Growing up in Africa, Philippe Langner was always fascinated with plants and how to grow them. His love of agriculture led him to University of California at Davis where he graduated with a Bachelors degree in Agronomy and two Masters in Agronomy and Agricultural Economics.

After graduation, Philippe returned to his family in France, and shortly thereafter started working at Chateau Clarke, a Rothschild property, in Bordeaux. It is at Chateau Clarke that Philippe fell in love with winemaking, a fascinating new world at the confluence of agriculture, science, art and business.

At Chateau Clarke, Philippe had the unique opportunity to work with two of Bordeaux's most respected winemakers: Jacques Boissenot and Michel Rolland. Learning from these masters, Philippe participated in all aspects of viticulture and winemaking and learned the art of making and recognizing great wines. Furthermore, Philippe's family ties to the Rothschilds allowed him to enter the closed world of Bordeaux' great Chateaux which helped him develop benchmarks of excellence.

In 2000, Philippe further expanded his experience by spending a season of wine growing and harvesting in South Africa. In 2001, Philippe returned to California, where he met the Sullivan Family in Rutherford in the Napa Valley. He started work at Sullivan Vineyards during the harvest of 2001, and was promoted to viticulturist and winemaker in 2002. To this day he continues to lead in the vineyard and the winery at Sullivan Vineyards.

In 2004, Philippe started Hesperian and produced 170 cases from impressive Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from Coombsville. Building on this initial success and demand, Philippe produced 700 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon from 4 different vineyards in 2006.