About John Hazak

Raised in southern California, I was always a curious book reader and avid bike rider, even to the point of competitive riding. I found myself drawn to archaeology at an early age, and decided to pursue that path. My mentor was the head Ventura County archaeologist, and with his aid, I was able to acquire a joint degree in archaeology from two universities (in California and Iowa). During this time, I participated in many projects, including digs along the Mississippi River and in southern California. Eventually, I was employed by the Navy, primarily to work out on San Nicolas Island as a civilian navy archaeologist on a government-run island.

After several years, I realized I was running up against a wall in attempts to start working in the Old World, while becoming disillusioned with my career opportunities in the New World. At this point, I moved down to San Diego to work on a degree in biochemistry, and found myself exploring wine on the side at some fantastic wine shops that held regular tastings, and attracted a vast group of oenophiles whom I got to know quite well. I quickly became enamored with the amazing variety of wines throughout the world (much to the dismay of my bank account). Melding my knowledge of biochemistry and love for wine, I worked my first harvest down in Temecula in 2000, while gearing up to attend the Viticulture & Enology program at U.C. Davis. Immediately after obtaining my M.S. from Davis, I went over to Burgundy to work for a while in the Côtes-de-Nuits.

Upon returning to California, I hooked up with Tom Rinaldi and Chris Cooney at Provenance, where I have spent four harvests working with some wonderful Cabernet, Merlot and Sauvignon blanc fruit. In 2009, I joined the team at Sterling Vineyards in Calistoga, and was charged with crafting a great variety of wines, focusing on the two great white wines, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, as well as collaborating on some of our best blends for the Sterling Reserve wine tier.