Chris Hermann, Winemaker and Founder of 00 Wines | Wine Industry and M&A Attorney
Chris Hermann is a unique figure in the wine world. He is equally at ease in the boardroom advising major wineries and vineyards and in the cellar crafting ultra-premium wines. He co-founded 00 Wines in 2015 alongside his wife Kathryn and his late father Dr. Richard Hermann in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, creating a project that fuses family heritage, ecological insight and winemaking ambition.
As a lawyer Chris carved out a deep niche in wine-industry legal practice. He was a partner at Stoel Rives LLP where he led the firm’s wine industry land-use and vineyard transaction practice. Currently he serves as a partner at Carle Mackie Power & Ross LLP specializing in mergers and acquisitions, vineyard and winery transactions, water and land rights, and international wine business deals.
In his legal practice, Chris has written and edited the authoritative text The Law of Wine – Oregon and has been counsel to some of the region’s most respected wine producers.
At 00 Wines Chris applies the same precision and vision: sourcing elite vineyards in the Willamette Valley drawing on Old World techniques including Burgundy-inspired “black Chardonnay” methods and aiming to produce Chardonnay and Pinot Noir of world-class finesse.
“This is about pushing Chardonnay to its capacity and giving Pinot its voice in a place like Oregon.” — Chris Hermann
Chris’s unusual combination of legal expertise and hands-on winemaking gives him a rare vantage point in the industry: he understands both the business and regulatory terrain and the vineyard barrel and cellar. Whether negotiating a complex international purchase or selecting a barrel from a heritage hillside he brings the same commitment to craft integrity and terroir.
This is about pushing Chardonnay to its capacity… and giving Pinot its voice in a place like Oregon.” — Chris Hermann
Kathryn Hermann, General Director
Kathryn Hermann began her professional journey in the fast-paced world of technology, gaining hands-on experience in product development, marketing and software for high-tech startups in New York City and Boulder, Colorado. In 2017 she was honored at the Oregon Technology Awards for her app-development startup.
Drawing on her entrepreneurial drive and marketing acumen, Kathryn transitioned into the wine world with her husband Chris Hermann, co-founding 00 Wines in the Willamette Valley in 2015. Today, as General Director, she oversees the full scope of operations, from day-to-day business management to creative direction, brand storytelling, packaging design and global market strategy, with particular insight into outreach across Asia, Europe and beyond.
Kathryn’s unique background, melding technology, startup culture and luxury brand building, gives 00 Wines a distinctive voice in the world of cult wines. Her work ensures that the wines not only reflect the highest standards of terroir and craftsmanship, but also reach and resonate with a sophisticated international audience.
My goal is to combine our sense of place with a global mindset—to make wines that speak to both Oregon and the world.
— Kathryn Hermann
Maxence Lecat, Director of Global Winemaking
Maxence Lecat is a French-born oenologist whose journey across continents has shaped a truly global vision of winemaking. After earning his Master Sciences de la Vigne et du Vin at the Institut Universitaire de la Vigne et du Vin “Jules Guyot” (IUVV) in Dijon and working in Switzerland and Germany, Maxence moved to Oregon’s Willamette Valley to craft the early vintages of 00 Wines, notably in 2017 and 2018.
He brings Burgundian terroir sensibility to the New World cool-climate region. In the Willamette Valley he helped pioneer the house’s signature precision and elegance, bridging Old-World technique with the vitality of Oregon fruit.
Following that chapter, Maxence’s journey took a personal turn: love led him to Germany, where he began a family and immersed himself in the viticultural scene of Baden and the Ortenau. During this time he continued to hone his craft and collaborate extensively in Europe.
In 2022, Maxence rejoined the 00 Wines team in a new capacity, this time steering winemaking across two continents. He now serves as the linchpin between Oregon and Europe, leading production in the Willamette Valley, in Burgundy, and with our Champagne collaboration, uniting his dual-hemisphere expertise to craft wines that speak of place, purity and lineage.