Description:
Hess Persson Estates is a leading, Family Owned, Napa Valley wine producer with a legacy of mountain-grown winemaking, sustainable farming practices, and premium quality. We steward our estate vineyards with great care and collaborate closely with grower partners across California.
The Senior Viticulture & Grower Relations Manager oversees estate winegrowing operations for approximately 500 Napa Valley acres—100 acres directly farmed on Mt. Veeder and 400 acres farmed through a full-service contractor—while leading grower relations and grape procurement across the North Coast, Central Coast, and California Interior regions. This role operates with a high degree of autonomy while partnering closely with executive leadership for strategic direction and final decision-making.
This role requires a technically skilled viticulture leader who can balance quality and economic objectives in close partnership with Winemaking and the COO/CFO. The ideal candidate excels at managing both estate vineyards and multi-region sourcing while fostering collaboration across operational teams.
Key Responsibilities
Estate Vineyard Management (100 Direct-Farmed Acres + 400 Contractor-Farmed Acres)
Direct-Farmed – 100 Acres (Mt. Veeder)
- Lead all technical farming decisions including pruning, canopy management, irrigation, pest/disease control, crop load management, and harvest operations.
- Manage in-house vineyard staff, supervisors, seasonal labor, and farm labor contractors (FLCs).
- Integrate sustainable and regenerative viticulture practices consistent with winery goals.
- Conduct regular scouting, data monitoring, vine/soil health assessments, and fruit quality evaluations.
- Plan, coordinate, and oversee harvest scheduling, logistics, and labor deployment for estate vineyards.
Contractor-Farmed – 400 Acres (Napa Valley)
- Provide strategic and technical oversight of a full-service vineyard management contractor.
- Review and approve annual farming plans, viticulture protocols, and budgets.
- Conduct regular vineyard visits to ensure quality execution and adherence to winery standards.
- Align contractor operations with winemaking needs, economic targets, and long-term vineyard goals.
- Coordinate harvest logistics and scheduling in collaboration with contractor teams and harvest crews.
Estate Grape Sales
- Manage sales of estate-grown grapes to third-party winery customers, including communication, quality assurance, vineyard access, and harvest coordination.
- Work with internal teams to ensure grape sales agreements align with business and brand strategies.
Capital Projects
- Lead the planning and execution of approved vineyard capital projects, including replants, irrigation and trellis upgrades, in alignment with capital plans and budget approvals.
Additional Estate Responsibilities
- Drive yield forecasting, quality monitoring, and harvest planning with Winemaking.
- Ensure regulatory compliance across labor, safety, pesticide use, environmental programs, and sustainability certifications.
Grower Relations & Grape Procurement (North Coast, Central Coast, California Interior)
- Implement grape sourcing strategies established in collaboration with the COO/CFO and Winemaking across multiple California regions.
- Build and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with growers, offering technical guidance to support quality and consistency.
- Conduct periodic vineyard visits at key phenological development stages to assess canopy development, crop load, vine health, maturity, and fruit quality.
- Support and participate in grower contract negotiations under the direction of the COO/CFO, including preparing technical, pricing, and quality inputs. Oversee fruit sampling, maturity assessment, and harvest coordination.
- Collaborate with Winemaking to meet program specifications & manage pick decisions.
- Provide accurate crop estimation and identify supply opportunities or risks.
- Coordinate harvest scheduling, logistics, and labor management to optimize quality and winery efficiencies.
Cross-Functional Leadership & Operational Planning
- Serve as the primary operational liaison between Viticulture, Winemaking, Operations, and Finance. Work closely with the COO/CFO and Winemakers to balance economic and quality objectives across estate farming and grape purchasing.
- Prepare, manage, and track annual budgets for estate farming, contractor oversight, grape procurement, and capital projects, in partnership with the COO.
- Track and analyze farming and sourcing costs; identify opportunities for efficiency, quality improvement, and long-term vineyard value creation.
- Provide timely operational updates, forecasts, and operational recommendations to the COO/CFO and executive team.
- Support sustainability initiatives, certifications, and internal quality programs.
Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in Viticulture, Enology, Plant Science, Agronomy, or related field (Master’s a plus).
- 6+ years of progressive vineyard management experience in premium winegrowing regions.
- Strong technical viticulture experience in both mountain and valley-floor environments.
- Experience managing vineyard teams and overseeing contracted vineyard management firms.
- Strong communication, collaboration, and leadership skills.
- Demonstrated ability to balance economic and quality tradeoffs in partnership with Finance and Winemaking.
- Ability to manage multiple regional sourcing programs and travel as needed.
- Valid California driver’s license, insurable, clean driving record.
Desired Experience
- PCA license (Pest Control Advisor).
- Experience working with labor unions, unionized vineyard crews, and collective bargaining environments.
- Experience managing farm labor contractors (FLCs) and navigating labor compliance requirements.
- Familiarity with AgCode and other vineyard management or analytics systems.
- Multi-region grower relations experience across California.
COMPENSATION, BENEFITS & PERKS
- Competitive base salary.
- Annual bonus and merit increase programs.
- Compassionate and family-oriented management team and company culture.
- Comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental and vision insurance.
- Short and long-term disability, AD&D, and life insurance plans 100% paid by the employer.
- 401k plan with a 100% company match up to first 6% of salary rate that the employee contributes (eligible after 6 months of employment).
- Paid Time Off (starting at 3 weeks’ vacation, 5 sick and 10 paid holidays).
- Wine Club Membership to Hess Persson Estates.
- Employee wine discount.
- A work environment where you can be your authentic self and be a part of a winning team!
This role’s compensation is anticipated to fit within the range of $120,000 - $140,000 annual salary. These figures represent what we reasonably expect to pay for this position, but the actual compensation offered will depend upon numerous job-related factors, including but not limited to candidate skills, experience, knowledge and education.
Hess Persson Estates is an equal opportunity employer. We consider qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, protected veteran status, or other protected class. For more information, see the EEOC's "Equal Employment Opportunity is The Law" poster. If you need any assistance or accommodations due to a disability, please let us know at 707-265-3487.
Want to learn more about our brands and the company? Check us out online!
Hess Persson Estates: https://www.hessperssonestates.com
