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Single Vineyard · Walla Walla Valley · Est. 2011

Handcrafted inWalla Walla Valley.

Hanatoro is a family-owned winery producing ultra-limited Cabernet Sauvignon from our estate, Octave Vineyard.

Explore the Wine Estate Club
Hanatoro Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
🍇
100%
Estate Fruit
Octave Vineyard
🍾
200–300
Cases Annually
Ultra Limited Production
📍
Walla Walla
Valley, WA
Distinct Place
🍷
97 Points
James Suckling
U.S. Cabernet of the Year
Our Story

Born from Hospitality,
Rooted in Place

Founded in 2011, Hanatoro takes its name from a centuries-old Japanese lantern festival — "the path of light and flowers" — celebrated each spring in ancient Kyoto. Heritage, craftsmanship, and community define everything we do.

We produce a single wine each year, crafted exclusively from estate-grown fruit at Octave Vineyard. From vine to bottle, every decision reflects precision, restraint, and unwavering attention to detail.

"In our hearts, we are hospitality people. Our goal is to produce a world class, single vineyard wine, to be shared with family and friends in the hospitality industry."
— Steve Thomson, Co-Founder
Recognition

97 Points
James Suckling
2021 Ten-Year

Perfect Score

100 Points
Josh Spurling
2019 Vintage

Accolade

US Cabernet
of the Year
Wine & Spirits

Distribution

OR · GA · NC
SC · Florida
5 States

Our Accounts

From iconic private clubs and golf resorts to Michelin-recognized steakhouses and five-star hospitality destinations, Hanatoro has become a trusted presence among the country's most discerning wine programs.

97pts
James Suckling
100pts
Josh Spurling
95pts
Wine & Spirits
2011
Founded
The People

The Hands Behind
Every Bottle

Kevin Bozada at Octave Vineyard
KB
Kevin Bozada
Managing Partner & Owner

Kevin Bozada serves as Hanatoro's Managing Partner and sole owner. A Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers and graduate of the University of Oregon, Kevin has built a career defined by the highest standards of hospitality.

He serves as Senior Director of Club and Hospitality at Augusta National Golf Club and manages Hanatoro's territories throughout the Southeast — Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Florida.

"We are food and beverage people. Wine not only should represent a specific place, but should also encourage reflection and demand attention."
— Kevin Bozada
Justin Wylie
JW
Justin Wylie
Winemaker · Va Piano Vineyards

Justin Wylie is the owner and winemaker at Va Piano Vineyards in Walla Walla, Washington. A fourth-generation Walla Wallan, Justin taught himself the craft before founding Va Piano in 2003. He has been a friend and mentor to Kevin for over twenty years.

Justin stewards each Hanatoro vintage through a 20-month aging regimen in the finest French Oak — Allier, Tronçais, and Nevers. Each year he blends through 18 barrels seeking the perfect eight.

Steve and Karen Thomson
ST
Steve & Karen Thomson
Co-Founders

Steve Thomson brings 35 years of wine industry experience to Hanatoro. CEO of Oregon's Cristom Vineyards, graduate of the University of Illinois, Wharton, and Harvard Kennedy School.

Appointed by the Governor of Oregon to the Oregon Wine Board, Steve served as Chairman and President of the Oregon Winegrowers Association. He joined the Octave Vineyard partnership in 2006. Karen Thomson co-founded Hanatoro alongside Steve and Kevin.

The Vineyard

Octave Vineyard
Walla Walla Valley

27
Acres
2007
Year Planted
1,300ft
Elevation
SeVein
Development
Octave Vineyard

The 27-acre Octave Vineyard sits at 1,250–1,350 feet on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla AVA — directly above the legendary Seven Hills Vineyard. Volcanic loess, glacial alluvial silt, and fractured basalt soils give the wine its singular mineral depth.

The vineyard is north-facing and significantly sheltered from the harsh Columbia Gorge winds, which dehydrate the berries and thicken the skins — concentrating both flavor and structure. Bordered by Drew Bledsoe's Doubleback and the Figgins family's Serra Pedace.

"Located above Seven Hills, the Octave site's fruit character is defined by the wind that whips over the vineyard's shallow basalt-studded soils — a firm, thick-skinned grip."
— Patrick Comiskey, Wine & Spirits Magazine
Neighbors

Doubleback
Serra Pedace
Seven Hills

Oak Program

Allier · Tronçais
Nevers
20 months

Winemaking

Justin Wylie — Va Piano Vineyards. 18 barrels each year, seeking the perfect 8 for the final blend. Minimal intervention throughout.

SeVein Vineyard Complex Map
Location

Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley AVA

Elevation

1,250–1,350 ft · Above killing frosts

Soil

Fractured basalt, volcanic loess & glacial silt

The Wine

Every Vintage,
One Expression

Debuting with the 2012 vintage. Click any vintage to expand details and download the prospectus.

Also available: 2025 Sauvignon Blanc — Chelle Den Millie Vineyard, Columbia Valley. Hanatoro's first white wine. Inquire at VinoShipper →

Exclusive Allocation

Hanatoro
Estate Club

About the Club

Access to Every Vintage

The Hanatoro Estate Club provides priority access to each new vintage as well as rare back vintages going back to our inaugural 2012 — unavailable anywhere else. Membership is currently full.

Join the waitlist below and we will contact you when your membership is available.

Join the Waitlist

Join the Waitlist

We will contact you when your membership is available.

Priority Allocation

Access to each new vintage before general availability, in extremely limited quantities.

Rare Back Vintages

Access to library vintages back to the inaugural 2012 — unavailable anywhere else.

Direct Relationship

A personal connection to Kevin and the winery. A relationship, not a transaction.

Join the Waitlist
We will contact you when your membership is available.

We respect your privacy and will never share your information.

Request Received

Thank you. We will contact you when your membership is available.

Press & Media

Hanatoro In the Press

Coverage from leading wine and hospitality publications.

James Suckling
97 Points — 2021 Hanatoro Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Ten-Year Anniversary

"Beautifully structured, with aromas of pencil shavings, graphite, spices, woody tannins, Amarena cherries, brambleberries, blood oranges and candied violets, ending with a hint of cigar tobacco. Postured and generous, with texture, energy and minerality." — Brian Freedman

James Suckling · 2024
Wine & Spirits
US Cabernet of the Year · 94 Points, 2017

"The flavors of plum, black fig, maple and mint have a dusty, windswept savor."

Wine & Spirits · 2019
Wine & Spirits · Wine of the Week
95 Points — 2021 Hanatoro Estate Cabernet

"Compelling Cabernet Sauvignon." — Patrick J. Comiskey

Wine & Spirits · November 2024
Table Wine Asheville · Josh Spurling
100 Points — 2019 Hanatoro

Red Wine of the Year. "A world-class Cab at a way-too-low price."

2023
Hilton Head Wine & Food Festival
Double Gold — 2019 Hanatoro

International Wine Competition. 38th annual judging.

2024
Golf Kitchen Magazine
Limited Production Hand Crafted Wines for Friends and Family

An Interview with Kevin Bozada, Senior Director at Augusta National.

2024
James Suckling 97 Points
James Suckling Rating
Wine & Spirits Review
Wine & Spirits Rating

Press inquiries: Info@hanatoro.com

History

The Hanatoro
Timeline

2004

SeVein Development Begins

Norm McKibben, owner of Pepper Bridge Winery and the godfather of Walla Walla Valley, invites Steve Thomson to invest in a new vineyard development called SeVein on the Oregon side of Walla Walla.

2007

The Vineyard Is Planted

27 acres are planted at 1,250–1,350 feet elevation with all five classic Bordeaux varietals, on volcanic loess and fractured basalt soils directly above Seven Hills Vineyard and adjacent to Drew Bledsoe's future Doubleback estate.

2010–11

Hanatoro Winery Founded

Kevin Bozada partners with Steve and Karen Thomson to found Hanatoro — named for the Japanese lantern festival, "the path of light and flowers." Justin Wylie is named winemaker at Va Piano Vineyards.

2012

Inaugural Vintage Released

The first Hanatoro Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is released — 5 barrels, 120 cases. 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12.5% Cabernet Franc, 12.5% Petit Verdot. The beginning of an unbroken annual tradition.

2017

US Cabernet of the Year

Wine & Spirits names the 2017 Hanatoro the Year's Best US Cabernet Sauvignon — 94 points, placing Hanatoro among the elite of American Cabernet producers. The same year, Hanatoro pours at the James Beard House in New York City.

2019

Perfect Score — 100 Points

Josh Spurling of Table Wine Asheville awards the 2019 vintage a perfect 100 points, naming it Red Wine of the Year. Double Gold at Hilton Head Wine & Food Festival.

2021

Ten-Year Anniversary — 97 Points

The 2021 Ten-Year Anniversary vintage earns 97 points from James Suckling. "Beautifully structured... texture, energy and minerality." A decade of singular dedication to Octave Vineyard.

2025

A New Chapter — Sauvignon Blanc

Hanatoro introduces its first white wine — a 2025 Sauvignon Blanc from Chelle Den Millie Vineyard, Columbia Valley. "It must be the best or we won't do it." It is.

Compare

Compare Any Two Vintages

Select two vintages above to begin comparison

Media Resources

Press Kit & Media Downloads

Contact: Info@hanatoro.com

Brand Overview

About Hanatoro Winery

Founded 2011 · Walla Walla Valley · Single vineyard estate Cabernet Sauvignon · 200–300 cases annually · Fully allocated · 97 Points James Suckling · US Cabernet of the Year

Request Full Press Kit →
Boilerplate

"Hanatoro Winery produces a single estate Cabernet Sauvignon each year from Octave Vineyard in Walla Walla Valley, Washington. Founded in 2011 by Kevin Bozada and Steve Thomson, crafted by winemaker Justin Wylie, earning 97 points from James Suckling, a perfect 100 points, and US Cabernet of the Year. Production is limited to 200–300 cases annually."