Mitch Hawkins

Mitch Hawkins grew up in a ranching family in California’s Delta region where his grandfather raised cattle and kept horses. As a boy, Mitch began working alongside his grandfather and learned about ranching and caring for the land.

After a successful bartending career in San Francisco’s East Bay, Mitch attended U.C. Berkeley. In 1998, Mitch had returned to his ranching roots and was running a Hanoverian horse ranch in Knights Valley. In 1999, Mitch began managing the daily operations of the HHV ranch and assisted in planning the vineyard.

Mitch has studied wine grape growing extensively and is now an authority on Organic and Biodynamic wine grape farming. One of the things Mitch appreciates about biodynamic farming is the camaraderie of the biodynamic winegrowing community. Several prestigious Napa Valley wineries come to Hawk & Horse Vineyards for the ‘raw ingredients’ needed for biodynamic protocols – compliments of a small herd of Scottish Highlander cattle that Mitch keeps on the ranch. Mitch also takes pride in mentoring local youth in ranching, farming, vineyard, and winery management.

Along with spending time with his family, Mitch enjoys ranching, farming, grilling and horseback riding on his dark bay Quarterhorse mare, Sandy Spark. He can most often be found in the vineyard where Red-tailed hawks scream their territorial cries.