Hope Well wine is the alchemy between the natural world, my deep love for this ground, and the unsung heroes whose strong hands, hearts, and minds have helped me make it. Human. Nature. Hope Well.
-Mimi Castee

Mimi is the daughter of Ted Casteel and Pat Dudley, co-founders of Bethel Heights Vineyard. In 2015 Mimi left Bethel Heights and began her Hope Well journey, building an island of biodiversity and resilience on her own 80-acre farm.

The people of Hope Well are as strong and consistent as the land itself. I was so lucky as a child to grow up amongst people I now work beside, who care deeply about their work and know intimately the unique qualities of this place. The gift of steady and constant care over many years is invaluable. Our relationships, our relationships to this place we all love and work together, those are just some of the many benefits of committing to people and people committing to place. These are my people, my family, my friends, and they are the great heart that beats in Hope Well.

On October 20 we harvested all our Chenin blanc in two passes. The botrytized fruit, a tiny fraction of the whole, went into the press on top of the stems of the first pass so that we could get as much juice as possible, yielding exactly two barrels of 2021 Hunter’s Moon Chenin Blanc. Its love and longing for the moon are in the aromatics of ozone and salt, the brine and electricity that crackles, and even the golden tears it leaves in the glass.