Chris Hermann founded 00 Wines with a singular intention: to craft cool-climate Chardonnays of precision, heritage, and quiet power that honor place above all else. . . .
Chris’s connection to wine was rooted in his upbringing in the Willamette Valley. As a second-generation Oregonian, he spent his youth absorbing both the rhythms of the land and the early evolution of Oregon winemaking, guided by his father, a distinguished botanist and geneticist, and exposure to the region’s pioneering vintners.
Although he built a successful career as a wine industry lawyer, writing The Law of Wine, Oregon and advising some of the region’s leading estates, Chris always felt drawn back to hands-on winemaking. Together with Dr. Richard Hermann, who at 91 years old helped launch the winery, they set out to translate their deep respect for ecology and European wine traditions into a distinctly Oregon expression.
Read more about our heritage.
The Willamette Valley in Oregon is one of North America’s premier cool-climate wine regions, celebrated worldwide for wines that balance elegance, depth, and clarity. Set between the mist-softened slopes of the Coast Range and the protective Cascade Mountains, this fertile valley provides the perfect stage for grapes that thrive on subtlety and nuance.
What sets the Willamette Valley apart is its remarkable patchwork of vineyard sites, each shaped by distinct soils, exposures, and microclimates. From ancient marine-sedimentary loam and deep volcanic soils to wind-swept ridges and sheltered hills, this diversity helps give each vineyard block a unique voice. As a result, wines from one hillside can taste strikingly different from those grown just miles away — all while sharing a common thread of precision and balance.
Warm, sunny days and cool, gentle nights create a long, even growing season that lets grapes develop rich flavors while preserving crisp acidity. This balance of warmth and coolness translates into wines with vibrant fruit character, structural finesse, and pure expression. Amid this tapestry of terroir-driven vineyards is 00 Wines, a producer dedicated to capturing the valley’s essential character in every bottle. Drawing fruit from sites that reveal texture, minerality, and balanced ripeness, 00 Wines embraces the complexity of Willamette Valley terroir. Each release is crafted to reflect the land, its soils, climate, and rhythms, translating them into wines of focus, nuance, and quiet intensity.
