyards, Justin Wylie, stewards Hanatoro through a gentle regimen in the finest French oak barrels to our exacting specifications. Justin is best in class, he’s been a great friend and mentor for twenty years. 

There’s a misconception about the elegance of wine. You’re usually enjoying it in a very sophisticated environment. You have to remember that wine is agriculture. Producing wine is farming at the very finest, which gets lost at the end stage when the wine is consumed in these beautiful restaurants and clubs. Wine is handled in the vineyard and winery like a chef works with food in a good kitchen. 

Each Fall, we select the best varietals and respective clones to produce the highest quality wine possible. We go to Walla Walla, and we’ll have 30 sample bottles on the table. Each bottle containing various clones of each varietal, we have five clones of Cabernet Sauvignon alone. We taste all of them, every clone of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Syrah, Petite Verdot, and Cabernet Franc. We select what’s best that year, knowing we must utilize at least 75% Cabernet Sauvignon to be classified as that, the other varietals are the finishing touches to the masterpiece. 

Earlier, I mentioned the impact of the winds on the vines. The wind’s impact on the skins makes our fruit loaded with intense red, blue, and black fruit and gentle spice notes, contributing to a large structure. It is balanced with silky smooth tannins that are polished yet supple on the palate. It can be enjoyed with red meats, lamb, and pork. It is a big wine, but it’s balanced and gentle enough to enjoy without food at the end of the evening.

The varietal balance will shift for each vintage. For instance, the 2019 vintage was 89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Cabernet Franc. The 2017 vintage was 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7.5% Merlot, and 7.5% Malbec and the 2012 vintage was 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12.5% Petite Verdot, and 12.5% Cabernet Franc. No two years are the same, we have to use what land gives us to formulate the finest wine possible. When you are single vineyard, Mother Nature is the primary influence on our wines, thats the magic behind Hanatoro.

Fruit on the vine at Octave Vineyard.

GK: How do you ensure the quality and consistency of your wines? 

KB: One of the great things about Hanatoro being a single vineyard estate wine is that while we always expect top quality, the wine consistently differs from vintage to vintage. We aim to build a handcrafted micro-site expression wine each year from this unique terroir, Octave Vineyard. 

The yields from Octave give us about 2.5 tons per acre, so it’s a challenge to evaluate each varietal and clone independently and how they will compliment each other in the final blend. It has to be the best. We use a variety of the highest quality French oak barrels.

GK: What does each of them do to impact the final product?  

KB: Last August, we tasted all the varietals and clones for the 2022 blend, which had been in barrel for 18 months, before signing off on the final blend. Once we complete the 2022 blend, we’ll barrel taste the 2023, which has been in the barrel for six months, from there we’ll go to the vineyard and look at the 2024 on the vine. We’re always working on three consecutive years, two in the past, one in the future. It’s quite an experience tasting and blending the wine that will be in restaurants and clubs throughout the country in just a matter of months.  

GK: What makes Hanatoro particularly appealing to private golf club members? How did you break into that market?

KB: People generally enjoy wines with a story behind them. Family-owned wineries and their vineyards lend well to this. Larger wineries tend to focus on production volume, using sourced fruit from all over the country, which can create a lack of identity and story.  Our wines are handcrafted, and we produce limited quantities, just three hundred cases each year. This limited production is also incredibly high rated. Our wines are getting 94, 95, 96 points from Wine and Spirits and Wine Spectator vintage after vintage. Accolades are not our main priority, but it validates our work in our winery and vineyard. In terms of private clubs, my career in private club management dates back over 15 years. I’m currently the Senior Director of Club and Hospitality at Augusta National Golf Club where I’ve worked for 10 years. The club industry is a small one. Many of the general managers and sommeliers of elite private clubs are personal friends of mine, and they are excited at the prospect of adding an extremely limited single vineyard family-owned winery to their lists. It’s a great opportunity for them to connect with their members, and share our story, but it also helps that the wine is of elite quality. The difference is it’s fleeting. When it’s gone, it’s never to be experienced again. Only the memory remains. 

GK: Are the 300 cases of Hanatoro wine typically pre-ordered in advance, or do you sell them throughout the year?

KB: Since our first vintage in 2012, we’ve been ultra-focused on distribution to high-end steakhouses, boutique resorts, private clubs, and golf destinations, all of which we have personal relationships with. We want our wines to be on lists of accounts of people with whom we have relationships. While the distribution route does not provide the most profitable strategy, it does help us build our brand and share our wines with our friends, family, and colleagues in the hospitality industry. 

We distribute in five states: Oregon, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina. We keep a small allocation for direct sales through our website, www.hanatoro.com. We typically only sell current vintage directly to consumers. However, we are introducing the Hanatoro Estate Club, which provides a short list of individuals an allocation of our current vintage and some library wines from previous vintages. 

Hanatoro Winemaker and Va Piano Vineyards Owner, Justin Wylie, tasting Octave fruit in the vineyard.

GK: How do you handle demand exceeding 300 cases produced annually? 

KB: My priority is to assure every account we partner with has the inventory allocation necessary for their annual operations. Given our limited production, we’re very sensitive about not overextending ourselves and committing to many allocations. This has resulted in a very small list of accounts, it’s a short list, but it’s powerful. You can find Hanatoro at golf resort destinations such as Bandon Dunes, Sea Island, Kiawah Island, Streamsong, The Breakers, Pinehurst and Reynolds Lake Oconee. You will also find it  n lists at many of the country’s preeminent private clubs and distinguished restaurants such as Bern’s Steakhouse in Tampa or Bones Restaurant in Atlanta. The hospitality world is small, and we’re fortunate to have a lot of great relationships because that’s where we dedicated our careers. 

We select one off-premise account in each city we sell our wine in. That would be a wine shop where you can buy a bottle and take to a social event or enjoy at home. Our key cities are Charleston, Atlanta, West Palm Beach, Miami, Tampa, Charlotte, Hilton Head, and throughout Oregon. All happen to be outstanding food and beverage cities.

GK: How have wine directors and sommeliers welcomed Hanatoro?

KB: We may have 50 accounts throughout the country. Every single account has a Hanatoro champion. It could be the general manager, sommelier, or food and beverage director. Most sommeliers know the scarcity of our wines. That, combined with the quality, reputation, and limited supply of high-quality products at an affordable price, makes them challenging to pass up. 

GK: Do you collaborate with golf club chefs to create wine pairings for their menus?

KB: We have had opportunities to collaborate with restaurants and at special events. Most notably, in 2017, we were invited to be a pairing wine at the renowned James Beard Awards dinner at the James Beard House in New York. Hanatoro was selected as the main course pairing, which is a considerable accomplishment. We also do private tastings for members and clubs. We educate the staff on our story, and then do a pairing  in collaboration with the chef for the members. 

GK: What trends are you seeing in the wine preferences of golf club members?

KB: Every club is different, and every club has an identity for its wine program. Some clubs develop their programs around certain regions while the broader club segment may  focus on value, quality and accessibility. All clubs value a genuine story behind the wine, and that’s why Hanatoro is successful. It has a good story, and the people involved in it are tied into the hospitality and golf space.
Some will be value-driven, others will be experience-driven. We didn’t start Hanatoro with the idea of turning profits. Hanatoro is a passion for us, creating something special that we can share with our family and friends at a very affordable price. 

Left: Kevin Bozada at the Octave Vineyard.
Right: Image : Steve and Karen Thomson at the Octave Vineyard. 

GK: What feedback have you received from golf clubs and their members about Hanatoro wine?

KB: The feedback from golf clubs and members has been ​extraordinary. Many members contacted us directly, saying, “Hey, I had dinner at the club last night, and we tried Hanatoro. How can I get my hands on more?”

Our best option is to send them to the website to buy it directly, that has happened hundreds of times over the years. Customers enjoy our wines at their club, so it has been very well received. 

Still, Hanatoro’s success lies in the hands of the sommelier and the food and beverage director, who ensures that when Hanatoro is on their wine list, they’re sharing our story as well. It becomes a part of the experience.

​GK: What are your long-term goals for Hanatoro?

KB: We produce around 300 cases of Hanatoro from Octave each year. The vineyard can yield enough fruit to push this to 750 cases, so we are considering increasing production incrementally. 

Even if we produce 750 cases, we’re still a small winery. I’m particularly interested in producing a second wine in the future, perhaps a Sauvignon Blanc. The challenge will be sourcing fruit that will produce a wine that complements our estate Cabernet Sauvignon. It must be the best or we won’t do it.

Link to purchase
https://vinoshipper.com/shop/hanatoro_winery