Hal Huffsmith

Senior Vice President Vineyard Operations

Hal Huffsmith was born and raised in Tulare, California back when the place could still be characterized as a small farming community. He fondly remembers his formative years growing up in an area known for its flat ground, hot summers and more agriculture than anywhere on earth. The town motto pretty much says it all: Cotton, Beef and Dairy, that's Tulare.

After high school Hal traveled nearly 30 miles north to attend Fresno State where he received a BS in Enology and finished his formal education at Cornell with a MS in Ag Economics. After a harvest as a chemist at Sierra Wine Corporation, Hal worked for the British wine merchants, John Harvey and Sons at their wineries in Jerez, Spain (Harvey's Sherries) and Oporto, Portugal (Cockburn's Ports).

In 1974 he was at Ch. Barbie and Ch. LaCarelle on the right bank in Bordeaux. Once back in the States, Hal spent a short time at Buena Vista and Stag's Leap Wine Cellars prior to going to work for the Trinchero family in 1976. He rose up through the ranks to become Senior Vice President of Vineyard Operations in 2004.

"After I completed high school, it was time to get out of Tulare. The wine boom during the 1960's generated a lot of scholarship money for students in the Fresno State Enology program. I was fortunately able to access some of those dollars to fund my escape from Tulare and my undergraduate education. I never anticipated a career in winemaking, but during my tenure at FSC I studied with premium wine pioneers like Steve O'Donnell, Jerry Luper and Marcelo Monticelli - men who shared a clear vision of making high quality California wines. At first the wine business was just an exciting job that allowed me to travel to some of the worlds most beautiful places. Then I tasted a red Burgundy given to me by a wine merchant in San Francisco and a barrel-fermented Harbor Winery Chardonnay and realized that memorable wines not only are sensually satisfying, they can also elicit an emotional response. From that point on, I was completely hooked on the wine business."

As Senior Vice President Vineyard Operations, Hal manages all aspects of farming and vineyard development for the Trinchero properties including Main Street, Chicken Ranch, Mary's Vineyard and Vista Montone.

Working closely with the winemaking team, Hal is constantly fine-tuning each vineyard to grow fruit that is intensely flavored and expressive of variety and site. Hal lives in Napa with his wife Jeanne and two cats. They have one son in college and a daughter and son who have both graduated.