In the face of an ever changing climate, cultivating a legacy of excellent winemaking and sustainable viticulture is a challenge. Beyond extreme weather conditions—rising temperatures, droughts, and wildfires—brought on by climate change, the wine industry continues to weather shifts in consumer demand and interest. Few Napa Valley estates have been spared the effects.

For Hess Persson Estates (formerly The Hess Collection Winery), as the 50-year anniversary approaches, the key to resilience has been balancing heritage and curiosity. The second generation of the Hess family, Tim and Sabrina Persson, have been at the helm since 2012 through two wildfires and years of drought. But the first real test of their resilience was the M6.0 earthquake that hit Napa Valley at 3:20AM August 24, 2014.

“I can remember feeling like a freight train was moving through the house,” recalls Tim. “Our son was almost a year old. Sabrina was sprinting across the house to get to him. I didn’t think of anything except them and the walls probably falling in around us. And then, my phone rang.”

On the phone was winemaker Dave Guffy, relaying that the team knew there was damage, they just didn’t know how bad it was.

When daylight arrived, tens of thousands of gallons of wine had been lost, multiple tanks had  imploded, barrels had tumbled into a precarious pile—an historic cellar at the winery on Mount Veeder had been severely damaged.

“We were in a daze. Everything was so surreal—this was our first rodeo. But, the only way was forward,” shares Tim. Surveying the damage, the Perssons doubled down on the dream Donald Hess had when he started The Hess Collection: to create something beautiful out of the wild.

“There’s an advantage to naïveté, because you have no reason to give up. You’re free to ask questions and challenge the way things have always been done.” The Lions Head Cellar was born out of the rubble, launching the Lion Tamer and Panthera wine labels.

In the cellar, Senior Winemaker Stephanie Pope channels her expertise and creativity with state-of-the-art technology, such as double-insulated, small-lot (earthquake-resistant) tanks and an optical sorter. This meticulous attention to detail is reflected in the wines of Lion Tamer and Panthera.

Lion Tamer and Panthera balance pedigree with fresh ideas by re- exploring what makes a great Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley vintage, respectively. With the introduction of Lion Tamer Chimera last year, there’s not one, but now two Malbec- centered Lion Tamer Red Blends—Hess Persson Estates is a prolific grower and maker of Malbec, an oddity in Napa Valley.

“Heritage and tenure are just as important as evolution and curiosity,” reflects Tim. The next generation of Napa Valley (and wine collectors) are uniquely positioned to understand this perspective. Wine connects us to the land and to each other (often in surprising ways). Wine—like food, music, and art—has been a part of human culture for thousands of years. It has always been made to be shared. A library, not a museum. And in that way, perhaps, standing the test of time in this industry is its own act of resilience.

To visit Hess Persson Estates and the Lions Head Cellar for yourself, book your next experience here. Try the wines of Lion Tamer, Panthera, and Hess Persson Estates by visiting their online shop.