Hailey Hartford Murray

Hailey Jackson Hartford Murray has winemaking in her blood. As granddaughter of Jackson Family Wines founder Jess Jackson, and daughter of Jennifer Jackson Hartford and Don Hartford, she’s been immersed in the wine business since childhood.

Hailey was only four years old when her parents founded Hartford Family Winery, and grew up with an eight acre Zinfandel vineyard in her backyard. Some of her fondest childhood memories are playing hide-and-seek among the century-old vines. Hailey worked harvests in France and Chile before attending Scripps College where she earned a degree in Biology. Her intention was to go on to veterinary school, but the excitement of harvest – this one in the Russian River Valley – proved too invigorating.  She decided to pursue wine and immersed herself in the family business, working harvests at Yangarra Estate in McLaren Vale, Australia and Château Lassègue in Bordeaux.  “Wine is such a dynamic and sensual sort of product,” she says. “It brings out so many emotions in people.”

Hailey, together with her brother MacLean and her parents, is co-owner of Hartford Family Winery, located in the Russian River Valley. She became a Certified Specialist of Wine in 2015 and looks to blend her personal affinities – interacting with people, a love of science and nature, and a fascination with the winemaking process – in her work within the sales and marketing teams of Jackson Family. She lives with her husband, Max Murray and their son in Sonoma County.