Client
Hestan VineyardsEvolving a Premium Winery Website Through Multiple Generations of the Modern Web
Region
Napa Valley, CA
Services
Web Design · Front-End Development · CMS & Commerce Integration · Platform Migration
Engagement
Multi-phase, multi-year collaboration
When we began working on the Hestan Vineyards website, the system was entirely hand-coded PHP, a no-framework, no-CMS approach that worked, but offered little flexibility. Every change required developer intervention, performance tuning was manual, and there was no clean separation between content, presentation, and commerce.
The challenge was clear: modernize the site without disrupting an existing, business-critical legacy e-commerce system.
A Modern Static Front End - Without Touching Commerce
Our first step was intentionally conservative.
We rebuilt the site as a modern static site-generated front end, focusing on:
- Performance
- Clean markup
- Improved UX
- A future-ready foundation
Crucially, this new front end continued to integrate with Hestan’s existing legacy e-commerce system. No replatforming. No risk to transactions. Just a better customer experience layered on top.
This phase proved that modernization didn’t require ripping everything out.
A React Front End - Still No Demand for Back End
As requirements grew, the site evolved beyond static needs.
We transitioned the front end into a React-based framework, allowing for:
- More dynamic interactions
- Richer page logic
- Better long-term extensibility
At this stage:
- There was still no modern CMS back end
- The legacy e-commerce system remained the only backend dependency
This allowed the team to gain the benefits of modern front-end architecture while keeping the operational core stable.
Remix and Framework-Level Routing
As React matured and the site’s complexity increased, we moved into Remix, gaining:
- Smarter data loading
- Improved performance characteristics
- A clearer mental model for routes and layouts
This marked the shift from “React as a UI layer” to React as a full application framework, still sitting cleanly on top of the legacy commerce engine.
React Router v7 Framework
Today, the front end runs on React Router v7 in framework mode, providing:
- Fine-grained routing control
- Modern data APIs
- Long-term architectural stability
This represents the most advanced iteration of the front end without requiring a commerce rebuild.
A Modern Headless CMS
Only after the front end was fully stabilized did we introduce a modern content backend.
Hestan Vineyards now uses Hygraph as a pure headless CMS, powering:
- Marketing content
- Editorial updates
- Structured page data
Hygraph integrates cleanly with the existing React framework while remaining completely independent from the legacy e-commerce system.
Legacy Commerce, Modernized Delivery
Throughout every phase, one thing never changed: the legacy e-commerce system remained fully operational and fully integrated. Rather than replacing it, we:
- Wrapped it with a modern React front end
- Improved performance and UX without risking revenue
- Extended its lifespan by decoupling presentation from logic
Today, that commerce system runs on top of a modern React framework, not against it.
The Result
Hestan Vineyards now has a digital platform that is:
- Modern — React Router v7 + headless CMS
- Stable — legacy commerce preserved and protected
- Flexible — front end and content can evolve independently
- Incremental — no forced rewrites, no platform shocks
Most importantly, the site has evolved step by step, aligning technology changes with real business needs instead of artificial deadlines.
Why This Case Study Matters
This project is a clear example of progressive modernization done right.
Instead of a risky “big rewrite,” Hestan Vineyards invested in:
- Front-end first upgrades
- Strategic decoupling
- Headless architecture introduced at the right time
The result is a premium brand website that feels modern today—and is structurally prepared for whatever comes next.