history

1911

Hanns Kornell is born in Lubinitz, Germany, becoming the third generation of a winemaking family.

1915

Hanns first picks grapes in his grandfather’s vineyard.

1930s

Hanns studies at Geisenheim Enological Institute and works in vineyards in france and Italy.

1938

Hanns is sent to the Dachau concentration camp and after eight months is released only on the condition that he leave Germany within 48 hours.

1939

Having fled to England, Hanns then sails to the United States. Although a German submarine torpedoes his ship, Hanns arrives safely in New York with just $2 and hitchhikes across the country to California, working at several wineries there as well as later at wineries in Kentucky and Missouri. HE ACTUALLY JUST STAYS IN MISSOURI AND OHIO FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS…THEN HITCHHIKES TO CALIFORNIA WHERE HE WORKED AT THE RED BARN.

1952

Hanns leases a winery in Sonoma.

1958

Hanns Kornell marries Marilouise Rossini, an opera singer with an MD, a teacher, and one of the first to champion kids with cerebral palsy in the state of California. That same year, the newlyweds move into Marilouise’s Swiss-Italian family homestead on Crystal Springs Rd. in St. Helena, her family’s summer home. A champion of Napa Valley’s community and heritage, Marilouise gets involved in local organizations and establishments including Napa Arts Council, Criminal Justice, Upper Napa Valley Associates, Napa College, Clinic Ole, Vintage Hall and Napa Valley Museum.

1958

Having saved enough money, Hanns and Marilouise purchase the famous Larkmead WINERY Estate and establish Hanns Kornell Champagne Cellars in Napa Valley, bringing the “méthode champenoise” to NAPA VALLEY.

1959

Paula Kornell is born.

1963

Peter Kornell is born.

1969

Paula starts her first job selling prunes and walnuts from her grandmother’s orchard and feathers from the family’s peacocks in front of the Hanns Kornell Champagne Cellars tasting room.

1974

Paula’s role at the winery advances, leading winery tours, riddling bottles and working on the labeling line.

1976

Peter Kornell becomes People Magazine’s youngest ever wine taster.

1975-1979

Hanns and family (Paula is in high school at this stage) visit Champagne for the first time and Hanns takes his first trip back to Germany since fleeing the country in 1938. The winery expands, buying modern machinery to become more efficient – until this point, the wines had painstakingly been hand-bottled one by one.

1979-80

Paula works at Stanford Court Hotel in San Francisco. This pivotal experience for Paula hooks her into the hospitality business, though she admits she was not a very good cocktail waitress.

1981-82

Paula works on the floor at Sherry Lehmann IN NEW YORK CITY, selling and championing California wines as well as the family favorite, Champagne. At the time, there is very little Napa wine compared today, with just a few well-known producers available, such as Trefethen, Charles Krug, and Diamond Creek, as well as other California wineries including Ridge, WENTE and Sebastiani.

1982

Paula returns to Napa to work with her father at HANNS Kornell Champagne Cellars. This period also sees an influx of international sparkling wine into California and investment from large Champagne houses, making it difficult for Kornell Champagne Cellars to compete.

1992

Hanns Kornell Champagne Cellars closes its doors. Paula receives support from the Napa wine community of which her father was such an integral part, continuing to RUN MARKETING for Joseph Phelps and then Robert Mondavi as general manager for Vichon winery AND LATER NATIONAL ACCOUNTS FOR ALL ROBERT MONDAVI FAMILY OF WINES. In 1992, Paula is named chair of Napa Valley Wine Auction (now Auction Napa Valley) – the first to raise over $1m – and then co-chair in 2005 AND 2019.

1994

Hanns Kornell passes away, aged 83.

1997

Lust for Life established Elaine Mackie Charitable Trust to raise money and awareness about Breast Cancer. Part of this organization’s fund raising efforts included trekking around the world and reaching the summits of select mountains including Kilimanjaro. Participants for the inaugural excursion are Paula, Nancy Andrus, Karen Cakebread, Katie Murphy, Polly Ogden, Lyndsey Harrison.

Paula moves to St. Helena homestead (aka Chateau Drool), where she lives to this day surrounded by her canine loves and PET HENS.

Other trips include:

• 1999 - Kilimanjaro (Paula, Nancy Andrus, Karen Cakebread, Katie Murphy, Lyndsey Harrison, Joan Smith, Janice Mondavi)

• 2001 - Turkey (Paula, Karen Cakebread, Katie Murphy, Nancy Andrus, Lyndsey Harrison, Janice Mondavi, Mary Wilson, Polly Ogden)

• 2003 - Peru (Paula, Katie Murphy, Lyndsey Harrison, Holly Peterson, Nancy Duckhorn, Mary Wilson, Paula Ogden, Helen Qualls)

• 2006 - Mongolia (Paula, Karen Cakebread, Joan Smith, Lyndsey Harrison, Holly Peterson, Janice Mondavi, Polly Ogden)

• 2008 - India (Paula, Karen Cakebread, Holly Peterson, Nancy Duckhorn, Janice Mondavi)

2000

Paula crosses the border to Sonoma County to work as general manager at Carmenet Winery.

2001

She returns to Napa Valley, moving to Oakville Ranch winery as general manager.

2000s—Paula sits on the board of Oakville Wine Growers, NAPA VALLEY VINTNERS and California Wine Institute

2009

Paula named president of the board of directors for Napa Valley Vintners, filling a position Hanns had held in 1964, making Hanns and Paula the first father and daughter to have both held that position.

2014

Kornell Wine Company, Paula’s own consulting company is established.

2015

Paula sits on the board of Napa Humane and Queen of the Valley Hospital

2016

Marilouise Kornell passes away, aged 92.

2017

First vintage of Paula Kornell Sparkling wine, the fruit sourced from Napa Valley’s Carneros AVA.

2018

FIRST PAULA KORNELL BLANC DE NOIRS IS MADE.

2019

Paula Kornell Sparkling Wine launches with the 2017 vintage, becoming a member of Napa Valley Vintners. Paula also co-chairs Auction Napa Valley the same year

2020

PAULA KORNELL CALIFORNIA BRUT, RELEASED ON VALENTINE’S DAY, IS RANKED 5TH IN WINE ENTHUSIAST’S TOP WINES OF 2020, THE SAME YEAR A BLANC DE BLANCS FROM CARNEROS CHARDONNAY IS MADE.

2022

TOTAL ANNUAL PRODUCTION OF PAULA KORNELL SPARKLING WINE REACHES 20,000 CASES AND IN JEBDUNNUCK.COM R.H. DREXEL LISTS THE 2019 BLANC DE NOIRS AS A TOP FIVE OUT OF 50 WINES FOR 2022.