Mauritson Family Winery (Winemaker)

SEAWOLF Wines (Winemaker & Owner)

Emma Kudritzki Hall grew up in Marin County and has fond memories of spending time at Buena Vista Winery in Sonoma, sipping grape juice while her parents partook in wine during family picnics. She matriculated at the University of California, San Diego, in 1998, where she was an All-American player on the water polo team and majored in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution. She completed her B.S. in 2003. While in school, she worked in her uncle’s pear orchard and vineyard during the summer, an experience that rekindled her childhood memories of family, food, and wine.

Emma’s first experiences in a winery were as a harvest intern at Moon Mountain Winery and Carmenet Winery in the Sonoma Valley for the 2001–2003 vintages. She continued as a harvest intern at Ferrari-Carano Vineyards in Healdsburg (Fall 2004), Whitehaven Wine Company in New Zealand (Spring 2005), and Gallo of Sonoma (Fall 2005). Following her internship at Gallo, she held six-month stints as a research assistant with Constellation Research and Development in Madera and subsequently with the Fresno State Viticultyure and Enology Research Center. Sandwiched within all these positions, Emma completed a two-year post-baccalaureate program at California State University, Fresno, in 2007.

In mid-2007, Emma was appointed assistant winemaker and viticulturist at MacRostie Winery, leaving there in early 2011 to join Mauritson Family Winery in Healdsburg. She rose through the ranks and was named Mauritson’s winemaker in 2019. She subscribes to the minimalist approach to winemaking, applying it to the Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Zinfandel, and other varietals and blends that she crafts. As for the most satisfying aspect of winemaking to her is, in her own words, “Figuring out the puzzle” required to make the most harmonious wines.

Emma somehow finds time to teach in the Department of Agriculture at Santa Rosa Junior College. Moreover, she and her husband, Jess, launched their own label, SEAWOLF Wines, in 2014. They live in Healdsburg with their young daughter.