SAVE THE DATES FOR THE 25TH ANNUAL FESTIVAL - MAY 17 - 21, 2023

David Hejl

Proprietor and Winemaker

Domaine Della
Sonoma, CA

David is the proprietor and winemaker for Domaine Della and former General Manager and CEO of Kosta Browne Winery. David left Kosta Browne in 2015, as the value creation successfully led to a sale, to pursue his own luxury wine label.

Domaine Della began as a dream, born from David’s obsession and enchantment with Pinot Noir and realized from the shared vision of his fellow founders, sister and brother-in-law Lee and Ernie LeRoy. Domaine Della honors their mother who died long before her time; he is one of eleven growing up in Nebraska. David’s passion for fine wine began while putting himself through school working as a waiter, sommelier and chef, but found his true inspiration while living in Paris working for Nabisco. It was there that he experienced first-hand the art of wine, food and culture in a way that was spiritual, all in the beautiful City of Light.

David has been a student of fine wine and food his whole life and from his perspective, has been training for this role for three decades. Having traveled around the world nearly 50 times on international assignments and visiting every major wine region in the world, each of these adventures was never complete without discovering and enjoying the local food, wines and culture.

David has been crafting truly distinctive Pinot Noir since 2009 and introduced his wines commercially with the inaugural 2012 vintage released in 2014. His quest is to create an exceptional wine for you and those shared special moments and memories while executing against the envisioned future of a timeless brand which will endure the generations.

Domaine Della’s mission is to craft intense and adventurous wines, partnering with the very best growers, a true expression in harmony and balance from the place where it was grown. These wines are extremely limited production and sourced from some of the finest vineyards in the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast.

Prior to joining Kosta Browne in 2011, David accumulated over 30 years’ experience in growth-oriented strategy execution within the food and beverage/consumer products industry. David is also a noted speaker and on the Wine MBA faculty at Sonoma State University. He received his BS in Accounting and Finance from the University of Nebraska and MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management.