Visitors are struck by beauty as they look out across Chandler Hill’s grape trellised hillside, over the property’s small, spring-fed lake, and upon the stunning landscape that makes up the Osage Valley the vineyard calls home. Though Chandler Hill has only been a winery since 2007, the property’s legacy – and even its grape production – stretches back to the 1870s. 

Now almost 20 years into its run as one of Historic Missouri Wine Country’s most celebrated wineries, Chandler Hill is more synonymous with its world-class wines, stunning tasting room, and reputation for top-notch hospitality than its past. However, if you want to truly know Chandler Hill’s place in Missouri wine, you must understand its backstory. Though much of its history has been pieced together based on oral tradition, what is known to be true is that the story begins not long after the Civil War ended with the vineyard’s namesake, Joseph Chandler. A freeman who had fought for the Union, in the south, Chandler made his way up to southern Missouri and eventually Defiance, where he found work with one of the town’s most prominent families, the Fluesmeiers. More than just an employee, Chandler became such a part of the family that he raised the Fluesmeiers’ several young grandchildren after their parents passed away. To thank him, the Fluesmeiers gifted Chandler with the 40 acres of land that came to be known as Chandler Hill.

For many years – even after Chandler’s passing in 1952 – the Chandler Hill property operated as a working farm, and then was eventually sold as a vacation property to one of the families that now make up the winery’s ownership group. The property’s owners would regularly invite friends and family to stay with them on Chandler Hill, and it wasn’t uncommon for them to spend evenings around the fire musing over a few bottles of wine about what was possible in such a beautiful setting. Eventually, those talks became more serious. They wanted to create winery that would use Missouri winery and grapes, but also collaborate with producers in California and the Pacific Northwest. It would feel like you could be anywhere in the world, proving that you don't have to go to Napa Valley to have a world class experience.

With that mission in mind, Chandler Hill opened to the public in 2008 as both a wine label and winery destination. It did not take long for the wines to be recognized for their quality, both their collaboration labels with grape producers out on the West Coast as well as their estate offerings, which consist mainly of Vignoles, Norton, and Chambourcin. For the first few years, these wines were all being made and aged onsite, with guests being welcomed into the property’s tasting room and patio for samples, bottles, and simple winery fare like cheese and charcuterie boards. However, it did not take long for Chandler Hill to outgrow its space and begin expanding its vision.

After a couple of years, they realized that in order to accomplish what they wanted to accomplish in terms of experience and hospitality, they had to go full-service. They wanted to provide a very hospitality-focused winery experience. To that end, Chandler Hill moved the majority of its wine production off site, allowing them to fulfill their artistry as winemakers and produce wines with their distinct Chandler Hill flavor profiles without having to build an entirely new winery onsite.

That space has instead been dedicated to expanding Chandler Hill’s restaurant operations. From shrimp and grits and eggplant parmesan to one of the area’s must-visit Sunday brunches, Chandler Hill’s full-service restaurant is a vital component of its commitment to hospitality. Together with its stunning scenery, beautiful buildings, brand new private cabanas and – most importantly – its wine, all work together to create the total package that shows all the beauty that can be found in Historic Missouri Wine Country while honoring its storied legacy.

Visitors can depend on amazing wine that they would be happy to drink anywhere and have the experience – whether with wine, food, or hospitality – that just makes them forget that they are home and feels like a vacation even though they only have to drive 30 minutes to get there.