Sean McKenzie is the winemaker for Crossbarn in Sonoma Coast, CA. He joined Paul Hobbs Wines in 2025 as Winemaker for Crossbarn. Originally from New Zealand, he holds a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Microbiology from Massey University and brings 26 years of wine industry experience spanning 29 harvests in California, New Zealand, and Chile.
Before joining Crossbarn, Sean spent more than two decades with Constellation Brands, most recently as Director of Group Winemaking, overseeing production at 13 wineries and leading quality, operational, and innovation initiatives. His previous roles included senior winemaking positions at Simi Winery, The Dreaming Tree Wines, and Clos du Bois.
He holds WSET Level 3 with distinction and completed the UC Davis Wine Executive Program. He lives in Healdsburg, where he enjoys outdoor activities and traveling with his two teenage sons.
Media Inquiries: Augustus Weed aweed@colangelopr.com | https://www.crossbarn.com/
What’s the ONE THING most unique, authentic, & memorable about your brand?
Paul and I both cut our teeth at classic California wineries like Simi and Robert Mondavi, and our timelines in Sonoma have overlapped from the start. Paul launched Crossbarn in 2000 to honor his family’s farming heritage and values, beginning with a single lot of Cabernet Sauvignon. He completed our Sebastopol winery’s first harvest in 2003—the exact year I moved to Healdsburg full-time. Today the winery focuses on crafting fresh and vibrant wines that express the distinctive character of Sonoma’s top appellations.
Over the past 20 years, Crossbarn did something rare for the industry as it transformed from sourcing top-tier contracted fruit to becoming a 97% estate-grown winery. Having total oversight from soil to bottle is every winemaker’s goal. I’m proud to join this exceptional team and craft the benchmark varietals Sonoma County does best: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Describe how and what you’d do with your winemaking career or winery business if you were not constrained.
If unconstrained, I would build a global portfolio of ultra-luxury wines across the world’s great growing regions, much like Paul has done. Travel is the ultimate teacher in wine. Getting to explore new terroirs and varieties while completely immersing myself in the food, culture, and people of each region would be the dream job.
What is the One Wine most emblematic of your brand and/or winemaking style? Tell us its story.
If you’re tasting just one wine to get the core of what we do, make it our Crossbarn Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. It is 100% estate fruit from some of the best Pinot Noir sites anywhere in the world, spanning the West Sonoma Coast and the Russian River Valley, and thus encompassing the Sonoma Coast. That range—from cooler coastal spots to warmer interior blocks—gives us incredible complexity to play with.
We designed Crossbarn Winery around this varietal, using small open-top fermenters to gently handle each lot. Aged carefully in French oak, it opens with delicate pomegranate and rose petal aromas, leading into bright raspberry and wild strawberry on the palate, and closes with fine tannins and vibrant acidity. It’s clean, precise, and quintessential Sonoma Coast. Stay tuned, this wine review is coming soon!
Bonus Question: Why Winemaking?
I was drawn to winemaking because it’s one of the few careers that seamlessly blends hard science, creative art, and high-stakes operations—all set-in incredible places.
Winemaking regions bring together diverse people, incredible food, and a shared passion for craft. But on a practical level, I love the dynamic nature of the work. Every year presents a new climate puzzle with different flavors and constraints to solve. Plus, the sheer intensity of harvest—managing equipment, leading a team through long hours, and pulling off a successful crush—is a challenge I genuinely enjoy. Balancing the technical chemistry with artistic vision to create something memorable is what makes this industry special.