This is our third release of Happi Chenin. Each year we have been able to source from different vineyards that grow Chenin Blanc in California soil and release them under the Happi Chenin label. We’ve added Chardonnay and Picpoul to the 2020 release of Happi to add complexity. The Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Picpoul grapes were directly pressed whole cluster into neutral French oak barrels where the juice fermented and aged for 11 months. The barrels were topped monthly with no stirring of the lees. This

wine is unfiltered to showcase the natural texture.

Chris Brockway’s winemaking journey began with California Zinfandel. The spicy, brambly fruit style drew him from his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska all the way to California. What he found, however, was that California wines had changed to fit the “bigger is better”mold of the time. Personally, he felt it was all too much – high alcohol, too big, too much everything.

Chris believed California wine could be different. From a single barrel in 2002 to now over 20 different wine releases a year, Broc Cellars makes fresh California wines to enjoy and for your table. In 2023, we extended our vision of simple and ethical winemaking into the vineyard as new owners of Fox Hill Vineyard.

We make natural wine the way we believe delivers the best wines for us and the earth. We use only organically-farmed grapes. We use cover crops to boost soil health, water retention and biodiversity. Sheep help us manage crop cover and fertilize the soil. We harvest early for more healthy grapes that retain their good acidity. This often results in lower alcohol wines. The lower Brix (sugar content) at harvest allows for easier fermentations. We use native yeasts and bacteria that exist on the grapes and never add sulphur during fermentation. We occasionally add a small amount of sulphur at bottling depending on the wine, style and year. 

Three major influences shaped how Broc Cellars makes wine: The book “Real Wine: The Rediscovery of Natural Winemaking” by Patrick Matthews that Chris read early on in his free time as an oenology student at Fresno State. Terroir, San Francisco’s first natural wine bar that enabled Chris to explore the depth and breadth of natural winemaking. And finally, the many Bay Area restaurants who focus on delivering fresh, simply made dishes with locally-sourced ingredients. We seek to make wines that pair with fresh, thoughtfully-made foods.

- Broc Cellars