Randy Schock is the winemaker for Handley Cellars in Anderson Valley, Sonoma County. He has lived in Anderson Valley since 1998, moving here to raise a family and wanting to experience a different lifestyle close to nature. His three sons, Paul, Owen, and Finn grew up in a solar-powered home and all have worked in wineries and vineyards. Before moving to Anderson Valley and pursuing his dream of becoming a winemaker, he worked in the Environmental Management field focused on how modern communities interfaced with the natural world. His winemaking career began assistant winemaker at Fieldstone in Alexander Valley. He has also worked with Navarro Vineyards and Philo Ridge Winery. In 2004, Randy joined Handley as our Cellar Master. Much of what he has learned is from working hands-on with equipment in the winery and time spent in the vineyards. In 2012, Randy became Co-Winemaker working closely with Milla Handley to continue crafting balanced wines that showcase site and vintage. He incorporates a minimal intervention approach to winemaking, allowing natural variations and complexities to express themselves rather than forcing his hand with chemical manipulations. Media inquiries: alice@handleycellars.com | https://handleycellars.com/
What’s the ONE THING most unique, authentic, & memorable about your brand?
Milla Handley is the most fundamental element and is still the soul of the Handley brand. She was one of the first females to graduate the UC Davis fermentation sciences program. She was a pioneer in the early development era of the California wine industry and the Anderson Valley appellation. Milla established roots that inspired other female winemakers to believe they could flourish as well. While Milla enjoyed nice things, she did not pursue a career in winemaking for a luxurious lifestyle. She always enjoyed her horses and had a strong connection to nature. Winemaking allowed her to live an agricultural lifestyle in Anderson Valley, riding her horse and raising a family amidst the changing seasons. Making something from the land for others to enjoy was her passion. She opted to farm and certify her vineyard organically (CCOF) in 2005 long before it was popular. Milla enjoyed working in the vineyard with the crew and believed it was better for the land and people to farm organically. Not one to follow trends, she developed a restrained winemaking style that was intended to highlight vintage and place. Her winery, located at the cooler end of the valley provides grapes lower in sugar and higher in acid. With minimal intervention, she made lower alcohol wines with good balance and was always judicious with her use of oak. Milla’s legacy, spirit, and style are continued today by her daughter Lulu.
Describe how and what you’d do with your winemaking career or winery business if you were not constrained.
It is challenging to see the landscape of the wine market today, where very few authentic brands remain, and unique varietals struggle to find shelf space. Wine is meant to be shared at the dinner table as an essential enhancement of our daily lives. I would like to make handcrafted wines at a price point that allows them to be served every day, not only reserved for special occasions. I would hope to expand the focus from the current noble varieties and introduce more obscure varietals that take people on a journey. I want to make wines that encourage people to explore different cultures and cuisines and hopefully bring us all closer together.
What is the One Wine most emblematic of your brand and/or winemaking style? Tell us its story.
The one wine I would choose to best exemplify who we are as a winery would be the 2021 RSM Pinot Noir. The RSM vineyard is organically certified, located high above the valley carved out from the woods. It is the last stop at the end of the road surrounded by wilderness and is graced nightly with breezes and fog from the Pacific Ocean. The vineyard is named after Rex Scott McClellan, Milla’s husband who developed the site at their remote homestead in the woods. Rex was a big man, and Handley RSM Pinot Noir is big and bold compared to valley floor pinots. The forest soils are thin and infertile, resulting in small berries and light yields. This wine from this vineyard has an intensely concentrated, ripe fruit character, that is velvety on the palate and finishes with fine cocoa tannins. Check out this wine review.
Bonus Question: What’s the one thing people would be surprised to learn about you?
One needs to be adventurous to live in Anderson Valley, something that both Milla and I shared. I came to winemaking later in life, migrating to Anderson Valley to raise a family amidst the wilds. We were late back to the landers living on a mountain top adjacent to the RSM vineyard. I dreamed of planting my own vineyard, but after the rigors of tending to the RSM vineyard I decided better. We have lived in a solar powered home for the past twenty-five years, and all three of our children were home birthed.