Jeff Hansen, owner and winemaker for Lula Cellars, brings nearly 30 years of grape growing and winemaking experience to the brand. Jeff’s handcrafted, limited production Mendocino Coast Pinot Noir, along with Zinfandel, Dry Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris and Rosato (Rosé of Pinot Noir) reveal the passion he has for producing world class wines.
Hansen got into the winemaking world after working 14 years as a commercial product photographer for advertising agencies in southern California. In 1985 Hansen decided, “life is only so long.” He’d lived well and enjoyed every minute but was ready to do something different. A long time wine aficionado, he moved to Northern California for a slower pace.
He soon landed a job working at a vineyard and winery in Napa Valley. “We made high end Cabernet Sauvignon,” says Hansen. For the next seven years he immersed himself into learning every part of the industry from grape growing to winemaking to sales. “I used to travel six months a year, going between a dozen states dealing with a multitude of distributors,” he says.