Milla Handley graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Fermentation Science in 1975. She moved to the Anderson Valley in Mendocino County in 1978 to work for Jedd Steel at Edmeades. Handley Cellars became a bonded winery in 1982, the same year that Anderson Valley became an AVA. In 2005, her vineyard was the first California Certified Organic vineyard in Anderson Valley. Are you seeing a pattern here? Handley was clearly a pioneer, and she created an enduring legacy in the winery and her 59-acre property in the northwest corner of the Anderson Valley, called the Deep End. Sadly, she died in 2020, but she left behind a team who had learned her philosophy well. Her daughter, Lulu Handley, is the proprietor and co-winemaker with Randy Schock.
Schock and I recently had the opportunity to taste three Handley Chardonnays and have a wide-ranging conversation. He had just finished judging a canned wine competition. Turns out, they make canned wines from Handley grapes for a canned wine company called Maker. Handley is one of several wineries involved. 
Schock noted that Milla would have approved. “Wine in cans helps people feel more comfortable. That’s our job. It’s not just for hipsters. It’s for Moms. They don’t want to waste wine. They want to enjoy them and don’t want to have to open a whole bottle.” To make that point, the stamp on the bottom of the Pinot Noir can says “Mom would like it.”
The first Chardonnay we tasted was the Method Champenoise Blanc de Blancs 2015. It is a charming sparkler made from 100 percent Chardonnay grapes grown in the Handley family’s Block 3B, from some of the first vines planted in the Handley vineyard. Tiny bubbles shine in the pale golden wine and lift enticing aromas of apple, lemon and freshly baked pastry. It is light and lively on the tongue with flavors of fresh pears, Granny Smith apples, and a touch of spiced, toasty nuts. A lush roundness in the wine’s texture balances the bubbles and bright acidity.
For the 2008 Estate Vineyard Chardonnay, Schock focuses on bringing out the fruit and achieving balance. To that end, he aims to for a low level of malolactic fermentation to tone down the sharpness of the wine’s acidity. Subtle barrel influence lends a bit of spice in the background and creates a sense of roundness. He notes that 2018 was a warm vintage, so there is a bit more tropical fruit in the flavors than might be found in a cooler year. It is a smooth and plush wine with aromas recalling ripe, spicy apples and pears along with a citrus note. The flavors are of ripe and juicy pears, honeycrisp apples and a hint of pineapple juxtaposed against citrusy acidity.
The Water Tower Chardonnay is drawn from the cooler 2017 vintage. Unlike the Estate Chardonnay, the closure is a screw cap. It sees no malolactic fermentation to appeal to those who prefer tank-fermented Chardonnay. At this point Schock posed a rhetorical question: “Does the market drive what I do as a winemaker?” He noted that Handley is a mature brand, and that Milla recounted earlier criticisms such as that the wines need to be unfiltered or have more ripeness. Her stance to the contrary was that Handley wines are made in a house style. That style includes lower alcohol, lower levels of ripeness and less oak. The Water Tower Chardonnay epitomizes that style. The grapes come from older Chardonnay blocks that include Robert Young clones among others. The juice is tank fermented and vinified with no malolactic fermentation, no oak contact and 12.9 percent alcohol.
When asked what he would like to see for the future of the wine business he said, “Diversity, meaning, how we can incorporate different cultures, getting away from a ‘pure Euro’ model? Winemaking is really about people. Milla taught me that early on. She told me to always make time for people, even if I only have a minute or two. She said ‘Remember, it’s just wine.’ She didn’t mean to diminish what we do, but rather to emphasize that we bring comfort, happiness, bring people together.”
Connect with her on Twitter at @RebeccaOnWine
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