Philippe Langner Lets the Vineyard Lead
The Hesperian founder blends patience, precision and place into three unique expressions of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Philippe Langner never planned on becoming a winemaker.
The founder of Hesperian Wines arrived in California to study agronomy at UC Davis with thoughts of agricultural development in the developing world. After completing military service and earning advanced degrees in agronomy and agricultural economics, he briefly entered banking.
The experience lasted six months.
“I couldn’t stand being in an office,” Langner said. “I like to make things and create things.”
That realization changed the course of his life.
Langner headed to Bordeaux, where he immersed himself in viticulture and winemaking at Château Clarke. At first, he knew very little about wine. He asked so many questions that vineyard staff eventually suggested formal coursework.
“I bugged the hell out of them,” he said with a laugh.
What followed was a four-year education that went far beyond the classroom. Langner learned by walking vineyards, tasting fermentations and observing different philosophies in the cellar. He became fascinated not only with how wine was made, but how individual decisions shaped the final product.
