tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63034619385634672862024-03-13T21:36:51.538-07:00Sean P. Sullivan - Washington Wine Report Note: Site has moved to www.northwestwinereport.comSean P. Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03097365383701360215noreply@blogger.comBlogger1898125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6303461938563467286.post-35740017115521732892022-09-18T18:45:00.000-07:002023-03-24T19:17:51.485-07:00WeatherEye Vineyards will change the way Washington makes wine<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMifttxLZq9nCz-Em58l_gD6YUnBWZmXdivsVqJQTLBlIQRziR1LjO3qgXFtAfxwrq6pqjQM0zkEHPyRUIe6sSvP8utGPZmw1fzJj7Ck-uJPmO68CyJ-udJr0ATng6u7wwOM3CkhRpfj9tHx252tGuqFpUeA5tnY68H6w84VzWCj5ucPadOP_8LsBryw/s7121/WeatherEye%20Vineyards%20Estate%20Wines%202019.jpeg" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5237" data-original-width="7121" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMifttxLZq9nCz-Em58l_gD6YUnBWZmXdivsVqJQTLBlIQRziR1LjO3qgXFtAfxwrq6pqjQM0zkEHPyRUIe6sSvP8utGPZmw1fzJj7Ck-uJPmO68CyJ-udJr0ATng6u7wwOM3CkhRpfj9tHx252tGuqFpUeA5tnY68H6w84VzWCj5ucPadOP_8LsBryw/w439-h322/WeatherEye%20Vineyards%20Estate%20Wines%202019.jpeg" width="439" /></a></p>Back in 2018 I wrote in <i><a href="https://winemag.com/" target="_blank"><b>Wine Enthusiast</b></a></i> about a <b><a href="https://www.winemag.com/2018/09/19/high-altitude-red-mountain-washington/" target="_blank">new project from Cam Myhrvold and Ryan Johnson atop Red Mountain</a></b> called WeatherEye Vineyards. The idea for the project is simple.<br /><br />Put hand selected clones in nano-planted blocks at higher elevation on Red Mountain, often at high density and sometimes with northern aspects. Use this and a variety of trellising techniques to achieve longer hang times and wines with more intensity, freshness, and non-fruit characteristics. Farm it all with a maniacal level of attention and try and make wines that elevate the notion of what is possible in Washington.<br /><br />The earliest look at wines from this property came from <b><a href="https://liminalwine.com/">Liminal Wines</a></b>, a project from Marty Taucher and Chris Peterson (<b><a href="https://avennia.com/">Avennia</a></b>) that I <b><a href="https://www.wawinereport.com/2020/10/liminal-wines-at-threshold.html" target="_blank">wrote about back in 2020</a></b>. For their inaugural releases, Liminal was my <b><a href="https://www.wawinereport.com/2021/02/2020-washington-winery-of-year-liminal.html" target="_blank">2020 Winery of the Year</a></b>.<br /><br />Now comes a series of 2019 estate red wines from <b><a href="https://www.weathereyevineyard.com/">WeatherEye</a></b> that were just offered last week. These wines were crafted by Todd Alexander (<b><a href="https://forcemajeurevineyards.com/wp/">Force Majeure</a></b>, <b><a href="https://www.thewallswines.com/">The Walls</a></b>, <b><a href="https://pasxawines.com/about/">Páxša</a></b>, and <b><a href="http://holocenewines.com/">Holocene</a></b>). They are quite simply some of the best wines I’ve ever had from Washington.<br /><br />“We started with a really interesting piece of property and a belief that we could try and make something great,” says Cam Myhrvold, who began purchasing land for what is now WeatherEye Vineyards back in 2004. “The plan was always to start as a vineyard, and if the fruit was really great and unique, then we’d follow that up with an estate wine project.”<br /><br />It is hard to describe the extreme level of effort and detail that has gone into this vineyard without seeing it. There are currently 33 acres planted, with about 29.5 of them in production. None of the blocks could have been easy to plant. Some of them are on quite steep terrain. The soil often has a significant amount of fractured basalt. The vines must be hand tended and harvested. Most of the blocks are minute in size, tightly matched to the terrain.<br /><br />“We feel like what we're doing on the vineyard side is some pretty innovative stuff,” says vineyard manager Ryan Johnson, who designed and planted the site.<br /><br />Johnson, who has more than 20 years of experience on Red Mountain, spent six months just walking the ground before planting to try and fully understand the aspects, soils, and wind patterns. In the end, he attempted to match clone and variety to trellising technique and location with an intensive level of detail.<br /><br />“So much of this was kind of an experiment,” Johnson says. “It's a confirmation that terroir is important, viticulture is important, and so is the clonal material that we use.”<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOCfSlvihoCA_uuJp7_2Eroliqtz45WDG811iCy1e9U3Ygg3BlBHLcV_-4nzb8yweNrabky6V4M8sk9ftvkWcSwcVVJAiyNTWVhBVNld59rqBtccakuPcrpLMtSkpMcOFOiSGU-XAS6vw-Kwjkub3Lz7su1po84ovCm4BCTIVjsyPqCFfR066F9-VvVA/s1920/Top%20of%20Canyon%20WeatherEye%20Vineyards%20by%20Ryan%20Johnson.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1920" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOCfSlvihoCA_uuJp7_2Eroliqtz45WDG811iCy1e9U3Ygg3BlBHLcV_-4nzb8yweNrabky6V4M8sk9ftvkWcSwcVVJAiyNTWVhBVNld59rqBtccakuPcrpLMtSkpMcOFOiSGU-XAS6vw-Kwjkub3Lz7su1po84ovCm4BCTIVjsyPqCFfR066F9-VvVA/w463-h309/Top%20of%20Canyon%20WeatherEye%20Vineyards%20by%20Ryan%20Johnson.jpeg" width="463" /></a></div>WeatherEye currently works with 10 hand-selected wineries, with many more clamoring to access the fruit. The choice of Alexander to craft the estate wines was both inspired and an easy one. Johnson had been working on the nearby Force Majeure project but was ending his tenure right as Alexander was starting at that winery.<br /><br />“He's a top tier winemaker, making wines at the highest level,” Johnson says of Alexander. “I think there was this mutual drive to be able to work together at some point.”<br /><br />Meanwhile Alexander’s interest in working with WeatherEye fruit only increased as he saw the vineyard come to fruition. “It's an incredible amount of work, and a lot of thought has gone into it,” he says of the site.<br /><br />The first WeatherEye estate wines were made in 2018, with a Syrah and Grenache at a mere 140 total cases. That expanded to a still-meager 400 cases in 2019. The 2020 production will be double that, with white wines added to the program.<br /><br />Below is a description of the 2019 releases from the eyes of the people who helped create them. My scores for these wines from my time at <i>Wine Enthusiast</i> are at the bottom of the article.<br /><br /><i>WeatherEye Estate Grenache Red Mountain 2019</i><br /><br />“This is really a unique mesoclimate,” Johnson says of the spot these vines are planted. “It's a little, sandy basalt outcrop. The way that outcropping works is it almost acts as its own wind shelter. You have these screaming winds hit the upper slopes of Red Mountain, and it'll go right over the top of this block.”<br /><br />The entire block, which is called ‘La Mesita,’ is 0.3 acres, planted at a high density of 3,200 vines per acre. The vines are planted using a goblet training system.<br /><br />“The soils really thin out just to the north of [the block],” Johnson says. “That's why it's 0.3 acres. We certainly use every last little square foot.”<br /><i><br />WeatherEye Estate Syrah Red Mountain 2019</i><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf7CjRX7vbPh-BqJW01GYrEFFaLEfhVt4eFqiunOzZntVA6V9I_bma_3r-n7k4bo1yR6oRmGFd40YcossYENW8C53FV2ksv1hso1J6O5OPlAEf3DFhoD8EKreu48ek4Hggx-KL1Mi69gRt0-NO0V7daZQ-h0f4sWdd1sIYJTAQ7mKGh_yOcKhpPVxYlA/s1920/Red_Mountain_Syrah_Sur_Echalas_Ryan_Johnson.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1920" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf7CjRX7vbPh-BqJW01GYrEFFaLEfhVt4eFqiunOzZntVA6V9I_bma_3r-n7k4bo1yR6oRmGFd40YcossYENW8C53FV2ksv1hso1J6O5OPlAEf3DFhoD8EKreu48ek4Hggx-KL1Mi69gRt0-NO0V7daZQ-h0f4sWdd1sIYJTAQ7mKGh_yOcKhpPVxYlA/w438-h292/Red_Mountain_Syrah_Sur_Echalas_Ryan_Johnson.jpeg" width="438" /></a></div>The 2019 Syrah is a blend of two different blocks. One is composed of the highest vines planted on Red Mountain at an elevation of 1,230 feet. The other block is planted meter by meter sur echalas – on stakes.<br /><br />“It's got the highest elevation vines but also the highest vine density,” Johnson says. “It’s just a match made in heaven.”<br /><br />One of the blocks is on the northeast side, which is unusual for Washington. The other is southwest facing. The blocks are 0.5 and 0.4 acres in size.<br /><br />“Those are picked separately and vinified separately, and then we put a blend together at the end,” Alexander says.<br /><br /><i>WeatherEye Estate Mourvèdre Red Mountain 2019</i><br /><br />Mourvèdre is only planted in miniscule amounts on Red Mountain – eight total acres as of the 2017 state acreage survey, the most recent that was conducted. The block this wine came from won’t tip the scales, as it is only 0.9 acres.<br /><br />The block is located along the ridgeline of Red Mountain at an elevation of 1,200 feet, where the soils are fractured basalt. The vines are planted as bush vines.<br /><br />“The Mourvèdre has been a real eye opener,” Johnson says. “Our approach to viticulture is we want to express the savory notes, the non-fruit elements, and I think we hit it with [this wine].”<br /><i><br />WeatherEye Estate Tempranillo Red Mountain 2019</i><br /><br />The 2019 Tempranillo also comes from vines planted on the north side of the mountain. Johnson says he treats the Tempranillo viticulturally like he does Syrah.<br /><br />“It’s sur echalas training, high density,” he says. Johnson gives a descriptive take on the inaugural vintage.<br /><br />“The Tempranillo is like sucking on the Grim Reaper's cloak. It's dark, it's slightly dangerous, and it's mysterious. I opened that the other night, and it just grabbed hold of my psyche. It was really one of those intellectually stimulating wines because it's not what you think it would be.”<br /><br />The final red wine from 2019 is the Hillfighter, a blend made from declassified barrels that will change from year to year. It’s one of those “If this is what the declassified stuff tastes like, I’ve got to try the other wines” bottles. Of note, all of the label images were taken by Ryan Johnson.<br /><br />* * *</div><div><br /></div><div><div><div>In addition to these just-released red wines, WeatherEye will offer a set of 2020 estate white wines later this fall. This will include a Marsanne, a Roussanne, and a white Rhône-style blend.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGa2Mu_y_tv0dNt911dDMHWspXr1U91nIUNGgWsEM-QwoYT9gKzuH1PgnbOLDQlGNLDmmMI8_Ms3BwE4cQs53L8h3Khn-zE-FzIKTalwY-Xl-KklkUQyNjYUBgp8NXrzVRY-CGRueVJGJyNaot6drjJ670YkRcn5JxctPxknANt-xUH_BoJacfq46LIw/s4032/Block%2017-18%20June%2012%20WeatherEye%20Vineyard%20Ryan%20Johnson.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGa2Mu_y_tv0dNt911dDMHWspXr1U91nIUNGgWsEM-QwoYT9gKzuH1PgnbOLDQlGNLDmmMI8_Ms3BwE4cQs53L8h3Khn-zE-FzIKTalwY-Xl-KklkUQyNjYUBgp8NXrzVRY-CGRueVJGJyNaot6drjJ670YkRcn5JxctPxknANt-xUH_BoJacfq46LIw/w441-h331/Block%2017-18%20June%2012%20WeatherEye%20Vineyard%20Ryan%20Johnson.jpg" width="441" /></a></div>Red Mountain has long been dominated by red grape varieties, which make up 96% of the appellation’s acreage. Alexander, however, is bullish on the prospects for whites at WeatherEye, which includes acreage that spans beyond the appellation’s boundaries.<br /><br />“I think the potential for Rhône whites is really, really high,” he says. “You get nice juicy grapes without a lot of phenolics. You get just the right amount of texture. The acid stays gorgeous. The sugars are in check. They’re just really, really beautifully balanced.”<br /><br />We will see what the future holds for white wines at this vineyard. However, the 2019 WeatherEye red wines and those that come after them will surely change the calculus of Washington wine. These are wines that will capture the imagination of consumers and critics alike. (See a <b><a href="https://www.vinography.com/2022/08/carved-from-the-mountain-the-wines-of-weathereye-vineyard" target="_blank">recent writeup on the vineyard from Alder Yarrow</a></b> at <b><a href="https://www.vinography.com/" target="_blank">Vinography</a></b> for an example of the attention this site and its wines are already receiving.) They show the heights that are possible with an extreme focus on site selection and farming.<br /><br />Is what Myhrvold and Johnson are doing at WeatherEye easily extendable to other areas of the state? Extendable, perhaps. Easily? Certainly not. A project like this takes an extraordinary amount of time and a truly fanatical level of dedication.<br /><br />“Ryan's probably the most obsessive farmer I've known,” Alexander says. “His attention to detail is really, really high.”</div><div><br /></div><div>That type of commitment is surely not for everyone. A project like this is also quite capital intensive. However, these WeatherEye wines will just as surely inspire others to explore the boundaries of what is possible in the state.<br /><br />“It's exhausting. It’s exciting,” Johnson says of the vineyard. “It’s all I think about honestly in my spare time, searching out new information, rethinking different blocks. I mean, it might border on a sickness really, right? But I wouldn't want to do anything else.”<br /><br />An additional part of what makes the initial releases from WeatherEye, Liminal, and others from this site so remarkable is that these wines are coming from young vine fruit, albeit from very strong vintages. It’s hard to imagine how high the potential is as the vines age, the site stretches its legs, and vintners fully learn how to work with the fruit.<br /><br />“Right now, it’s a young vineyard where you're pulling stuff that no one's ever worked with before,” Alexander says. “There's really no track record on anything.”<br /><br />To give a sense of the overall commitment, Myhrvold is now 18 years into this project. It’s only in the last few that he’s started to see the first fruits of his investment. Still, for all the time and money, he says it’s been a rewarding journey.<br /><br />“Everything takes a long time,” Myhrvold says of the wine industry. “But if I stand back and look at it objectively, I have to be pretty pleased at where we are and what I think we can do in the future.”<br /><br /><b>WeatherEye 2019 Estate Grenache Red Mountain $85 96 points </b><div>This young vineyard, in its second vintage, has already proven itself to be a special spot for Grenache. The dark raspberry, lavender and dried-herb aromas show crystalline purity. The ripe dark fruit and white-pepper flavors are completely enveloping. Firm tannins back it all up. It needs some time to tame the tannins but will be more than worth the wait. Best after 2026. Cellar Selection — SS, <i><a href="https://winemag.com/">Wine Enthusiast</a></i><br /><b><br />WeatherEye 2019 Estate Syrah Red Mountain $85 96 points</b> </div><div>WeatherEye is a new site established on the top of Red Mountain, farmed by legendary grower Ryan Johnson, with this wine made by esteemed winemaker Todd Alexander. The aromas are brooding, with notes of huckleberry, flower, crushed rock and barrel spice. Full bodied, ripe intense dark fruit flavors follow. It’s a full-on flavor and textural assault, taking no prisoners. Hedonism in a glass. Best after 2026. Cellar Selection — SS, <i><a href="https://winemag.com/">Wine Enthusiast</a></i><br /><br /><b>WeatherEye 2019 Estate Mourvèdre Red Mountain $85 95 points </b></div><div>Fruit for this wine comes from a new site on the top of Red Mountain. The aromas are arresting, with notes of black peppercorn, sauvage, citrus rind, fractured basalt and herb, showing delineation and detail. The flavors are intense and layered, while still retaining deftness. There’s a whole lot of firm tannic structure behind it. It hangs on the finish. It’s tight as a drum right now. Drink after 2026. Cellar Selection — SS, <a href="https://winemag.com/"><i>Wine Enthusiast</i></a><br /><br /><b>WeatherEye 2019 Estate Tempranillo Red Mountain $85 92 points </b></div><div>The aromas bring notes of pencil eraser, red cherry, herb and crushed rock. A full flavored, flower-filled palate follows. There’s plenty of structure backing it all up. It’s equal promise and delivery. — SS, <i><a href="https://winemag.com/">Wine Enthusiast<br /></a></i><b><br />WeatherEye 2019 Hillfighter Red Blend Red Mountain $55 92 points </b></div><div>Hillfighter is a second label for WeatherEye, a new site located on the top of Red Mountain made from declassified lots. A blend of 53% Tempranillo, 30% Syrah and 17% Mourvèdre, the aromas are brooding, with notes of dark chocolate, wood spice and cherry. Firm tannins back it up. It’s a whole lot of wine. Give it a short decant. — SS, <a href="https://winemag.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Wine Enthusiast</a><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Images courtesy of WeatherEye Vineyards. </span></div></div></div>Sean P. Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03097365383701360215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6303461938563467286.post-27224105277302338862022-09-14T20:26:00.000-07:002022-10-04T17:35:02.501-07:00Bledsoe Wine Estates is creating a Northwest vinous empire<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKSCnGGzkYkpvwoWlVoh62HmVB_V9_qhPh4g4mxthbx-44wcdqZDKOU2ViAchV-6PQtKmRHGWMEUVMagvLnmRNbJzCumCbQPBxWomR65EmuxcipzFWgunBzNUI5sQ9kbJ324n3e1AS17XGFGBYt5gL-lmrPxJefOmW8PAViMZviorXIJg-sHNHMzF1GQ/s900/06-21-20-1593.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="900" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKSCnGGzkYkpvwoWlVoh62HmVB_V9_qhPh4g4mxthbx-44wcdqZDKOU2ViAchV-6PQtKmRHGWMEUVMagvLnmRNbJzCumCbQPBxWomR65EmuxcipzFWgunBzNUI5sQ9kbJ324n3e1AS17XGFGBYt5gL-lmrPxJefOmW8PAViMZviorXIJg-sHNHMzF1GQ/w437-h291/06-21-20-1593.jpg" width="437" /></a></p><i>Former NFL quarterback purchases new Walla Walla vineyard and winery, will open two new tasting rooms in 2023</i><br /><br />This week <b><a href="https://bledsoewineestates.com/">Bledsoe Wine Estates</a></b>, founded in 2007 by former NFL quarterback Drew Bledsoe and his wife Maura, announced the purchase of àMaurice Vineyard and its adjacent winery facility in Walla Walla Valley.<br /><br />“It’s a really special piece of property,” says Josh McDaniels, general manager and director of winemaking. “We’re thrilled.”<br /><br />The 2,000-square foot winery building and 20-acre vineyard are located in the Upper Mill Creek area of the valley. With plantings first established by the Figgins family (<b><a href="https://leonetticellar.com/">Leonetti Cellar</a></b>, <b><a href="https://www.figginswine.com/">FIGGINS</a></b>, <b><a href="https://www.toiloregon.com/">Toil Oregon</a></b>) in 1997 at their Upper Mill Creek Vineyard, the area has become renowned for its Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and, to a lesser extent, Syrah.<br /><br />At the site, Bledsoe Wine Estates will open a tasting room for its <b><a href="https://bledsoemcdaniels.com/">Bledsoe | McDaniels</a></b> label, a Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and Walla Walla Valley Syrah project that launched in 2019. The facility has a targeted opening date of Spring Release Weekend 2023. The winery also plans to open a Bledsoe | McDaniels tasting room in Willamette Valley in 2023 at the 80-acre Eola-Amity Hills property purchased last year.<br /><br />McDaniels says the purchase of the àMaurice property is the realization of a long-held goal to own land in this region of the valley. “The whole time I've been [at Bledsoe Wine Estates], I’ve been looking for a piece of property in Mill Creek. I've tried forever.”<br /><br />The reason is not just the top quality Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot that comes from this area. For McDaniels, who grew up in this part of the valley, it’s much more personal.<br /><br />“I've always loved that area,” he says. “It’s quintessential Walla Walla to me. It's the reservoir up there, it's the Mill Creek River, it's the mountains - the Blues, it's the trees, and the wheat fields.”<br /><br />Indeed, the area is outrageously scenic. It also creates some of the best wines in the valley and will likely one day get its own appellation designation if local wineries so desire.<br /><br />Upper Mill Creek is currently home to <b><a href="https://wallawallavintners.com/">Walla Walla Vintners</a></b>, <b><a href="https://www.amaurice.com/">àMaurice</a></b>, and <b><a href="https://www.abeja.net/">Abeja</a></b>, in addition to numerous vineyards. Figgins is establishing a wine cave in the area with plans to build a winery. The area has become increasingly popular of late, with <b><a href="https://wineindustryadvisor.com/2020/09/01/echolands-acquisition-mill-creek-walla-walla">Echolands purchasing 340 acres</a></b> in 2020 and <b><a href="https://www.winemag.com/2022/04/14/jackson-family-walla-walla-acquisition/">Jackson Family purchasing its first Washington vineyard</a></b> there earlier this year.<br /><br />McDaniels says the purchase of the site played out over time. In 2019, he was approached to see if he was interested in purchasing fruit from àMaurice Vineyard.<br /><br />“I jumped at the opportunity,” McDaniels says. Eventually, he was introduced to the Schafer family and inquired about the availability of the property.<br /><br />“I knew I was interested, but I could tell it was very emotional for [Tom Schafer],” McDaniels says. “It was very personal to me too.”<br /><br />Currently, the new Bledsoe | McDaniels property is 12.5 acres planted primarily to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah. Additional plantings next year will raise the acreage to 15. The winery has received fruit from this property since 2020. The Cabernet and Merlot from the vineyard will be used for the winery’s <a href="https://doubleback.com/"><b>Doubleback</b></a> label, dedicated to Cabernet Sauvignon. The Syrah will go to Bledsoe | McDaniels.<br /><br />With the purchase, Bledsoe Wine Estates now owns an astonishing 370 acres of land in Walla Walla Valley. The winery also owns 80 acres in Willamette Valley, creating a Northwest vinous empire. Approximately 115 of the combined acreage is currently planted. In addition to its Doubleback and Bledsoe | McDaniels labels, the winery also has <b><a href="https://www.bledsoefamilywinery.com/">Bledsoe Family Wines</a></b>. With this sale, each winery will have tasting rooms in Walla Walla Valley. Bledsoe Wine Estates also has a tasting room in Bend, Oregon.<div><br />“The number one objective for me [when I became general manager] was estate vineyard development,” says McDaniels, who joined the winery in 2014. The goal for Doubleback has been to include different pieces of terroir from across Walla Walla Valley. “This was kind of the missing piece,” McDaniels says.<br /><br />Despite the large amount of new acreage, McDaniels says production will not expand dramatically. Rather, estate fruit will be used to replace existing contracts. Production will increase slowly over time. Doubleback is well on its way to being completely estate focused.<br /><br />“To be able to be really, truly an estate grown Cabernet now with Doubleback and have completely different terroirs to go into that wine has been just really rewarding and gratifying and exciting,” McDaniels says.<br /><br />With its increased property, the winery also now has its own dedicated vineyard crew. The crew is employed year-round, has full health insurance, and has full retirement benefits.<br /><br />“I can't talk enough about how positive that's been for all of us, that cultural shift with our crew and our employees,” McDaniels says. “Our business is to create genuine happiness for ourselves and our customers. That's it. All of our employees are part of that. Wine happens to be the medium that we get to give that experience to people.”<br /><br />The Schafer family established <b><a href="https://www.amaurice.com/">àMaurice Cellars</a></b> in 2004. Over the years, guided by winemaker Anna Schafer Cohen, the winery became known in large part for its Viognier, Malbec, and Bordeaux-style blends. The àMaurice 2010 Boushey Vineyard Grenache remains one of the finest examples of this variety I’ve ever had from Washington.<br /><br />àMaurice stopped making wine in the 2019 vintage. The Schafer family will retain the name àMaurice Cellars and current inventory. The family will continue to sell the wine it has.<br /><br />“We are elated to be passing all our hard work and vision, which has been intensely emotional and personal, to another true family enterprise,” the family said in an email to its customers. “We will miss our sweet vineyard, yet we are grateful that the Bledsoe and McDaniels families will carry on our legacy.”<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Image by Richard Duval. </span></div>Sean P. Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03097365383701360215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6303461938563467286.post-41566743587617299122022-09-08T21:04:00.000-07:002022-10-04T17:13:48.678-07:00Why Ste Michelle bought A to Z and Rex Hill, how it happened, and what it means for Northwest wine (plus what’s up with the Woodinville property)<script>
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<p><i>With the acquisition, Ste Michelle is now the largest winery in both Washington and Oregon</i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga0NIVaFlrxIPaCgG2akJzoUF2ZP23OBIxJBbgWp2SiC6UyWOtxrxMcE_n7s9WMA74zJ3tLDGxrL1FniormtNjrdy-4Hx1zY1pKML5mofAfAPdLe2e4NLqgEfZ9LZQ8pis8PxRAswXrGIiQZ-FcOogMM8TmG4B8lLhlg6sbJWVI1GH7vElnvfnnr_PFg/s1024/Chateau%20Ste%20Michelle%20by%20Richard%20Duval.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="681" data-original-width="1024" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga0NIVaFlrxIPaCgG2akJzoUF2ZP23OBIxJBbgWp2SiC6UyWOtxrxMcE_n7s9WMA74zJ3tLDGxrL1FniormtNjrdy-4Hx1zY1pKML5mofAfAPdLe2e4NLqgEfZ9LZQ8pis8PxRAswXrGIiQZ-FcOogMM8TmG4B8lLhlg6sbJWVI1GH7vElnvfnnr_PFg/w409-h272/Chateau%20Ste%20Michelle%20by%20Richard%20Duval.jpeg" width="409" /></a></div>Earlier this week <b><a href="https://trade.smwe.com/">Ste Michelle Wine Estates</a></b> (SMWE) announced it had purchased Oregon’s <b><a href="https://www.atozwineworks.com/">A to Z Wine Works</a></b> and <b><a href="https://rexhill.com/">Rex Hill Winery</a></b>. The reasons why the winery did so are simple says CEO David Dearie.<br /><br />“Like everyone else, we're looking for growth and saying, ‘Where is the growth likely to come from?’”<br /><br />For many in the wine business lately, the answer has been from Oregon.<br /><br />Oregon wine has two clear things going for it in the market at present. The first is an abundance of high quality Pinot Noir, a variety that has been on a long run of success with consumers. The second is the higher cost associated with those wines. This puts the offerings in a sweet spot.<br /><br />In <b><a href="https://www.svb.com/" target="_blank">Silicon Valley Bank</a></b>’s <a href="https://www.svb.com/trends-insights/reports/wine-report" target="_blank"><b>2022 report</b>,</a> they noted that last year premium wine sales reached growth highs not seen for over a decade (though they noted some concerns as well). Northern Oregon wineries at the same time reported the second highest revenue growth in the nation last year. (Washington was first.) As a result of these trends, the mergers and acquisitions market has been <b><a href="https://www.winemag.com/2022/03/25/wine-mergers-acquisitions/">more active than ever</a></b>, with Willamette Valley wineries often at the center of activity.<br /><br />“Looking at the numbers, Oregon is a growth category,” says A to Z and Rex Hill CEO Amy Prosenjak. “So at all price points, when you have Oregon in your portfolio, it's a profitable business for you, and it's a growing category.”<br /><br /><i>Two of a kind</i><br /><br />On paper, the pairing of SMWE and A to Z/Rex Hill makes immediate sense. Ste Michelle has a portfolio of premium wines with a consistent focus on quality. A to Z has made its mark by offering premium, high quality whites, reds, and sparkling wines. Ste Michelle also has a number of luxury brands in its portfolio, where Rex Hill fits in nicely.<br /><br />Still, for the obvious compatibilities, the acquisition was equal parts fortuitous and opportunistic for both parties. On the Ste Michelle side, the company was looking for growth.<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuY2fwcmKV6OTQ-tB7LJo2jMMOlBx__rZfqxfQgBT5EcnPPCMjZKuY3_RjxvLradbbJQpn9VoLrI41FSk9cCq-qSzbFf8XiWO61DMS1mYCpnn2KUTPZFLNrBDxLVwF9gAEc-BicM7AcQENt_e19zpewFa0x1iPwC-EBlJ-p3cFNAa1TJIQGIGxNw7NLw/s538/Amy%20Prosenjak.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="349" data-original-width="538" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuY2fwcmKV6OTQ-tB7LJo2jMMOlBx__rZfqxfQgBT5EcnPPCMjZKuY3_RjxvLradbbJQpn9VoLrI41FSk9cCq-qSzbFf8XiWO61DMS1mYCpnn2KUTPZFLNrBDxLVwF9gAEc-BicM7AcQENt_e19zpewFa0x1iPwC-EBlJ-p3cFNAa1TJIQGIGxNw7NLw/s320/Amy%20Prosenjak.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>“Our focus for the future is on premiumization, like everyone else at the moment,” Dearie explains. “[When we looked at where to get growth from], we had a list of potential acquisitions that may or may not be available that fit into the profile, and A to Z/Rex Hill were right at the top of the list.”<br /><br />A to Z/Rex Hill might have topped Ste Michelle’s wish list. However, they were not necessarily available.<br /><br />“We were never interested in selling,” states Prosenjak. “We were interested in finding good partners.”<br /><br />While Ste Michelle was looking for growth opportunities and A to Z/Rex Hill for a partner, the acquisition was ultimately kindled by one simple spark. Both companies have a relationship with lender <b><a href="https://www.bankofthewest.com/">Bank of the West</a></b>.<br /><br />“Our banker brought the two parties together and said, ‘You know, maybe something could happen here,’” Prosenjak recalls. “When we sat down and had the first conversation with David and the team, we could just see the synergies.”<br /><br /><i>Ste Michelle’s expansion in Oregon</i><br /><br />Ste Michelle made its first foray into Oregon in 2006 when it purchased <b><a href="https://www.erath.com/" target="_blank">Erath</a></b>, one of the state’s founding wineries. The company has since grown that brand from approximately 70,000 cases to 300,000 cases annually. While Dearie says Erath continues to have growth potential, A to Z – one of the largest wineries in the Oregon – gives the company much more. Additionally, the Erath and A to Z wines taste different.<br /><br />“They're both from Oregon, but they're very different in the look and feel and their flavor profile,” Dearie says. “So we see them as complimentary even though they compete on the shelf.”<br /><br />At an annual production of 7.3M cases across all its brands, SMWE has long been the largest winery in Washington, headlined by <b><a href="https://www.ste-michelle.com/" target="_blank">Chateau Ste Michelle</a></b>, <b><a href="https://www.14hands.com/">14 Hands</a></b>, and <b><a href="https://www.columbiacrest.com/" target="_blank">Columbia Crest</a></b>. With the acquisition of A to Z and Rex Hill, SMWE now becomes the largest winery in Oregon as well according to the company. The combined production of Erath, A to Z, and Rex Hill will be 700,000 cases. Moreover, Dearie believes that wineries in both states are positioned to grow – and Ste Michelle along with that.<br /><br />“We see tremendous growth opportunities from Washington, and we're very well positioned to be able to take advantage of those growth opportunities at various price points,” he says. “We see the growth of Oregon. We think there's a long-term potential. This acquisition gives us the opportunity to grow both.”<br /><br /><i>A year of change at Ste Michelle</i><br /><br />The acquisition comes after a year of transition for SMWE. The company itself was <b><a href="https://www.winemag.com/2021/07/12/ste-michelle-sale-washington-wine/">purchased by Sycamore Partners</a></b>, a New York based private equity firm, last year for $1.3B, with the deal completed in October.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Ndq0Hb6XIrUaRCuCMHpCeG2-uxcB9qB3kC9o72WTSTlcgOMvtdsy5yZRxDpBSSJCzeUdnrGVzjC9wBvSCdLu3h3Tys-HdwDdB3U9q6_-sTE3bSrUTY-6aWfglpiOV2EYXGuuFkmZ9fseKkp6TABVmnYtE1Jjmx5uAtvHdG3IEnFFEGlc4VLRAlbt_Q/s2100/David_Dearie_012_F2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1540" height="419" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Ndq0Hb6XIrUaRCuCMHpCeG2-uxcB9qB3kC9o72WTSTlcgOMvtdsy5yZRxDpBSSJCzeUdnrGVzjC9wBvSCdLu3h3Tys-HdwDdB3U9q6_-sTE3bSrUTY-6aWfglpiOV2EYXGuuFkmZ9fseKkp6TABVmnYtE1Jjmx5uAtvHdG3IEnFFEGlc4VLRAlbt_Q/w308-h419/David_Dearie_012_F2.jpg" width="308" /></a></div>At the time, some feared that Washington’s founding winery might be sold for parts and quick profit. However, Sycamore’s investment in Ste Michelle with the purchase of A to Z and Rex Hill would seem to indicate both companies are playing the long game.<br /><br />“Obviously Sycamore is coming in as a private equity group. They will be looking to get growth,” Dearie says. “They're prepared to invest behind the portfolio and the brands to achieve that.”<br /><br />Sycamore’s belief in the potential of the winery is due to the long-term strategy that Ste Michelle presented when it was looking for a buyer.<br /><br />“We put a very simple strategy in place, which is fix, build, buy,” Dearie says. “Fix some of the challenges we’ve had; build on the core brands that we've got; buy where we see opportunities. Our intent is to grow and grow at the premium end. [The purchase of A to Z and Rex Hill] is just an extension of that strategy.”<br /><br />Prior to Sycamore purchasing the company, Ste Michelle had made a number of acquisitions over the years. Most recently, the company <b><a href="https://greatnorthwestwine.com/2016/04/19/ste-michelle-buys-sonoma-countys-patz-hall/">purchased Sonoma’s Patz & Hall in 2016</a></b>.<br /><br />However, this is the company’s first acquisition since the Sycamore purchase and since Dearie became CEO in October of 2020. It is also the first since the winery hit a rough patch, with a decrease in production of 1.2M cases per year between 2016 and 2020. In 2020, former owner Altria announced a $292 million inventory write-off and $100 million in losses on non-cancellable grape purchases.<br /><br />Since the purchase by Sycamore, Ste Michelle has made a number of changes. Some of those have come on the corporate personnel side, such as recently <b><a href="https://wineindustryadvisor.com/2022/07/25/ste-michelles-appoints-andy-feuerstein-senior-vice-president-national-accounts-on-off-sale" target="_blank">appointing Andy Feuerstein as senior vice president</a></b> of national accounts on/off sale. Others have come in distribution, such as announcing a <b><a href="https://wineindustryadvisor.com/2022/07/11/ste-michelle-southern-glazers-announce-national-alignment">strategic partnership with Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits</a></b>. The company also made several changes to its winemaking team <b><a href="https://www.winemag.com/2022/09/08/how-can-we-elevate-the-game-5-questions-with-christian-wylie/" target="_blank">last year</a></b> and <b><a href="https://wineindustryadvisor.com/2022/06/15/ste-michelle-wine-estates-announces-changes-to-winemaking-teams" target="_blank">this year</a></b>.<br /><br />“Sycamore bought the business less than a year ago. We've done quite a bit in that year,” says Dearie. “We managed to close down Woodinville [wine production], and then we've got a distribution contract with Southern. We've now bought A to Z. So it's been a busy 12 months. Hopefully the intent is people see that we're in this for the growth and for the good of the Pacific Northwest wine region in general.”<br /><br /><i>Plans for the Woodinville property</i><br /><br />While Ste Michelle’s purchase by Sycamore initially caused trepidation in some corners, those concerns were heightened when Ste Michelle<b><a href="https://www.wawinereport.com/2022/06/washingtons-ste-michelle-puts.html"> put its Woodinville property up for sale</a></b> in whole or part earlier this year. However, Dearie says any potential changes to the property would be both pragmatic and in the best interest of growing the brand.<br /><br />“We're not in any need to move anywhere,” Dearie explains. “We're just looking to see what have we got and what can it be worth, and the intent is for us to invest behind our brand building efforts.”<br /><br />Ste Michelle made the decision to list all or part of the property for sale after moving its white wine production to eastern Washington starting this vintage. Red wine production has long taken place there.<br /><br />“We have got to be good stewards of the land, and we're focused on that,” Dearie says. “When we started to look at the amount of diesel that we were using to bring grapes backwards and forwards, it made much more sense to have those wines processed in eastern Washington where the grapes are grown.”<br /><br />The exploration of whether it could sell part or all of its Woodinville property was a natural follow on to that decision.<br /><br />“Like anything else, we’ll explore all of the options, but if we don't like any of the options for the site here in Woodinville, we won't take any of the options,” Dearie says. “You've got to look at where the best places to deploy capital are. We've got some assets, like part of the Woodinville site here, that is excess to our needs, and if we can redeploy the capital in there, we should.”<br /><br />Dearie says he doesn’t expect moving production and potentially selling parts of the property that were used for that purpose to negatively impact consumer experience at the winery.<br /><br />“The consumer is coming to the Woodinville site not to see the winemaking production facilities. They’re coming here for the consumer experience of tasting wine, sitting on the lawn, watching the concerts. What we want to do is give more wonderful experiences to consumers who come into the site.”<br /><br /><i>What’s next for the A to Z/Rex Hill team</i><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIVCXmyq4lKtiNM1UM0x3kmlsaJvX9DuQ9SfjGgCS22NI5CdX-VkBI5Mq5qWV5_4OVdeWAA2BxqjL06fKyYXCenUytmSiVmKyLsJmP0udB54n6HDILybIZobHKAbXwsPyMNrPcNcrhsaEfeJgxrA1yF1i6rJomFU4ykBi6yarWOMRb2mAzosAjQqD7Jw/s1500/A%20to%20Z%20winery%201.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIVCXmyq4lKtiNM1UM0x3kmlsaJvX9DuQ9SfjGgCS22NI5CdX-VkBI5Mq5qWV5_4OVdeWAA2BxqjL06fKyYXCenUytmSiVmKyLsJmP0udB54n6HDILybIZobHKAbXwsPyMNrPcNcrhsaEfeJgxrA1yF1i6rJomFU4ykBi6yarWOMRb2mAzosAjQqD7Jw/w423-h282/A%20to%20Z%20winery%201.jpg" width="423" /></a></div>While some recent winery acquisitions in Oregon have been <b><a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/news/2022/04/07/constellation-lingua-franca.html" target="_blank">influenced by the 2020 vintage</a></b> where wildfire smoke drastically reduced production at many wineries, A to Z/Rex Hill’s Amy Prosenjak says that was not the case here.<br /><br />“It was really about the future rather than anything that had happened in the past,” she says.<br /><br />Prosenjak will join the Ste Michelle team as President of Oregon Brands. “When you take Erath and A to Z and Rex Hill, you have these three great brands that you can provide distinct flavor profiles, distinct wines, distinct price points, [and] distinct brand stories,” she says. “It gives you a lot of options out there to our great consumers.”<br /><br />Founding partners Deb Hatcher, Cheryl Francis, and Sam Tannahill will join Ste. Michelle as consultants. Michael Davies will continue as executive winemaker. Bill Hatcher, another founding partner, is retiring as chairman of the board for A to Z. Otherwise, consumers should expect more of the same. All in a <b><a href="https://wineindustryadvisor.com/2021/01/11/rex-hill-unveils-new-willamette-tasting-room" target="_blank">newly renovated tasting room</a></b>. <br /><br />“A to Z’s premise has always been ‘Try Oregon for $20. Try it tonight. And if you like it, maybe you'll buy the next great $50 bottle that you come across from Oregon,’” Prosenjak says. “That’s what it was from the beginning and still is today.”<br /><br /><i>The power of Oregon Pinot</i><br /><br />The acquisition of A to Z/Rex Hill makes SMWE the largest producer in Oregon. This also sets the winery up well for what many expect to be the two biggest growth categories of the next decade – Oregon and Washington. It also clearly shows the power of Pinot Noir in general at present, and Oregon Pinot Noir in particular.<br /><br />“Pinot is a hot varietal right now,” Dearie says. “And we've got two core brands with A to Z and Erath which are very different styles and then a more premium one with Rex Hill. So we think we've got to the best of all worlds where we can we can speak Oregon from multiple different styles in flavor, profile, and processes. I think that's really quite exciting.”<br /><br />As the company continues to grow these brands, it’s a message Ste Michelle can take not just around the country. With an international sales team, it’s a message that Ste Michelle can take around the world.<br /><br />“I think Oregon is renowned for making fantastic quality, particularly Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and sparkling [wines],” Dearie says. “And the consumer recognizes the quality that comes out of Oregon, and we see that as well.<br /><br />“We’re hoping to be able to continue with that legacy and to make Oregon stronger, to take Oregon not only across the US but then ultimately into some selective international markets so folks can taste these great Oregon wines.”</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Image of Chateau Ste Michelle by Richard Duval. Image of Amy Prosenjak, David Dearie, and schematic of A to Z Winery courtesy of Ste Michelle Wine Estates.</span></div>Sean P. Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03097365383701360215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6303461938563467286.post-83904610244870423212022-08-31T14:30:00.000-07:002022-10-03T12:28:39.142-07:00Harvest begins in Washington<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQxcW0CgF5P-w30KiV-yPjILQoN2kp_I5LKTHk5Mu7bfr9IdaiFFQYvBmLHfALI8GBy-Ub1IJOTbRhJ0cC0lGVENB7qalQkYtxAuvGPWVpAQKYPEckBrKLiVdpov0gOJzWbCqV_VDhpLhPiGnrr1JblkC5NAKax03mHbmbC79Wug62xmdYQGxZCFqoIg/s1791/Christian%20Grieb%20pouring%20Treveri%20Blanc%20de%20Blanc%20on%20new%20vintage%20of%20estate%20Chardonnay.jpeg" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1791" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQxcW0CgF5P-w30KiV-yPjILQoN2kp_I5LKTHk5Mu7bfr9IdaiFFQYvBmLHfALI8GBy-Ub1IJOTbRhJ0cC0lGVENB7qalQkYtxAuvGPWVpAQKYPEckBrKLiVdpov0gOJzWbCqV_VDhpLhPiGnrr1JblkC5NAKax03mHbmbC79Wug62xmdYQGxZCFqoIg/s320/Christian%20Grieb%20pouring%20Treveri%20Blanc%20de%20Blanc%20on%20new%20vintage%20of%20estate%20Chardonnay.jpeg" width="257" /></a></p>Harvest is underway in Columbia Valley. Christian Grieb at <b><a href="https://www.trevericellars.com/">Treveri Cellars</a></b> reports picking Chardonnay from the winery's estate vineyard in Yakima Valley on August 31st. The fruit, which will be used for sparkling wine, was picked at 17.1 Brix and 3.18 pH. <p></p><p>"Perfect for bubbly!" says Grieb.</p><p>Grieb notes that this vintage looks about 15 days behind recent years, consistent with <b><a href="https://www.wawinereport.com/2022/08/veraison-begins-in-columbia-valley.html">what other growers have reported</a></b>. Treveri picked estate Chardonnay on <b><a href="https://www.wawinereport.com/2021/08/harvest-begins-in-washington.html">August 12th in 2021</a></b>. The winery's first fruit most recent years has come been Hilltop Vineyard Chardonnay, picked on <b><a href="https://www.wawinereport.com/2019/08/harvest-begins-in-washington.html">August 11th in 2021, August 21st in 2020, and the same date in 2019</a></b>. Treveri picked Hilltop Chardonnay on <a href="https://www.wawinereport.com/2018/08/harvest-begins-in-washington.html" style="font-weight: bold;">August 16th in 2018 and 2016</a>. This information is summarized in the table below.</p><p>The image here, courtesy of Treveri, is of Grieb pouring a sabered bottle of Treveri Blanc de Blanc over the new vintage, a harvest tradition.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSuLGwv9bRraGs5eYEiy_vBdk91ainCJcVr7Xz3VX3_S9JTFjBEUzKANUnacwBpyBTtbOkIGznRYvclcWDQiQKa8LuFJio_EC2OmILFaIA7Yy5izKOGAvytO2rUSv8iHxzJpTyg_eBE6nawuQncWMeu3KwXFzYrCiYRKsLduDpaaYaSzULAAGwnbsG1Q/s713/Washington%20First%20Fruit%20Pick%20Dates.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="586" data-original-width="713" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSuLGwv9bRraGs5eYEiy_vBdk91ainCJcVr7Xz3VX3_S9JTFjBEUzKANUnacwBpyBTtbOkIGznRYvclcWDQiQKa8LuFJio_EC2OmILFaIA7Yy5izKOGAvytO2rUSv8iHxzJpTyg_eBE6nawuQncWMeu3KwXFzYrCiYRKsLduDpaaYaSzULAAGwnbsG1Q/s320/Washington%20First%20Fruit%20Pick%20Dates.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Sean P. Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03097365383701360215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6303461938563467286.post-60339261847157492842022-08-19T19:41:00.000-07:002022-10-03T12:28:39.164-07:00A look at Washington’s 2022 growing season thus far<div><i>A cold, wet spring impacted the region</i></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">The following article was written by Michael Fagin. Fagin is an operational meteorologist providing weather forecasts to clients in the Pacific Northwest and providing custom forecast for groups climbing <b><a href="https://everestweather.com/">Mt. Everest and other major peaks</a></b>. Michael is also a travel writer with a focus on <b><a href="https://travelandweather.com/weather-and-wine/">weather and wine</a></b>.</span><br /><br />As the growing season started in Washington, areas of low pressure moved in and out of the region in April and May. The net result was far below average temperatures and above normal precipitation.<br /><br />The rainfall and additional mountain snowpack were certainly welcome. However, the cold spring was less so. Fortunately, warm and dry conditions returned in July. Growers are hoping for these conditions to continue for the remainder of the growing season.<br /><br /><b>April and May weather patterns</b><br /><br />April started off with a cold bang for the Pacific Northwest. Much of Eastern Washington had close to 5 degrees (F) below average temperatures. The map below shows the parts of Eastern Washington that were 4 to 6 degrees below average temperature (in the blue color, credit Western Regional Climate Center).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhWywa6tJSGytRu0RQNKEdNoyk44qgkaVzDkt7_Hm40Qnj9yaUrtEIRoKtpCfLx37L7G5B5f_R9udeG1ObdJYsNb1RfjTONaqrOOp08Wy6-Ds9TUfwdlT71-3mimHKObT_Sqh47B7NTee2DNqgnqeea6Iizvftf6HbXzwf-uNS0F5LwrRXHy_bsgyIAQ/s974/Picture1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="752" data-original-width="974" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhWywa6tJSGytRu0RQNKEdNoyk44qgkaVzDkt7_Hm40Qnj9yaUrtEIRoKtpCfLx37L7G5B5f_R9udeG1ObdJYsNb1RfjTONaqrOOp08Wy6-Ds9TUfwdlT71-3mimHKObT_Sqh47B7NTee2DNqgnqeea6Iizvftf6HbXzwf-uNS0F5LwrRXHy_bsgyIAQ/w422-h326/Picture1.png" width="422" /></a><br /><br />But it wasn’t just cold. It was wet.<br /><br />The map below on the left shows much of Eastern Washington for April 1st to May 8th, 2022 was markedly wetter than historical averages (in dark blue, credit Western Regional Climate Center). In many cases precipitation was 130% to 150% above average. The map on the right shows the precipitation departure from average in inches.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiuVfuXKXWqeQ-4tmddv5yvPZSCsd6_nD_LdlTgH-n0OjHY729HNzMY8f2LIq9ZxARviJrTr-E7Fr-I_EfkB1h9YGgHb_a-eD-G5HgF2jAe35ccBoFJxnMLyFLUO1ZM8XvARnVvh41ntfTCXf46p_DGIcBOMZr3Kpm9TegNsOXgZWZI0ktpLlm4UBMbA/s974/Picture2.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="974" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiuVfuXKXWqeQ-4tmddv5yvPZSCsd6_nD_LdlTgH-n0OjHY729HNzMY8f2LIq9ZxARviJrTr-E7Fr-I_EfkB1h9YGgHb_a-eD-G5HgF2jAe35ccBoFJxnMLyFLUO1ZM8XvARnVvh41ntfTCXf46p_DGIcBOMZr3Kpm9TegNsOXgZWZI0ktpLlm4UBMbA/w605-h246/Picture2.png" width="605" /></a></div><br /> <br /><br /><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Why was it so cold and wet?</b><br /><br />What caused these conditions? The main culprit was a broad trough of low pressure that was anchored over the Northwest for much of April and parts of May. This pattern tends to steer wet and cold weather systems into Washington.<br /><br />Also, we had La Niña conditions that persisted through the spring. Simply explained, La Niña is below normal sea surface temperature anomalies off the equatorial waters of South America. This pattern usually brings below normal temperatures and above normal precipitation for much of Washington.<br /><br />The map below shows the cool waters off the coasts of South America and Western US (in blue, credit NOAA). In fact, La Niña strengthened this past April. Several meteorologists have suggested that this contributed to the cooler temperatures for Washington.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4jbV36S-EV8MDU4L3yo7BY3jGTQ4Bl0TQ2xj8pixYRye1kEA0_LCl8XXUvE_-ZE8aA-WxNjt_yhgyaFQ4pWySJDFKL-Z0fZpTSB8TIs9sZy2naNDIiwnree3rO7f8EjrpBn9aglEv8Hw4y60CtM6CMMV5bNJiuwhPT6WbX2AD1r3adpI4srWSl4HNEQ/s974/Picture3.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="637" data-original-width="974" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4jbV36S-EV8MDU4L3yo7BY3jGTQ4Bl0TQ2xj8pixYRye1kEA0_LCl8XXUvE_-ZE8aA-WxNjt_yhgyaFQ4pWySJDFKL-Z0fZpTSB8TIs9sZy2naNDIiwnree3rO7f8EjrpBn9aglEv8Hw4y60CtM6CMMV5bNJiuwhPT6WbX2AD1r3adpI4srWSl4HNEQ/w486-h317/Picture3.png" width="486" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div> <br /><br /><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Impacts for Eastern Washington</b><br /><br />Given the cold wet start to the growing season, it is no surprise that Growing Degree Days (GDD) in the Columbia Valley were below normal during the spring and early summer (GDD is a measure if heat accumulation; it is the average temperatures over 50 from April 1st to October 31st). You can see from this Washington State University GDD graph that 2022 started well below the long-term average before slowly moving up toward it.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjONBooK9iGNRF9OuooTDCJNMRKq7gAWqCCecECaisokLu6miFE8iKhVuqmqfCEoB2bBYJQZ-2pVgmRog1MeylHHA3SwLbXKhZIPzgZjsQFQevdGaTixIoWYQhBuKfCZ7IiHcjNP6UFZQo06RRqJ6ivkwWvszoIU3EeonOzWEJQUrpJ8ilU9EPlK2eTwQ/s974/Picture4.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="833" data-original-width="974" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjONBooK9iGNRF9OuooTDCJNMRKq7gAWqCCecECaisokLu6miFE8iKhVuqmqfCEoB2bBYJQZ-2pVgmRog1MeylHHA3SwLbXKhZIPzgZjsQFQevdGaTixIoWYQhBuKfCZ7IiHcjNP6UFZQo06RRqJ6ivkwWvszoIU3EeonOzWEJQUrpJ8ilU9EPlK2eTwQ/w459-h393/Picture4.png" width="459" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Focusing on two regions with readily available data, Walla Walla and Prosser, we see similar trends. The GDD for 2022 is the green line shown below (charts below from Applied Climate Information System ACIS- NOAA). For both regions, you can see through mid-July, the line is close or equal to the red line, which represents the lowest GDD that occurred in 1955. As the season progressed, warmer temperatures moved Growing Degree Days closer to historical averages. Here, the long-term average is shown as the brown line.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3IP_WJ9_zQzPpLbW6O81ivNGCSqkt5AirpBHek_hKS17Y8SJvD6Ydjhz35fDwM5OoUPlOWfhZhNCg2Zm8E7hS6J2X1t5R_LBKmckWabbe7naY_kFt7ho9XhqTTGfUy4-3S0b3ktgtsAOJk8VIpSbDQJIeEL-nzZouQiP73KKwoBtj42EVUk4pJnVP_g/s974/Picture5.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="974" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3IP_WJ9_zQzPpLbW6O81ivNGCSqkt5AirpBHek_hKS17Y8SJvD6Ydjhz35fDwM5OoUPlOWfhZhNCg2Zm8E7hS6J2X1t5R_LBKmckWabbe7naY_kFt7ho9XhqTTGfUy4-3S0b3ktgtsAOJk8VIpSbDQJIeEL-nzZouQiP73KKwoBtj42EVUk4pJnVP_g/w405-h373/Picture5.png" width="405" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3B81A9VVflVDjI55RvWruMdusj-yXT0BDj-Rp6GTqqOOzlL-OadSFsHc1VZdgneXKmyw5tf6gMUNXVb6eJC4B8Btou4q9o-84slgUdivwyYy1qx3qlWB_YMSKVvuxSUT44WH_fNmCVL1m2MTuemmr2MkkMSqCCADQZPCDvutRNQeAzQUtyI1OUCsrSA/s974/Picture6.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="974" height="367" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3B81A9VVflVDjI55RvWruMdusj-yXT0BDj-Rp6GTqqOOzlL-OadSFsHc1VZdgneXKmyw5tf6gMUNXVb6eJC4B8Btou4q9o-84slgUdivwyYy1qx3qlWB_YMSKVvuxSUT44WH_fNmCVL1m2MTuemmr2MkkMSqCCADQZPCDvutRNQeAzQUtyI1OUCsrSA/w398-h367/Picture6.png" width="398" /></a><br /><br /><br />The rainfall chart below for Walla Walla indicates that current precipitation (the green line) was close to the wettest period on record (the blue line) from April to July. Prosser has a similar trend. However it was wetter than the wettest period on record.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5bZ8ja5xZW6TZsxsYcGzraN7PYfl_KTo1Zml8BJy1kHsMraVmHRt4zZixjsKjz4Wl3AxNdV9vIkiWE55kr1-AJDMwh-y70J0WZGs6QBQuoEvEuvIL7ziaSZLkgB83cRNnSiut5LWfGfGxH0BTpevdP9zMPrYjEynP0VB2GgYords8800A-KOYw-A7EA/s974/Picture7.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="974" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5bZ8ja5xZW6TZsxsYcGzraN7PYfl_KTo1Zml8BJy1kHsMraVmHRt4zZixjsKjz4Wl3AxNdV9vIkiWE55kr1-AJDMwh-y70J0WZGs6QBQuoEvEuvIL7ziaSZLkgB83cRNnSiut5LWfGfGxH0BTpevdP9zMPrYjEynP0VB2GgYords8800A-KOYw-A7EA/w393-h362/Picture7.png" width="393" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVHspKu-KrUGXyaagSuezX6uzl8QR1jmjZmmkjPi-fPCCIl_T-HRfFUqLs6Sq4K-7smrBGpBYm4hTJzdw4zXEd08TKBj2VoFxbPMwni963bZpaNk3ACFFbVYDXzFc9xyF7cpI2KttBlPXmCK1Chc3WANUQJ_SsnMKTo3XN-c_bUQz9CUMGyOug_klBew/s974/Picture8.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="974" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVHspKu-KrUGXyaagSuezX6uzl8QR1jmjZmmkjPi-fPCCIl_T-HRfFUqLs6Sq4K-7smrBGpBYm4hTJzdw4zXEd08TKBj2VoFxbPMwni963bZpaNk3ACFFbVYDXzFc9xyF7cpI2KttBlPXmCK1Chc3WANUQJ_SsnMKTo3XN-c_bUQz9CUMGyOug_klBew/w384-h354/Picture8.png" width="384" /></a><br /><br /><br /><b>Warmer summer temperatures arrive</b><br /><br />While the 2022 growing season started out cool and wet, warmer weather in July through mid-August moved Growing Degree Days closer toward the long-term average.<br /><br />In July, Prosser’s average temperature was 3 degrees above normal. Through August 18th, it is 1.8 degrees above normal. For Walla Walla, July was 1.3 degrees above normal, and through August 18th it is 1.8 above normal.<br /><br />Will the recent warm pattern continue for the rest of August? Several forecast models suggest well above normal temperatures for the remainder of the month. The map below shows expected temperatures from August 18th to September 1st will be 7.2F (4C) warmer than average (credit to Tropical Tidbits).<br /><br />As noted recently, many growers currently report being approximately two weeks behind recent years in terms of development. It will be interesting to see during the rest of the growing season if this warming trend continues and if GDD can approach closer to the long-term average.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghU5BhXYu4d0UE-5XqJC-qfB3F1lZ5YCBZz2VfbD_rEIGQDS_E9Go3btovM7rW_IGgyDEtcxf2DfieWWrpaxdTsvZ_gFabQogubbWcFG9M2TcHn9MNYC5q7gPWpT7aaXl9wBsfK8TrGWWIRq_ZdR0U7PYNMZSEii4TR7Jsrzt5q7aHCc-TDYR473Ue-A/s974/Picture9.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="974" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghU5BhXYu4d0UE-5XqJC-qfB3F1lZ5YCBZz2VfbD_rEIGQDS_E9Go3btovM7rW_IGgyDEtcxf2DfieWWrpaxdTsvZ_gFabQogubbWcFG9M2TcHn9MNYC5q7gPWpT7aaXl9wBsfK8TrGWWIRq_ZdR0U7PYNMZSEii4TR7Jsrzt5q7aHCc-TDYR473Ue-A/w474-h295/Picture9.png" width="474" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> <br /><br /><b><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Looking ahead<br /></b><br />Many are also wondering what September might look like. This is more difficult to say. The extended temperature forecast out to 14 days generally can be accurate. However forecast out to 30 days are less so.<br /><br />For these extended 30 day outlooks, many meteorologists look at the Climate Forecast System (CFS), which is data from NOAA. At present, the outlook for much of September is temperatures will generally be above normal.<br /><br />However, there are several cooler air masses that will briefly move for cooler temperatures. The map below indicates below normal temperatures for September 14th (from Pivotal Weather; 2 meter AGL is temperatures 6.6 feet above ground level).<br /><br />In this case, temperature in dark blue is forecast to be 10 degrees below normal. However, according to the CFS forecast, this cooler system should be short lived.<br /><br />In truth, only time will tell exactly what September holds.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif3WUh-5Lg19K8qmPCzC4BVwWi7RGHHHsCQQQBYNsHF7mXaXGPGiJovTaFnlKhmnZH1GwWxdI_lri98kR5zHYhBKqV8Ar8s7qIEmulwjlmq4koHJ5brrY_c7Dp7MbSxCQISDmypMOlFZgMV3XDO_Kpsuj99xtAtOQEG7koxxKm7xHqzfEExUEh-D650A/s974/Picture10.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="752" data-original-width="974" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif3WUh-5Lg19K8qmPCzC4BVwWi7RGHHHsCQQQBYNsHF7mXaXGPGiJovTaFnlKhmnZH1GwWxdI_lri98kR5zHYhBKqV8Ar8s7qIEmulwjlmq4koHJ5brrY_c7Dp7MbSxCQISDmypMOlFZgMV3XDO_Kpsuj99xtAtOQEG7koxxKm7xHqzfEExUEh-D650A/w445-h343/Picture10.png" width="445" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p> </p>Sean P. Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03097365383701360215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6303461938563467286.post-49412364004547653842022-08-12T13:10:00.000-07:002022-10-03T12:28:39.185-07:00A Toast! To Washington wine<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_FnPc--G1rcGYXjCUETgPfxkL0yzks8LmtW2mQ7-m8J_v1IjtBlXNgRzHmu7wMlPXV5gaulv2IRd9liRulb0PPuqI-X-iHlIxYeeVYXxt_qXhzw9LXp9TFTviLD5UmYgbAfQc1feYFTO1O4NFdW3VSiCEdykba5u7N8spmMnlg2L7Gx2i8iUrLszP/s1129/Auction%20of%20Washington%20Wines%20Toast%20Awards%202022.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1129" data-original-width="1125" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_FnPc--G1rcGYXjCUETgPfxkL0yzks8LmtW2mQ7-m8J_v1IjtBlXNgRzHmu7wMlPXV5gaulv2IRd9liRulb0PPuqI-X-iHlIxYeeVYXxt_qXhzw9LXp9TFTviLD5UmYgbAfQc1feYFTO1O4NFdW3VSiCEdykba5u7N8spmMnlg2L7Gx2i8iUrLszP/s320/Auction%20of%20Washington%20Wines%20Toast%20Awards%202022.jpg" width="319" /></a></div>I am beyond humbled to have been recognized with a Toast! Award for ‘Wine Industry Champion’ as part of this year's <a href="http://auctionofwawines.org/"><b>Auction of Washington Wines</b></a>. The Auction is in its 35th year and has raised over $55M to provide money for <b><a href="https://auctionofwawines.org/our-impact/seattle-childrens-hospital/">Seattle Children's Hospital</a></b>, <b><a href="https://auctionofwawines.org/our-impact/washington-state-university-viticulture-enology-program/">Washington State University's Viticulture & Enology program</a></b>, and the <b><a href="https://auctionofwawines.org/industry-grant/">Auction of Washington Wines' Industry Grant</a></b>. <p></p><div><br /></div><div>Each year the Auction has recognized an honorary grower and vintner. This year the Auction expanded the award program and created an event to celebrate honorees, taking place on August 11th. </div><div><br /></div><div>Auction executive director Jamie Peha wrote “This evening we recognize individuals and organizations who have given the best of themselves to ensure the on-going success of the industry. From those who have put Washington state on the world stage to get us to where we are today, to the next generation who will build on these successes and lead us into the future.” Recipients were nominated and final selections were made by a judging committee of industry peers.<br /><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfYJC4uhP9mmDOKbrKiePHClDqiaVwLCvgd50n9NGI_F4PgQ6RlmO95Yw3umK_XObBvXYqBBT2Vw-vzr1YhlBEsHC31auxDQEKgJCS3_R4Jhea_oAPsPpPs_ykXUGIeY_BS3RtYqsNRMqzB22f2yQjihFCdvCYjK5x09k4pLPfQir3x0fw7okp0ydL/s3078/IMG_2367%202.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3078" data-original-width="2933" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfYJC4uhP9mmDOKbrKiePHClDqiaVwLCvgd50n9NGI_F4PgQ6RlmO95Yw3umK_XObBvXYqBBT2Vw-vzr1YhlBEsHC31auxDQEKgJCS3_R4Jhea_oAPsPpPs_ykXUGIeY_BS3RtYqsNRMqzB22f2yQjihFCdvCYjK5x09k4pLPfQir3x0fw7okp0ydL/w318-h334/IMG_2367%202.jpg" width="318" /></a></div>Congratulations to the <b><a href="https://auctionofwawines.org/toast/">other individuals who were recognized</a></b>: Bob Betz (Lifetime Achievement Award); Dick Boushey (Award of Distinction); Kevin Corliss (Honorary Grower); John Bookwalter (Honorary Vintner); Chateau Ste Michelle (Auction of Washington Wines Star Award); <b><a href="https://www.wawinegrowers.org/">Washington Winegrowers</a></b> (Healthy Land, Healthy Communities); Senator Kurtis King and Representative Larry Springer (Martin Clubb Washington Wine Hero Award); Patrick Rawn (Vine to Wine); Lacey Lybecker, Sadie Drury, Andrew Januik, and Shae Frichette (Emerging Leaders); and honorary chairs Marchese Piero Antinori (Marchesi Antinori SpA), Renzo Cotarella (Marchesi Antinori SpA), and Marvin Shanken (Wine Spectator).<br /><br />Below are the remarks that I prepared in accepting the award. To those in the industry who weren't at the event, these words are for you. What I said at the time varied slightly, but both came from the heart.<br /><br />* * *<br /><br />It’s a long time ago now, but in the year 2000 I moved to Seattle from Boston, leaving behind a career in medicine and research. I can honestly say I had no idea what I was going to do next.<br /><br />If you had told me then that pretty soon I would be spending all my time writing about Washington wine, I would never have believed it. I didn’t even know Washington made wine and didn’t know anything about wine other than I liked to drink it occasionally. If you told me that today I would be standing here in front of you all receiving an award for that work, I wouldn’t have believed that either.<br /><br />But almost immediately after moving to the Northwest I began a love affair with Washington wine. I was captivated by the youth of the region and by the sense of possibility.<br /><br />I was captivated by the quality of the wines I was tasting, yes. But most of all I was captivated by the people, their stories, and their passion for what they were doing.<br /><br />So in 2004 I started writing about and reviewing wines under the name Washington Wine Report. Today, 18 years later, I continue to be driven by people growing, making, and marketing wine in this state. By the people who have made Washington’s industry what it is today and what it will be tomorrow.<br /><br />And that is all of you. The truth is, I would not be up here today if it were not for each of you.<br /><br />You inspired me when I first moved out here 22 years ago looking for a new direction in my life. You continue to inspire me today. Not just the wines you make but the people that you are.<br /><br />You are truly the ones deserving recognition. I have merely been the messenger telling your stories. But telling those stories has been the greatest privilege of my life.<br /><br />Thank you all for letting me into your cellars, for walking with me in your vineyards, and for sharing your stories and your passion.<br /><br />Thank you for listening to me talk endlessly about cork taint, wine temperature, and smoke impact. Thank you for letting me ride along with you on the journey of Washington wine.<br /><br />I want to thank my wife Annie for her love and support. I also want to thank my friend Patrick Skillings who unknowingly launched my wine writing career by sharing my reviews with some friends. Thank you to the people who nominated me for this award. I’m truly grateful.<br /><br />Please, keep making the wines and I promise to keep telling your stories and keep championing Washington wine. Thank you so much!<br /><br />* * *<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZL37jwyq17PJRFlS8fnHESMZ6JINsZgARzDV8Fl7RACqv3Dk7xn295B2XjVQPrDt5JupIpIYKRglBLnvELRlOxraoC80TbmJULmuDzlH6blG4rICHOOVGSbZJW4-ffJyrUHGPRkEwqDGfRUmpsChL1ieHvAb9JbCKAP5uEjHvBlSO7ANUOCayScAq/s3483/IMG_3490.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2581" data-original-width="3483" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZL37jwyq17PJRFlS8fnHESMZ6JINsZgARzDV8Fl7RACqv3Dk7xn295B2XjVQPrDt5JupIpIYKRglBLnvELRlOxraoC80TbmJULmuDzlH6blG4rICHOOVGSbZJW4-ffJyrUHGPRkEwqDGfRUmpsChL1ieHvAb9JbCKAP5uEjHvBlSO7ANUOCayScAq/w409-h303/IMG_3490.JPG" width="409" /></a></div>Pictured here from left to right: Curtis King (Senator, Washington), Shane Collins (Washington Winegrowers), David Dearie (Chateau Ste Michelle), Kevin Corliss (Ste Michelle Wine Estates), Lacey Lybecker (Cairdeas Winery), Andrew Januik (Januik, Andrew Januik), Larry Springer (Representative (Washington), Patrick Rawn (Two Mountain Winery), Bob Betz, MW, Dick Boushey (Boushey Vineyards), Shae Frichette (Frichette), Renzo Cotarella (Marchesi Antinor SpA), Vicky Scharlau (Washington Winegrowers), Sean Sullivan (Washington Wine Report), and John Bookwalter (J. Bookwalter). Picture by Annie Sullivan.</div>Sean P. Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03097365383701360215noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6303461938563467286.post-11259484796572786202022-08-04T14:03:00.000-07:002022-10-03T12:28:39.204-07:00Veraison begins in Columbia Valley<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCAzC_db_19HAV8rgor-KaTOhceRgplTV8ma6zfpIav5ZOqiVCTMWbeDTqsYnTuVQ3TGduCfTmj6kzobfxJGsPpFFx9dnZnnPY-vr22x25kUgq6WKtmPsiPG4CKVCwFyDW3oHc1yUbe3GE7kVk72WPpjOZMfRkmWrq0tvhVkvutKh-YldggDe3JHJXDw/s1247/Veraison%20courtesy%20of%20Phil%20Cline.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1247" data-original-width="987" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCAzC_db_19HAV8rgor-KaTOhceRgplTV8ma6zfpIav5ZOqiVCTMWbeDTqsYnTuVQ3TGduCfTmj6kzobfxJGsPpFFx9dnZnnPY-vr22x25kUgq6WKtmPsiPG4CKVCwFyDW3oHc1yUbe3GE7kVk72WPpjOZMfRkmWrq0tvhVkvutKh-YldggDe3JHJXDw/s320/Veraison%20courtesy%20of%20Phil%20Cline.jpg" width="253" /></a></p>Growers in Washington are seeing the start of veraison, the changing of color of the grapes. This means the beginning of harvest will soon be at hand.<div><br /><div><div>Sager Small at <b><a href="https://www.woodwardcanyon.com/">Woodward Canyon Winery</a></b> in Walla Walla Valley saw veraison in the winery’s estate Cabernet Sauvignon on July 27th/28th. Small says the 2022 growing season has been two to three weeks behind recent years, but last month's high heat brought it closer to two weeks.<br /><br />Grower Phil Cline saw veraison in Cabernet Sauvignon at Equus Vineyard, pictured here, on August 3rd. Equus is located in Columbia Valley east of Yakima. Cline concurs that the season is currently running two weeks behind recent years.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://shawvineyards.com/">Shaw Vineyards</a></b>, which farms sites throughout Columbia Valley, has reported seeing <b><a href="https://www.instagram.com/shawvineyardswa/">veraison at two Red Mountain locations</a></b> - Shaw 32 Cabernet Sauvignon on August 3rd and Quintessence Syrah on August 2nd. </div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, at Weinbau Vineyard on the Wahluke Slope, <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Sagemoor/">grower Miguel Rodriguez saw veraison</a></b> in Block 9 Merlot on August 3rd.<br /><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8BsosTSMaP_JBHiI73ta_nkTO9aynfXEj38uPJDyKAeTKfHiNZtcqNGewuKLIN4RcNcN9X7ThxhZdOYiLEFEN_-x-SIG8ZSTwN6VJSEwszZtfAGRY20HG-_PZJac2KbPxBIuxItcF6oGyWMJ_Pj8cnMSeY3EzFBC15I24snOt0_pFrSREh73fI3Zi8g/s2048/WSU%20Growing%20Degree%20Days%20Summer%202022.gif" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1645" data-original-width="2048" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8BsosTSMaP_JBHiI73ta_nkTO9aynfXEj38uPJDyKAeTKfHiNZtcqNGewuKLIN4RcNcN9X7ThxhZdOYiLEFEN_-x-SIG8ZSTwN6VJSEwszZtfAGRY20HG-_PZJac2KbPxBIuxItcF6oGyWMJ_Pj8cnMSeY3EzFBC15I24snOt0_pFrSREh73fI3Zi8g/s320/WSU%20Growing%20Degree%20Days%20Summer%202022.gif" width="320" /></a>A look at Washington State University’s <b><a href="https://wine.wsu.edu/extension/weather/growing-degree-days/">graph of Growing Degree Days</a></b>, a measure of heat accumulation during the growing season, shows that spring was quite cool, tracking with the 2011 vintage. Warmer temperatures in July moved heat accumulation close to the long-term average.<br /><br />With August, September, and October still ahead, much of the story of this year's growing season remains to be written.</div></div></div>Sean P. Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03097365383701360215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6303461938563467286.post-79454888327705502602022-07-21T20:40:00.000-07:002022-10-03T12:28:39.224-07:00Les Collines distinguishes itself with grapes, place, and people<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-oMOgG4u95rCmJo0wNigrF9aWBmSs4Tg6WtjugLyeiAMsBLipeLtzIhl7nFJRrHbpNHA4UEofXO9cXrHAu0XlAfkGEeEH0AJeNQe78U1TJiSX8zpvi7JTwxjsNEiqCq9S6HcBHpaYRkaCxsrlNTAyeeFD47owQ3d_lLJ-RgrUyTns79M2QNzKmWb74w/s2380/Les%20Collines%20Vineyard.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1180" data-original-width="2380" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-oMOgG4u95rCmJo0wNigrF9aWBmSs4Tg6WtjugLyeiAMsBLipeLtzIhl7nFJRrHbpNHA4UEofXO9cXrHAu0XlAfkGEeEH0AJeNQe78U1TJiSX8zpvi7JTwxjsNEiqCq9S6HcBHpaYRkaCxsrlNTAyeeFD47owQ3d_lLJ-RgrUyTns79M2QNzKmWb74w/w512-h254/Les%20Collines%20Vineyard.jpg" width="512" /></a></p><b><a href="https://lescollinesvineyard.com/">Les Collines Vineyard</a></b> sits like a sentinel at the base of the Blue Mountains. The Walla Walla Valley stretches out to the west. On a clear day, the views extend all the way to the Tri-Cities. If wine grapes truly do like a view, they couldn’t do much better.<br /><br />“On an aesthetic level, it's a gorgeous site,” says vineyard manager Brad Sorensen. “It seems like a very natural place to grow grapes.” Sorensen spent 14 years managing vineyards in Sonoma and Napa Valley – including sites for stalwarts <b><a href="https://farniente.com/">Far Niente</a></b> and <b><a href="https://www.paulhobbswinery.com/">Paul Hobbs</a></b> – before taking over managing Les Collines in 2018.<br /><br />French for ‘the foothills,’ Les Collines was established in 2001. At 212 planted acres, Sorensen says it is the largest contiguous vineyard in Walla Walla Valley. The entire site itself is close to 300 acres. 19 varieties are planted, with fruit going to 50+ wineries.<br /><br />Les Collines’ location by the Blue Mountains gives it two distinct advantages growing wine grapes. The first is its elevation, which ranges from a high of 1,370 feet in the southeast corner down to a low of 1,140 feet in the northwest corner. This is higher than many valley vineyards.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpuJv6h2TXA-J2F977m8iMw6caaKdmpWYEOBN59SB58Ht5E2cBhgwMB3asPXuZLDamZ1GxPTUD2lpzU2y_bB2hNi1OmnULnqbgzuJ2VIB7ATy2BnWqpUkazVB2BBMhSmBmpic1l7PkxcX0nVPd9UyD8ki92W9G1kqqsMJbHmhhWyGM6zmFEZq1jcRGRw/s900/06-09-22-9782.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="900" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpuJv6h2TXA-J2F977m8iMw6caaKdmpWYEOBN59SB58Ht5E2cBhgwMB3asPXuZLDamZ1GxPTUD2lpzU2y_bB2hNi1OmnULnqbgzuJ2VIB7ATy2BnWqpUkazVB2BBMhSmBmpic1l7PkxcX0nVPd9UyD8ki92W9G1kqqsMJbHmhhWyGM6zmFEZq1jcRGRw/w434-h289/06-09-22-9782.jpg" width="434" /></a></div>The vineyard’s higher elevation means that, during the heat of the afternoon, Les Collines is typically two to seven degrees Fahrenheit cooler than lower elevation sites in the valley. Meanwhile Les Collines is warmer than lower elevations during the evening, as cool air flows down to lower parts of the valley. The site’s proximity to the Blue Mountains also means it takes the sun longer to reach the vineyard in the morning.<div><br />“It takes longer to get to that peak temperature,” says Kelsey Itämeri, owner and winemaker at <b><a href="https://itawinery.com/">Itä Wines</a></b>. “Even that little bit of lack of direct sunlight will help mitigate the hot, hot, hot days.” Les Collines’ gentle slope also allows cool air to drain, helping to protect against frosts and freezes.</div><div><br />The second advantage Les Collines gains from its proximity to the Blue Mountains is increased annual precipitation. Les Collines receives an average of 22 inches of precipitation per year - enough that the vineyard could be dry farmed. In contrast, vineyards in the western edge of the valley might receive a mere eight.<br /><br />“We irrigate, some years twice just to make ourselves feel better,” says Sorensen with a laugh. “You go to other parts of the state, if you don't start irrigating and continue throughout the entire year, you don't have a vineyard.”<br /><br />The soils at Les Collines are deep loess – windblown sand and silt that has accumulated over thousands of years. These soils retain enough moisture to keep vines healthy while allowing the rest to drain away.<br /><br />“It has a really, really deep topsoil,” says Brandon Moss, partner and co-winemaker at <b><a href="https://gramercycellars.com/">Gramercy Cellars</a></b>, which started using Les Collines Vineyard fruit in its first vintage in 2005. In fact, founder Greg Harrington credits Les Collines with inspiring him to quit his job and move to Washington to make wine.<br /><br />While the entire site has loess topsoil, the lower reaches of Les Collines sit below the highest of the Missoula Floods – a series of cataclysmic events that inundated everything 1,200 feet and below in the Columbia Basin with water thousands of years ago. As a result, there are Missoula Flood gravels underneath the loess at lower locations.<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU6BngTvcrnq9DY6kh72WlpQMd1-mBQuEcdsV2RqW7g8FiJg-1qPS2c6R1UATsnVk0ST9DdlKOJjH6DIAlpXtGcOAqvb-xPo3YjOuEqOsO3vKD1xZaRg9JE1LZUULn4C93QQ0VX9dE_nLRGEMOyXB5x-G-nuVxipKjmjMO0ybY5YqZbfYFNKlEXOtrTA/s900/06-09-22-9508.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="900" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU6BngTvcrnq9DY6kh72WlpQMd1-mBQuEcdsV2RqW7g8FiJg-1qPS2c6R1UATsnVk0ST9DdlKOJjH6DIAlpXtGcOAqvb-xPo3YjOuEqOsO3vKD1xZaRg9JE1LZUULn4C93QQ0VX9dE_nLRGEMOyXB5x-G-nuVxipKjmjMO0ybY5YqZbfYFNKlEXOtrTA/w433-h289/06-09-22-9508.jpg" width="433" /></a></div>Syrah is the second most planted variety at Les Collines but is the one that has received the most notoriety. The variety has produced top quality, vineyard-designated wines from Gramercy, <b><a href="https://www.wtvintners.com/">WT Vintners</a></b>, <b><a href="https://www.amavicellars.com/">Amavi</a></b>, <b><a href="https://kerloocellars.com/">Kerloo</a></b>, and others.<br /><br />“It's always has this profound nose of violets,” Moss says of Les Collines Syrah. “It's a very floral, pungent, violet aroma.” This is no doubt a hallmark of Les Collines. The site’s higher elevation and cooler temperatures also produce a signature.<br /><br />“The greatest thing about Les Collines is when we pick, the acid numbers are just perfect, right around 6.2 to 6.5 grams per liter,” says Moss. “You just don't have to intervene as much in what the vines are doing.”<br /><br />Jean-François Pellet, director of winemaking at Amavi and <b><a href="https://www.pepperbridge.com/">Pepper Bridge</a></b> (and partner at the latter), agrees that part of what makes Les Collines special is its ability to hold acidity. “Sometimes we wait a little for a little higher ripeness, but it’s not about ripeness,” Pellet says. “Sometimes it’s to get the acid down.”<br /><br />While the vineyard has to date been largely known for its red wines, whites can also excel at Les Collines. Itä makes compelling examples of Semillon from the site.<br /><br />“It has a dynamism to it,” Itämeri says of Les Collines. “I think it's a really beautiful fit for the style that I'm going for.”<br /><br />Les Collines’ white offerings are expanding. Sorensen recently planted Marsanne, Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, Viognier, and Picpoul (with the Picpoul planted for Gramercy).<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxT9HYqKkyhJEl_VEYN-2AJVgeO_8yODxgrCCApeydZJt9j8ynREmgc3ZmmOJZ0nW8YTCz2orycVARR4EBl-tRaCDH0FqSxqvZUe-2uj9uoBqyC2gztZCp8wfK_oe-yPHEFrwLP9jw3X59NQyNBWroFDnHaBUkHRe0RHsDtpYrDcCSj0a-q2BKaW5dMg/s1024/09-09-15-6581.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="681" data-original-width="1024" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxT9HYqKkyhJEl_VEYN-2AJVgeO_8yODxgrCCApeydZJt9j8ynREmgc3ZmmOJZ0nW8YTCz2orycVARR4EBl-tRaCDH0FqSxqvZUe-2uj9uoBqyC2gztZCp8wfK_oe-yPHEFrwLP9jw3X59NQyNBWroFDnHaBUkHRe0RHsDtpYrDcCSj0a-q2BKaW5dMg/w440-h293/09-09-15-6581.jpg" width="440" /></a></div>“It's been historically such a red place, but I think we're particularly suited to aromatic whites,” Sorensen says.<br /><br />A substantial portion of the vineyard has been deliberately left as a habitat for native animals. “It’s right next to the wild,” Sorensen says. “We have moose come down the creek and elk and mountain lions and all this great diversity.”<br /><br />There is a firm focus on sustainability. Les Collines is certified Salmon Safe and is also Low Input Viticulture and Enology (LIVE) certified. Mechanical tilling is done and no herbicides are used.<br /><br />“My barometer for a spray program is, I used to live in the middle of Paul Hobbs vineyard with my family, and it's like anything I don’t feel comfortable using around my kids, I don’t use,” Sorensen says.<br /><br />As more winemakers and consumers pay attention to not just how wine tastes but how it’s grown, this approach will surely become increasingly important. “They're not just all about making high quality grapes, no matter the cost,” says Itämeri. “They, for lack of a better term, give a shit. That really matters to me. Because I also give a shit.”<br /><br />Over the last 20 years, Les Collines has firmly established itself as a premier vineyard. However, with many vines now reaching 20+ years of age, the vineyard is really just stretching its legs.<br /><br />“It’s a special place,” Sorensen says.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Top image courtesy of Les Collines Vineyard. Make sure to visit the vineyard's <b><a href="https://pictogon.com/s?id=f29002bc">interactive map here</a></b>. All other images by Richard Duval.</span></div></div>Sean P. Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03097365383701360215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6303461938563467286.post-72124136302200190142022-07-15T18:37:00.000-07:002022-10-03T12:28:39.242-07:00A visit to the Royal Slope appellation<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1EhlNICOuSoS6vWNUzGVeH42NudUHSARPdg3hriw3fYUXaRE2j69ELStJLkYrykSa_5VaMD_EO9W5kKVsI-PKyhvTGPeZ1jGHbAb3DAPJZKmz8zhXz_Htbi_Dol_B1ME35boTaFFAmcZiFngSGHBrxHsiQ0OgMXJrMgWiJ2_CZbJfpWdA9AitbTEyDQ/s3977/Royal%20Slope%20Appellation.heic" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2844" data-original-width="3977" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1EhlNICOuSoS6vWNUzGVeH42NudUHSARPdg3hriw3fYUXaRE2j69ELStJLkYrykSa_5VaMD_EO9W5kKVsI-PKyhvTGPeZ1jGHbAb3DAPJZKmz8zhXz_Htbi_Dol_B1ME35boTaFFAmcZiFngSGHBrxHsiQ0OgMXJrMgWiJ2_CZbJfpWdA9AitbTEyDQ/w423-h303/Royal%20Slope%20Appellation.heic" width="423" /></a></p>On Thursday, July 7th, I took a day trip out to the Royal Slope. Though grapes have been grown in the area since the 1980s, Royal Slope <a href="https://www.winemag.com/2020/09/03/royal-slope-ava-washington/"><b>only recently received appellation status</b></a>, becoming Washington’s 15th federally approved growing region in 2020. In a sign of Washington’s fast moving times, the state now has 20 approved appellations, the most recent of which was<b><a href="https://www.wawinereport.com/2022/06/rocky-reach-in-depth-look-at.html"> Rocky Reach in June</a></b>. Others are currently proposed.<div><br />Royal Slope is one of the nearest of eastern Washington’s appellations for those living in the Seattle area. <br />Visiting Royal Slope, two things are immediately apparent. The first is where it gets its name. Legend has it that a pair of Scotsmen climbed the Saddle Mountains and remarked on the slope’s majesty, giving the area its moniker. The same pronouncement surely holds true today, with the broad slope providing a sense of majesty.<br /><br />The second is how extensively planted the area is. Royal Slope grows just about everything. There are vineyards, orchards, row crops, and circle crops as far as the eye can see. All of this is made possible by irrigation in this otherwise arid region (Royal Slope receives an average of 6 to 8 inches of precipitation annually, the same as the larger Columbia Valley of which it is a sub-appellation). On this day, my wife and I almost had a sense that we were alone, with few other cars or even people in sight, save the occasional agricultural worker.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0aaEECKvFGMHRmTihh3KaegdST_3_jPD2YtNfOR2uve3Th7jjtGQQIvsxkrGHx8d7VI1RZntHY0SZweWc4cX5ojVP1mdgGLlK0uXjiGMyeMpjC_bk0V7vcn6gkNdnZxelxe_jRHJLhqWrrIJE2gBKcGi3SXVWTr5iLZvNca43u3iyqU3de8rymFX4Iw/s3834/Ed%20Kelly%20Stillwater%20Creek%20Vineyard.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2876" data-original-width="3834" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0aaEECKvFGMHRmTihh3KaegdST_3_jPD2YtNfOR2uve3Th7jjtGQQIvsxkrGHx8d7VI1RZntHY0SZweWc4cX5ojVP1mdgGLlK0uXjiGMyeMpjC_bk0V7vcn6gkNdnZxelxe_jRHJLhqWrrIJE2gBKcGi3SXVWTr5iLZvNca43u3iyqU3de8rymFX4Iw/w369-h277/Ed%20Kelly%20Stillwater%20Creek%20Vineyard.jpg" width="369" /></a></div>Our first stop of the day was at <b><a href="https://www.stillwatercreekvineyard.com/">Stillwater Creek Vineyard</a></b> to visit with vineyard manager Ed Kelly, pictured here. Kelly began a long and distinguished career grapegrowing in 1982 at <b><a href="https://www.mtveeder.com/">Mount Veeder Winery</a></b>. After two decades farming top level sites in California, Kelly moved to Washington with the intent to retire. However, life always has other plans. In 2011, he joined the Stillwater Creek team as vineyard manager. Kelly says he still intends to retire in the next few years but also gives every indication of someone who will stay involved in farming long after that.<br /><br />“This is the most unique AVA I’ve ever worked in,” Kelly says of Royal Slope. “I think it produces more great vintages than anywhere in the world.”<br /><br />Just looking at Royal Slope, one can see its tremendous physical advantages: a long, broad, generally south-facing slope; a range of elevations and aspects; and proximity to the Columbia River.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmoKCCAPebBF5HFnN-MC55hWMh_z5pbEQUzXuDoWJdpqMVyYjRxIgofRxjJGxjQhmdYiSXRjqVz5mh17hEEMcU6WEDcLHvXKiGl2dSxMm1JiKwaPP314TpMLD8vBxiR32jaSSM11sexps4SAkGVg_bWO-gPGb48bVpGfZ-6CczvDTJR1USy6tainJDUg/s4032/Cabernet%20Sauvignon%20Stillwater%20Creek%20July%207%202022.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmoKCCAPebBF5HFnN-MC55hWMh_z5pbEQUzXuDoWJdpqMVyYjRxIgofRxjJGxjQhmdYiSXRjqVz5mh17hEEMcU6WEDcLHvXKiGl2dSxMm1JiKwaPP314TpMLD8vBxiR32jaSSM11sexps4SAkGVg_bWO-gPGb48bVpGfZ-6CczvDTJR1USy6tainJDUg/s320/Cabernet%20Sauvignon%20Stillwater%20Creek%20July%207%202022.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Stillwater itself is approximately 230 planted acres and sources fruit to about 40 wineries, most prominently Novelty Hill, where the vineyard’s fruit makes up the majority of production. Mike Januik, founder of <b><a href="https://www.noveltyhilljanuik.com/">Januik Winery</a></b> in Woodinville and winemaker at Novelty Hill, worked with the Alberg family to plant Stillwater in 2000.<br /><br />Kelly has focused much of his career on building soil structure at his sites, and so he has at Stillwater. “Better soil structure leads to better wines,” he says.<br /><br />2022 has thus far been a cool year relative to the last 10. It was shocking to see just how far behind fruit development was from recent years, with clusters looking more like mid-June than the end of the first week of July (see image of Cabernet Sauvignon). Kelly estimates Stillwater is three weeks behind recent years – substantial but not anything that can’t be made up over the course of the growing season.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnufPIiw71iVtPX19RWU7mXmwA95lsqsM9CH7KlP3FxuC8KiP-_SAidFSrC25_9LtntCK1DAd7jOzbCFUcjBhHhvPRnL02dE-mRW3K8xcjWSwLH1cewIatr9w1VOi0J0goiSG_CcW3Q2DJnHhrvpRFoviMJ9YVuQki6EefPYg1ISRr7PVRJZ9vn_-nVw/s4032/Alex%20Stewart%20(right)%20and%20Jesse%20Schmidt%20Matthews%20Winery.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnufPIiw71iVtPX19RWU7mXmwA95lsqsM9CH7KlP3FxuC8KiP-_SAidFSrC25_9LtntCK1DAd7jOzbCFUcjBhHhvPRnL02dE-mRW3K8xcjWSwLH1cewIatr9w1VOi0J0goiSG_CcW3Q2DJnHhrvpRFoviMJ9YVuQki6EefPYg1ISRr7PVRJZ9vn_-nVw/s320/Alex%20Stewart%20(right)%20and%20Jesse%20Schmidt%20Matthews%20Winery.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>From Stillwater, my wife and I continued on to Solaksen Vineyard to meet with Alex Stewart (right) and Jesse Schmidt, two thirds of the <b><a href="https://www.wawinereport.com/2021/07/woodinvilles-matthews-winery-announces.html">new winemaking team</a></b> at <a href="https://matthewswinery.com/" style="font-weight: bold;">Matthews Winery</a>. Hal Iverson makes up third of the trio. Matthews receives about 35% of its fruit from Royal Slope.</div><div><br />Solaksen is <b><a href="https://lawrencevineyards.com/">Lawrence Vineyards</a></b> property. The site is located at the top of the Frenchman Hills, with elevations ranging from 1,430 to 1,490 feet – high by eastern Washington’s current grape growing standards. The vineyard is spaced seven foot by three foot, with the plantings off axis (the name is a Norwegian-inspired term for "off-axis from the sun). Matthews sources six clones of Cabernet Sauvignon from the site, as well as Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir. Stewart says a number of things separate Solaksen. <br /><br />"Foremost, the intention of planning the vineyard: the high elevation, off-axis to which it is planted, vine density, and the diversity of clones per varietal,” he says “Add in the attention to each vine by the stellar crew there, and you have the recipe for some outstanding fruit.”<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>In Royal Slope in general, what I’ve been most impressed by as a critic is the large diversity in top quality wine I have had from the region. I have had exciting Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Grenache, Chardonnay, Roussanne, Riesling, Viognier, Cabernet Franc, and sparkling wine from Royal Slope. Traveling across the appellation on this day, the area’s diversity was apparent, with large differences in the maturity of fruit within and between sites and also substantial differences in elevation.</div><div><br />A quick stop at Stoneridge Vineyard was next on the list. Stoneridge is best known for a series of wines from K Vintners/Charles Smith over the years. The vineyard has a distinct earthy/savory profile that is found across all of the wines, regardless of variety.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFSu9b16-TvlrFpCZl73FrIdbY55EkrW2DkbC6yI6CCFcpqhuT36fRT26IP6Q5hKyxxtdUGtUkl_1rnne5Uy7dlDK0pMjAYjqrX8BZnVCU_hi2M4_jzGlVWZskz7Qwh82gI9sDzCMqqhuAS1on_pD9gy87MVqmQQq3ggvjQpY8pLLGEIpAiPz5BrkrQ/s4032/Stoneridge%20Vineyard.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFSu9b16-TvlrFpCZl73FrIdbY55EkrW2DkbC6yI6CCFcpqhuT36fRT26IP6Q5hKyxxtdUGtUkl_1rnne5Uy7dlDK0pMjAYjqrX8BZnVCU_hi2M4_jzGlVWZskz7Qwh82gI9sDzCMqqhuAS1on_pD9gy87MVqmQQq3ggvjQpY8pLLGEIpAiPz5BrkrQ/s320/Stoneridge%20Vineyard.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Like many esteemed vineyards in eastern Washington, Stoneridge is unassuming. It’s closer to the Saddle Mountains and is clearly a considerably warmer site than previous stops based on fruit development. The soils are sandy with fractured basalt. It almost looks like you’re at the beach.<br /><br />We finished up the day making a side trip outside of the Royal Slope appellation to Conner Lee Vineyard. In my mind, Conner Lee is now the most highly regarded Columbia Valley vineyard that does not sit within one of the nested appellations. Perhaps in time, this area too will receive its own appellation status.<br /><br />Conner-Lee has made its mark over the years with thrilling Chardonnays from Buty (which sadly <b><a href="https://www.wawinereport.com/2022/01/walla-wallas-buty-winery-to-close.html">closed its doors earlier this year</a></b>), <b><a href="https://www.bookwalterwines.com/">Bookwalter</a></b>, <b><a href="http://www.gormanwinery.com/">Gorman</a></b>, <b><a href="https://sightglasscellars.com/">Sightglass</a></b>, <b><a href="https://valocellars.com/">Valo</a></b>, and others. The site was established in 1980 by Dick and Louise Owings under the direction of Dr. Walter Clore, recognized by the state as the “<b><a href="https://www.historylink.org/file/20960">father of the Washington wine industry</a></b>.” Conner Lee receives its name from Rhoady Lee and Bill Conner, who joined as partners in the vineyard. The vineyard was <b><a href="https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/212820/">purchased by Josh Lawrence and Tom Merkle in 2019</a></b>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1GgNhJZfKQ99JNauTtPx5DPyUw7TS8WUCrFEvMjSwTAPXIKb6MRd3TVpBErlfkGfdEEj5hSad3A80F8a9OIu3sPRdDF_l0TFnb55U8El7ge6iSdZ0yd_89ZxFt4hojIXgEjtfJ7Rq9UYS10cszZ_lVih50RMMfdNJ531rPfb1JV4aZ6D76LH998ZpTg/s4032/Pinot%20Noir%20Connor%20Lee%20Vineyard%20July%207%202022.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1GgNhJZfKQ99JNauTtPx5DPyUw7TS8WUCrFEvMjSwTAPXIKb6MRd3TVpBErlfkGfdEEj5hSad3A80F8a9OIu3sPRdDF_l0TFnb55U8El7ge6iSdZ0yd_89ZxFt4hojIXgEjtfJ7Rq9UYS10cszZ_lVih50RMMfdNJ531rPfb1JV4aZ6D76LH998ZpTg/s320/Pinot%20Noir%20Connor%20Lee%20Vineyard%20July%207%202022.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Conner Lee sits at an elevation of 1,085 feet to 1,164 feet with loamy fine sand and very fine sandy loam. Bottom line to non-soil scientists: lots and lots of sand.<br /><br />There are 12 varieties planted at Conner Lee, including the increasingly seldom seen Chenin Blanc and the almost never seen Muscadelle. The site is 150 acres, with the Matthews team sourcing Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Pinot Noir. Note how much further along its fruit is in the picture than sites in the Royal Slope, even though Connor Lee is considered a cooler site (however, this is Pinot Noir). <br /><br />Finally, it was time for the drive home, appreciating the occasional streams that along with irrigation, bring agriculture to these areas.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>Sean P. Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03097365383701360215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6303461938563467286.post-38999589201190689092022-06-30T07:33:00.000-07:002022-10-03T12:28:39.263-07:00Moving on from Wine Enthusiast<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi524d1lzIclzaFgYP-mw2ruDAMg60IdA8LGx7y60w4gTWXzJnHCFJ83UXToeXx6S3EWRUFd7zUq0cZv3wq2K5SLwQZC_JDa9ywiklrRPWgF1NxI6Bs_Saqd2zg2-yPHcfDCp3H7h0oD8_ziV2qVVOS90BEFB_hVUZqWv3Xk-HAOG4ecijy-VOrEO6H/s1107/1549468811725.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="738" data-original-width="1107" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi524d1lzIclzaFgYP-mw2ruDAMg60IdA8LGx7y60w4gTWXzJnHCFJ83UXToeXx6S3EWRUFd7zUq0cZv3wq2K5SLwQZC_JDa9ywiklrRPWgF1NxI6Bs_Saqd2zg2-yPHcfDCp3H7h0oD8_ziV2qVVOS90BEFB_hVUZqWv3Xk-HAOG4ecijy-VOrEO6H/w454-h302/1549468811725.jpeg" width="454" /></a></div>After nine and a half years, I am moving on from Wine Enthusiast.<br /><br />I started at the magazine as a contributing editor at the beginning of 2013. Since that time, I have reviewed nearly 13,000 wines and authored over 90 articles for Enthusiast.<br /><br />I began by covering parts of Washington along with Southern Oregon and Idaho. Since the beginning of 2015, I have covered Washington in its entirety. As of this year, I have also been covering all of Oregon and Canada for the magazine.<br /><br />During my tenure, I have tried to cover the regions in my beat to the fullest of my abilities with the passion and integrity required of any critic. Given how fast the Pacific Northwest wine scene is evolving, doing the region justice has been no easy task. This is an extremely exciting time in the region. The wines have never been better than they are today. I have tried to reflect all this. It has been an honor to tell this story to the readers of Wine Enthusiast.<br /><br />It has also been a great privilege to work with some of the finest wine writers and critics in the business over the last nine and a half years. In particular, I want to thank my colleague and friend Paul Gregutt for initially recommending me to Wine Enthusiast. I also want to thank Lauren Buzzeo for hiring me when she was tasting director and then continuing to support me as managing editor and earlier this year as executive editor.<br /><br />Leaving Wine Enthusiast after so long is no doubt bittersweet, and I leave with some business unfinished. I want to offer my sincerest of apologies to producers in Oregon and Canada, who welcomed me with open arms when I took over covering these regions at the beginning of this year and also generously offered me their time over the last six months.<br /><br />As I said to many people when I took the position, I very much understand how disruptive reviewer changes are for wineries and in fact entire wine regions. I do not take such changes lightly. For making another change this quickly, I am truly sorry. However, I guarantee you the time we spent together was not wasted.<br /><br />My reasons for leaving Wine Enthusiast are professional, not personal. Some know I have had health issues over the years. I want everyone to know that my leaving Wine Enthusiast has nothing to do with that. I am fine.<br /><br />I will have more to say about my plans going forward in the future. I will say for now, however, that this is not the end of my time writing about and reviewing Northwest wine. Rather it is the beginning of a new chapter.<br /><br />I intend to continue writing about Pacific Northwest wineries and rating and reviewing the area’s wines as I have for the last 18 years. This includes wines from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia. More to come.<br /><br /><p>Note to producers: My intention is to review and score all wines that have been submitted prior to today’s date for Wine Enthusiast. Please contact me if you have any questions. </p>Sean P. Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03097365383701360215noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6303461938563467286.post-9458952467155385482022-06-27T18:43:00.000-07:002022-10-03T12:28:39.285-07:00One year later, a look back at the Pacific Northwest’s 2021 Heat Dome<p> <span style="font-size: small;">The following article was written by Michael Fagin. Fagin is an operational meteorologist providing weather forecasts to clients in the Pacific Northwest and providing custom forecast for groups climbing </span><b style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://everestweather.com/">Mt. Everest and other major peaks</a></b><span style="font-size: small;">. Michael is also a travel writer with a focus on </span><b style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://travelandweather.com/weather-and-wine/">weather and wine</a></b><span style="font-size: small;">.</span></p><div><div>Anyone who lives in the Pacific Northwest remembers the scorching heat of late June 2021. Poor Seattle, where an estimated 44% of homes have air conditioners, had three consecutive days of temperatures 100+ degree Fahrenheit from June 26th to June 28th. June 28 had a new record of 108 degrees, which is an astonishing 34 degrees above normal.</div><div><div><br />Of course Puget Sound is not in Washington’s main wine growing region. So how hot was it in the Columbia Basin? Hanford, near the center of the basin, officially broke the record for the hottest day ever in Washington at 120 degrees on June 29.<br /><br />How about Oregon? Portland also had three consecutive days of 100+ degrees with an all-time record of 116 on June 28. Salem, in the middle of the state's main growing region, had a record of 117. Oregon tied an all-time high of 119 at Pelton Dam in eastern Oregon.<br /><br /><b>Why was it so hot?</b><br /><br />What caused the extreme temperatures? There were several things going on.<br /><br />First, there was an exceptional, and perhaps record-breaking, strong ridge of high pressure in the upper atmosphere (see map, <b><a href="https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/07/16/21/44858705-9796109-The_sweltering_temperatures_are_being_caused_by_a_heat_dome_of_s-a-37_1626467019854.jpg">photo credit</a></b>). Under these conditions air sinks and compresses and, according to physics, the air mass warms as this happens. Furthermore, there were southeast winds at times that brought in dry, warm air. The bottom line, this all contributed to the record breaking heat.<br /><br /><a href="https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/07/16/21/44858705-9796109-The_sweltering_temperatures_are_being_caused_by_a_heat_dome_of_s-a-37_1626467019854.jpg"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/07/16/21/44858705-9796109-The_sweltering_temperatures_are_being_caused_by_a_heat_dome_of_s-a-37_1626467019854.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUYoxTszHRdOkxx2iNkVAfhxCJG6DFJYBzjR4uKa_ewfcOilJJ53Ok3ofUHp-SD5G6S6T_VeBGcPk9mWsJA4BK3qxjIzwwvzWEfaN2jPyDtX63harxbzJ2dOaeUr5wNENHxOUfZwzseWSTRHAn0iDd703QTlaArgBaxb7JXjVuET4UsS6Wvs2359FTOQ/s974/Picture1.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="714" data-original-width="974" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUYoxTszHRdOkxx2iNkVAfhxCJG6DFJYBzjR4uKa_ewfcOilJJ53Ok3ofUHp-SD5G6S6T_VeBGcPk9mWsJA4BK3qxjIzwwvzWEfaN2jPyDtX63harxbzJ2dOaeUr5wNENHxOUfZwzseWSTRHAn0iDd703QTlaArgBaxb7JXjVuET4UsS6Wvs2359FTOQ/w392-h288/Picture1.png" width="392" /></a></div></div><div>Another reason for the record heat? Willamette Valley and Puget Sound usually get westerly winds that bring cool marine air at times and a cooling fog. Great for the Pinots!<br /><br />However, during the record heat there were easterly winds at the surface and aloft. As this air from the Cascade crest is forced toward Willamette Valley and Puget Sound, physics once again dictates that when air sinks it warms up. Thus, there was the perfect combination of strong upper-level ridge (aka heat dome) and the east winds leading to record temperatures.<br /><br />Right after this heat wave, some growers gave a sigh of relief. They had a wet spring which helped to provide much needed water for the vines during the heat wave. Also the heat was early in the summer, so they did not expect much damage since the berries were small and green. Also, the grapes benefitted from the canopy, which was full of green growth to protect the berries to some extent.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheTQoj4T1N3n_hKGRC4pVf5989vL0cmisTankcHQPKplCOx1TDwpbgKZOvRr1srvKTjR4qEEzws1D4-g8g7InU2A4it3HErpmQSFdspBnZTZsBnKrsmg5pxENeJxqQWQ74d_0U0lRcPp_x1630vJec7JAukNSzGb_ySq2U_z2mf_PiqYsP4dbrI0u9Vg/s974/Picture2.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="691" data-original-width="974" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheTQoj4T1N3n_hKGRC4pVf5989vL0cmisTankcHQPKplCOx1TDwpbgKZOvRr1srvKTjR4qEEzws1D4-g8g7InU2A4it3HErpmQSFdspBnZTZsBnKrsmg5pxENeJxqQWQ74d_0U0lRcPp_x1630vJec7JAukNSzGb_ySq2U_z2mf_PiqYsP4dbrI0u9Vg/w391-h277/Picture2.png" width="391" /></a></div>What also took the edge off the record heat in many areas in Washington and Oregon was that there was a cool fall. Looking at Growing Degree Days, although 2021 was much higher than normal, it was not as high as the last warm season of 2015 (Growing Degree Days are average temperatures over 50 from April 1st to October 31st). The graph shown here is for the Red Mountain appellation, which is representative of this trend found in some other Washington regions in 2021.<br /><br />Were yields impacted? Yes, according to the <b><a href="http://washingtonwine.org/">Washington State Wine Commission</a></b>. They indicated that the <b><a href="https://www.washingtonwine.org/press_release/washington-wine-reports-warm-year-low-yields-and-good-quality-in-2021/">record breaking heat in 2021 resulted in lower yields</a></b>.<br /><br /><b>Is this the new normal?</b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPp0jOOGVi4ZUTZ-gvTBI5J99NN4NQKzEaVlFR5sH0scSL30EidPKD3CPBR1aYGgH94Ey_IyhY409JC6hxYN60UZFO2Niu_088vbHlrDdwWGKpKJU4SuiaLuMiw2o7URZAOXtO85cJXAQ9hLNbFofTMJuxPqFLhuDOfwSOQwAlP_BsZufsOwx0CWWtgw/s968/Picture3.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="389" data-original-width="968" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPp0jOOGVi4ZUTZ-gvTBI5J99NN4NQKzEaVlFR5sH0scSL30EidPKD3CPBR1aYGgH94Ey_IyhY409JC6hxYN60UZFO2Niu_088vbHlrDdwWGKpKJU4SuiaLuMiw2o7URZAOXtO85cJXAQ9hLNbFofTMJuxPqFLhuDOfwSOQwAlP_BsZufsOwx0CWWtgw/w464-h187/Picture3.png" width="464" /></a></div>Is June 2021 going to be a regular pattern? There is little doubt that our summers are getting warmer, as the graph indicates (photo credit NOAA). However, there is debate whether this event was caused by global warming.<br /><br />According to <b><a href="https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2021/07/was-global-warming-cause-of-great.html">extensive research from meteorologist Cliff Mass</a></b>, his conclusion and title says “Was Global Warming the Cause of the Great Northwest Heatwave? Science Says No.” Dr Mass makes several key points that brought this extreme event.<br /><br />First of all, the ridge of high pressure at 18,000 feet “was the most intense ever observed in the region.” This high pressure brings strong sinking of the air mass along with the strong warming associated with this.<br /><br />Secondly, there was this “supercharger” in action. The supercharger was the positioning of high pressure and low pressure. There was the aforementioned upper level ridge of high pressure over the northwest and a trough of low pressure off the Northern California coast.<br /><br />This unique position and combination brought strong southeasterly winds that pulled air from the desert Southwest. Then this air mass subsequently descended the west slopes of the Cascades where the air was further compressed and warmed.<br /><br />“Everything had to come together just right to give us this extreme event,” Mass said.<br /><br />In concluding, Dr. Mass thought this heat from last June was a “Black Swan” heatwave, given the exceptional atmospheric conditions that occurred. Dr. Mass went on to say “global warming marginally increas[ed] the peak temperatures by perhaps a few degrees.”</div><div><br />Meanwhile the international organization <b><a href="http://WorldWeatherAttribution.org">WorldWeatherAttribution.org</a></b> (WWA) took a different view and issued a statement saying “<a href="https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/western-north-american-extreme-heat-virtually-impossible-without-human-caused-climate-change/">In summary, an event such as the Pacific Northwest 2021 heatwave is still rare or extremely rare in today’s climate yet would be virtually impossible without human-caused climate change. As warming continues, it will become a lot less rare</a>.”<br /><br />Will this record-breaking heat dome be a yearly occurrence? Probably not. How often will events like this occur? It is not known.<br /><br />What is known is that events like this could be perilous for the wine industry. Had this event occurred later in the growing season when grapes were more fully developed, the results could have been devastating. Warmer summers also have growers concerned with which varieties will thrive in this type of environment.<br /><br />Heat events like this aren't the only concern. With summer predictions of <b><a href="https://www.nifc.gov/nicc/predictive/outlooks/outlooks.htm">above normal likelihood of significant wildland</a></b> fires there will be concern once again of the risk of potential smoke impact should these fires occur. <br /><br />Although much of Washington and Oregon has had a cold and wet spring in 2022, there is concern that we get dry and warm conditions in July and August. After all, this has been the default pattern recently. In conclusion, the wine industry in Washington and Oregon will continue to be concerned with these summer weather conditions in the years to come.</div></div></div>Sean P. Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03097365383701360215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6303461938563467286.post-48061061400426834022022-06-23T19:03:00.000-07:002022-10-03T12:28:39.304-07:00Full statement from Ste Michelle on property listing and moving white wine production<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieGkGGLfO8XNeLEk4gs4Yb5G7UJYyhCo2_bNOHsejLo-jFja-rF4WUD2TsTYqbBThYClZTEiGYhFSjS3EH6zVwJFcOUEzy2N0RPMploDw5hYJSSpUDmHFo9UZlGI6E0P6I7jlgGBpLQTIy-T6O2E8upPdDXqqd1wk8NsvrBSxTGmdBh6-BKn911UqBOA/s1024/Chateau%20Ste%20Michelle%20by%20Richard%20Duval.jpeg" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="681" data-original-width="1024" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieGkGGLfO8XNeLEk4gs4Yb5G7UJYyhCo2_bNOHsejLo-jFja-rF4WUD2TsTYqbBThYClZTEiGYhFSjS3EH6zVwJFcOUEzy2N0RPMploDw5hYJSSpUDmHFo9UZlGI6E0P6I7jlgGBpLQTIy-T6O2E8upPdDXqqd1wk8NsvrBSxTGmdBh6-BKn911UqBOA/w378-h252/Chateau%20Ste%20Michelle%20by%20Richard%20Duval.jpeg" width="378" /></a>In the interest of completeness, below is the full statement I was provided by <b><a href="https://www.ste-michelle.com/">Chateau Ste Michelle</a></b> on Monday June 20th regarding moving white wine production to eastern Washington and the listing of its Woodinville property for sale. Much of this statement was quoted in <b><a href="https://www.wawinereport.com/2022/06/washingtons-ste-michelle-puts.html">my original article</a></b>:</p><div><i>At Chateau Ste. Michelle, we continually strive to craft high-quality, flavorful, award-winning wines while always looking for ways to improve how we produce our wines and strengthen our commitment to sustainability. We recently made the decision to consolidate our white wine production in Woodinville to our Eastern Washington facilities, where we make our Chateau Ste. Michelle red wines, starting with the 2022 harvest. Producing wine in Woodinville so far removed from our Eastern Washington vineyards has resulted in decades of shipping millions of gallons of white wine to our Woodinville facility and burning nearly 75,000 gallons of diesel through over 1,600 freight trips each year. </i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>With this change to our winemaking operations, we are evaluating how to best utilize the facility going forward, including exploring a potential sale of our Woodinville property, or perhaps a portion of it. While a sale of the property has not been predetermined, we are considering all options as we continue to look for ways to improve how we produce our wines, strengthen our commitment to sustainability, and grow the Chateau Ste. Michelle brand. This process is still in the exploratory phase and could take years to implement, if at all. In the meantime, we will continue to make world-class Chateau Ste. Michelle wines from Washington’s top vineyards, host exciting wine experiences in our tasting room, and welcome the community to our 2022 Summer Concert Series.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Image by Richard Duval. </span></div>Sean P. Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03097365383701360215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6303461938563467286.post-27274464533566249812022-06-21T10:40:00.000-07:002022-10-03T12:28:39.327-07:00Washington’s Ste Michelle puts Woodinville property up for sale, moves white wine production to eastern Washington<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1uo_ERTZNnXjmW8HXcpycofDeOhaS5HC1Wk9GL-vS1ZQ9xD4GRq-kuy_yXAS-xhY-F73m6QV6AeQuvniMoqF2VLzJzh-aR7NNgUlNXzs_EHawlmu9rRIA2vFU7FVkLfzdbP8QegmRTUOdBuGj7E-TJwcZlcy2TBgxzQO67IuZ5CvN_QChqbgc9izIKg/s1494/Ste%20Michelle.jpeg" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1494" data-original-width="1125" height="477" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1uo_ERTZNnXjmW8HXcpycofDeOhaS5HC1Wk9GL-vS1ZQ9xD4GRq-kuy_yXAS-xhY-F73m6QV6AeQuvniMoqF2VLzJzh-aR7NNgUlNXzs_EHawlmu9rRIA2vFU7FVkLfzdbP8QegmRTUOdBuGj7E-TJwcZlcy2TBgxzQO67IuZ5CvN_QChqbgc9izIKg/w359-h477/Ste%20Michelle.jpeg" width="359" /></a></p><b><a href="https://ste-michelle.com/">Chateau Ste Michelle</a></b>, the Pacific Northwest’s largest winery by a mile, has put its flagship Woodinville property up for sale. The 118 acre site, which includes the iconic chateau that adorns the winery’s labels, was listed earlier this month by <b><a href="https://www.cbre.com/offices/corporate/seattle">CBRE Inc.</a></b>, a commercial real estate company based in Dallas, Texas. The price has not been disclosed. The winery will also move all of its white wine production, which has previously been taking place in Woodinville, to eastern Washington.<br /><br />"With this change to our winemaking operations, we are evaluating how to best utilize the facility going forward, including exploring a potential sale of our Woodinville property, or perhaps a portion of it," Ste Michelle said in a statement to media. "While a sale of the property has not been predetermined, we are considering all options as we continue to look for ways to improve how we produce our wines, strengthen our commitment to sustainability, and grow the Chateau Ste Michelle brand."<br /><br />The property listing includes Ste Michelle’s chateau, tasting rooms, a banquet facility, office space, a theatre, a 100,000+ square foot warehouse, and 50,000 square feet of barrel storage. The listing states that the expansive property is “primed for redevelopment and can accommodate a variety of uses, such as industrial, residential, office & life science, all of which are in short supply in Seattle’s burgeoning Eastside.”<br /><br />Ste Michelle’s 1M+ case white wine production will move to its Canoe Ridge winemaking facility in eastern Washington’s <b><a href="https://www.winemag.com/2022/04/11/horse-heaven-hills-wine/">Horse Heaven Hills</a></b> starting with the 2022 vintage. Given the sheer size of its white wine efforts, presumably other facilities will be used as well. Ste Michelle's red wine production has taken place at Canoe Ridge since 1993. That site has occasionally had a tasting room over the years but is not currently open to the public.<div><br />Ste Michelle said of this change, “Producing wine in Woodinville so far removed from our Eastern Washington vineyards has resulted in decades of shipping millions of gallons of white wine to our Woodinville facility and burning nearly 75,000 gallons of diesel through over 1,600 freight trips each year.”<br /><br />This is no doubt true. The winery’s enormous white wine production has always required coordinating with numerous other businesses to provide fermenting juice and to a lesser extent finished wine to its Woodinville hub, far from where the grapes are. However, Ste Michelle no longer producing any wine at its giant facility in Woodinville would surely beg the question of whether the property was being used to its fullest value. The grounds are far too large and expensive to retain as only office space and a tasting room. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVCsm0hP19TpCVuo6n57JcBdUPobRs4nviwmSg8pGNYFf68A6a1M2Xx3d2-bZtjeZrpVO3fMbwdrsV4h3JtOAjdAUlNf2KM85Kl3BHJa0TBi6XS6OAosdgLBgqBC5w5iiSmxi1m0FFQ7r_ej8-rY8fp6SrKilbWvRm-QBk6BN069NTMwxXBfNNAYqKYA/s1024/Chateau%20Ste%20Michelle%20by%20Richard%20Duval.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="681" data-original-width="1024" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVCsm0hP19TpCVuo6n57JcBdUPobRs4nviwmSg8pGNYFf68A6a1M2Xx3d2-bZtjeZrpVO3fMbwdrsV4h3JtOAjdAUlNf2KM85Kl3BHJa0TBi6XS6OAosdgLBgqBC5w5iiSmxi1m0FFQ7r_ej8-rY8fp6SrKilbWvRm-QBk6BN069NTMwxXBfNNAYqKYA/w446-h297/Chateau%20Ste%20Michelle%20by%20Richard%20Duval.jpeg" width="446" /></a></div>Founded in 1967, Ste Michelle Vintners moved to Woodinville from Seattle in 1976, building a chateau and rebranding itself Chateau Ste Michelle. The property, originally called Hollywood Farm, had been owned by lumber baron Frederick Stimson (1868-1921). <div><br />In the ensuing 46 years since Ste Michelle moved to Woodinville, 130+ wineries and tasting rooms have sprung up around it, driven in large part by Ste Michelle’s presence.<br /><br />Presumably if Ste Michelle were to sell the property in full, the winery would look for another space in Woodinville to call home. The winery is too synonymous with the town to not retain a strong presence there. If it were to fully leave Woodinville, the effects on the area, western Washington’s wine industry, and Washington wine more generally would be incalculable.<br /><br />Over 300,000 visitors come to Ste Michelle each year, for tastings and annual summer concerts on the lawn. These visitors drive tourism to the town’s wineries, restaurants, and other businesses. If that were to cease or even greatly diminish, every winery in the area – and truly every winery in Washington – would be affected to varying degrees.</div><div><br />"If they turn the mothership over, obviously it would have a great impact," says Chris Sparkman, owner of <b><a href="https://sparkmancellars.com/">Sparkman Cellars</a></b>, which is located a stone's throw from the Chateau. "But one of the things we've always done is just kind of not get terribly overexcited about anything, focus on what we do and what we can control, try to be a good neighbor, and do our thing."<br /><br />Sparkman, who has an international environmental policy degree and who also served as an agroforester in the Peace Corps, takes the long view. "These things happen in ecosystems where the mother log breaks down and eventually goes away, and it's built this thriving ecosystem around it."</div><div><br /></div>Ste Michelle emphasizes that it is not fully committed to selling its Woodinville property. Rather, it is exploring selling all or part of it. The winery says, “This process is still in the exploratory phase and could take years to implement, if at all.”<br /><br />Given the size and scale of the property as well as the complexities of its zoning, any sale and subsequent changes would surely not happen quickly. Of note, over half of the existing property is only zoned for residential use. Additionally, the Stimson Manor residence and original Hollywood Farm property are <b><a href="https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75612307">listed in the National Register of Historic Places</a> </b>which might provide some limited protection. <br /><div> <br />The listing of the property comes as Ste Michelle Wine Estates, the parent company of Ste Michelle, has fallen on hard times in recent years. Formerly owned by tobacco giant Altria, the company announced a $292 million inventory write-off as well as $100 million in losses on non-cancellable grape purchases in 2020. Case production has decreased by more than 1.2M since 2016. The winery, which owned or controlled 70% of Washington’s wine grape acreage 10 years ago, now controls less than 50%.<br /><br />In 2021, Ste Michelle was <b><a href="https://www.winemag.com/2021/07/12/ste-michelle-sale-washington-wine/">purchased by Sycamore Partners</a></b>, a New York-based private equity firm, for a reported $1.3B. While the company indicated at the time its intent to invest and grow the business, a commitment that is believed to remain, the sale brought much handwringing in the industry that the company and the “string of pearls” that former CEO Ted Baseler helped create might be sold for parts and quick financial gain. Baseler retired in 2018 after 34 years at the company, including 17 as president and CEO. The company has had two CEOs since.<br /><br />However, the hope was that the purchase by Sycamore would instead allow Ste Michelle to regain its footing and reestablish itself as Washington’s flagship winery while growing the brand. That might still happen, particularly if Sycamore invests significantly in the winery's growth. However, Sycamore putting Ste Michelle's namesake property up for sale seems an ominous turn.<br /><br />There is also an age-old saying in the state’s wine industry that 'As Ste Michelle goes, so goes Washington wine.' If true, these changes might augur hard times ahead for the state’s vintners.<br /><br />At the same time, many other Washington wineries are currently flourishing, with some of their best sales years ever recently. Other major players, such as <b><a href="https://www.jacksonfamilywines.com/">Jackson Family Wines</a></b>, are showing interest in Washington and might eventually fill some of the vacuum created by Ste Michelle dropping vineyard acreage. Jackson Family <b><a href="https://www.winemag.com/2022/04/14/jackson-family-walla-walla-acquisition/">purchased its first vineyard in Washington earlier this year</a></b>. Ste Michelle pulling back from thousands of acres of vineyard contracts in recent years has also opened up opportunities for others, though no winery as of yet has shown Ste Michelle's once insatiable appetite for fruit.<br /><br />Whether Ste Michelle’s Woodinville property is ultimately sold or not, the winery currently being in the doldrums means Washington’s 1,000-plus wineries that have followed the company’s lead for decades now have to focus on fending for themselves. That said, an increasing number of wineries are well-positioned to do so.<br /><br />In the end, for many, Ste Michelle and the chateau itself are synonymous with Washington wine. If the company ultimately sells the chateau and its grounds, it will leave a hole in the heart of Washington wine that will never be mended. Moreover, what is Chateau Ste Michelle if it has no chateau? The company and brand would surely continue on in Woodinville or elsewhere, but the lights would go out on Ste Michelle’s shining chateau and grounds.</div><div><br />“Woodinville needs to prepare itself for the possibility of a post-Ste Michelle era,” says one winery owner, who preferred to remain anonymous. <br /><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Graphic from CBRE Inc property listing. Photograph by Richard Duval. </span></div></div></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">This article has been updated. The original version stated the the chateau building itself was part of the National Register of Historical Places. This is incorrect. Rather, it is the original Stimson Manor and Hollywood Farm that are part of the register. Additionally, the protection this provides is quite limited.</span></div>Sean P. Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03097365383701360215noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6303461938563467286.post-33310310782190176502022-06-17T00:00:00.000-07:002022-10-03T12:28:39.344-07:00Celebrating 18 years of Washington Wine Report<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8uo6L7C8XIBdA7ocL2_olbV4CjYpbwf1hbtCcCu834KAH550R5_yjm9YebGFZa0Qb_98iZxepVg3gTAy64QSRNWZU0LCIS2wugiYalsA4wdnOX8RW1pGouHLdstI_zzbhAEUAlyjF02oDwjNMqG1Ur3bIc7lJCdZPG8kh0DeNm3Z0n7CkCXgzoT4pNA/s640/5-02-04%20104.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8uo6L7C8XIBdA7ocL2_olbV4CjYpbwf1hbtCcCu834KAH550R5_yjm9YebGFZa0Qb_98iZxepVg3gTAy64QSRNWZU0LCIS2wugiYalsA4wdnOX8RW1pGouHLdstI_zzbhAEUAlyjF02oDwjNMqG1Ur3bIc7lJCdZPG8kh0DeNm3Z0n7CkCXgzoT4pNA/s320/5-02-04%20104.jpg" width="320" /></a>Over the years, I have often told the story of the inception of Washington Wine Report. It turns out that the story I was telling was wrong.</p><br />The story that I have told innumerable times goes like this.<br /><br />In 2005, a friend and I travelled out to Yakima Valley and visited a series of wineries. After this trip, my friend asked me to write up my notes and scores of the wines we tasted. I did so and emailed the notes to him. He subsequently distributed those notes and reviews to his friends. These friends shared them with their friends and so on and so on.<br /><br />Washington Wine Report was born. I called it that at the top of the emails because that was what it was – a report on Washington wines. It began the year of that trip as an email distribution list. 15 years ago today, June 17th 2007, I launched Washington Wine Report as an on-line site. Over the next several years, I transitioned from the long-form PDF reports I distributed via email to being fully on-line.<br /><br />As I approached today’s on-line anniversary, I started to wonder, what was the date when my friend and I first went out to Yakima Valley? When exactly did all this really start?<br /><br />I did some digging into my historical records. In the 2000s, I kept weekly planners detailing what I did each day. I looked through 2005. I found no record of a trip to Yakima Valley. To say I was surprised would be an understatement. I looked through 2006. I also found no record of a trip to Yakima Valley. How could I have not written down such a momentous turning point in my life?<br /><br />I reached out to my friend who accompanied me to Yakima Valley that year to see if he had any remembrances or any pictures. He had both.<br /><br />It turns out the year he and I travelled to Yakima Valley was 2004 according to his pictures. I subsequently looked at my planner for that year and confirmed the same. It was April 25th 2004. We went out to the valley for Spring Barrel Weekend.<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjttNAOIdKOwS0gv1vNOFM1LEnUcQPbyMwZDF0hef7Y3UfXYb4QVyiat8bc9Qzs4wgbjpykTRiXxR9kf_I_76Bj9mK9FjSHc77mxniV3klBKa9mtoNZjbgbXxhCWYBtCeLY4iReQ9TQye4CTAHdt2Y4AEz4T34Q3VPQbnoj_tEGjYV5IBxcxWiS0i4QMQ/s4032/IMG_1502.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjttNAOIdKOwS0gv1vNOFM1LEnUcQPbyMwZDF0hef7Y3UfXYb4QVyiat8bc9Qzs4wgbjpykTRiXxR9kf_I_76Bj9mK9FjSHc77mxniV3klBKa9mtoNZjbgbXxhCWYBtCeLY4iReQ9TQye4CTAHdt2Y4AEz4T34Q3VPQbnoj_tEGjYV5IBxcxWiS0i4QMQ/s320/IMG_1502.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>I recall visiting Apex Cellars and talking with Brian Carter (now Brian Carter Cellars). I also recall going to Goose Ridge and being impressed by their Sol Duc. My friend recalled, which I had initially forgotten, a trip to Hightower on Red Mountain. Hightower poured two wines made from the same fruit, one aged in Hungarian oak and one aged in French oak. The comparison was an early wine revelation for me.<br /><br />The next weekend, another friend and I travelled out to Walla Walla for Spring Release. This was my first time visiting the valley, and I was hooked on the area’s wines and other charms. I have been ever since.<br /><br />I very much remember that trip to Walla Walla, including a dinner at now defunct Grapefields. But what I had forgotten is that on the way back home, we met up with my friend I had been to Yakima Valley with the weekend before.<div><br />We went to Red Mountain to visit more wineries. I remember tasting wine in the basement at Kiona and visiting Terra Blanca. I bought a magnum of Terra Blanca’s Merlot, which was a wine I used to buy frequently from the wine shop up the street from where I lived then and now. Other places we visited that day are sadly lost to the sands of time. I used to have many of my original paper notes. However, I discarded them a few years back when my wife and I moved (yes, it was her idea that I divest of my large stash of handwritten hoarder notes).<br /><br />So, in the end, the story I’ve been telling was right, but the year was wrong. It was a 2004 trip to Yakima Valley that ultimately changed the course of my life, not a 2005 trip. I am more than a little surprised, but memory is, of course, fallible.<br /><br />I am also amazed that two such momentous trips – the trip to Yakima Valley and my first trip to Walla Walla Valley and Red Mountain – occurred within a week of each other. Talk about a life changing seven days, though I surely could not have fully appreciated in the impact at the time. It’s also a good reminder that any day, maybe even today, momentous changes are possible. They might start in seemingly the smallest of ways.<br /><br />The picture here is of a very young me standing next to Lemberger vines at Kiona with my friend’s puppy. I’ve also included a snapshot of the daily planner, with my pushbutton pencil writing.<br /><br />Over the ensuing years, I eventually stopped detailing the events of each day. My friend’s puppy grew up, grew old, and eventually passed. I grew older too, so much so that this picture almost seems unrecognizable to me now.<br /><br />But 18 years later, I continue to write about and review Washington and now Pacific Northwest wine, as I started doing formally after that trip. It has been quite a ride.</div></div>Sean P. Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03097365383701360215noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6303461938563467286.post-40290319315678856132022-06-07T18:05:00.000-07:002022-10-03T12:28:39.361-07:00A (quite) delayed bloom begins in Columbia Valley<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS3wwYdCq9BW7U6Ji69xWX5lnsv9HeZdZgKumJEB20Xqq4c_ry08A95voPTvoA0B7lhWGjh0JajSS1Z_7v_w-rcGWZVfFo2WIdZ2lAfiwTe-Io6ga8IrIBPnH7vLy7m2F409mTtfjrChJtRxbrQXYXIUJZ0scpSQZsXjkW4z3LkfA-l1DnRDsKhl48QQ/s1800/Bloom%20in%20Chardonnay%20by%20Lacey%20Lybeck.JPG" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1440" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS3wwYdCq9BW7U6Ji69xWX5lnsv9HeZdZgKumJEB20Xqq4c_ry08A95voPTvoA0B7lhWGjh0JajSS1Z_7v_w-rcGWZVfFo2WIdZ2lAfiwTe-Io6ga8IrIBPnH7vLy7m2F409mTtfjrChJtRxbrQXYXIUJZ0scpSQZsXjkW4z3LkfA-l1DnRDsKhl48QQ/w314-h394/Bloom%20in%20Chardonnay%20by%20Lacey%20Lybeck.JPG" width="314" /></a></p>Bloom has begun in Columbia Valley. Lacey Lybeck at <b><a href="https://sagemoorvineyards.com/">Sagemoor Vineyards</a></b> reports seeing bloom in Weinbau Vineyard Chardonnay on the Wahluke Slope on June 4th. Lybeck also saw bloom in Chardonnay at Sagemoor and Bacchus vineyards in the White Bluffs on June 6th. <div><br /></div><div>Below is a look at how these dates compare with recent years. Of note, 2016 started out historically warm before cooling off somewhat in the middle and later parts of the season. In contrast, 2017 and 2019 had cooler starts to the growing season as reflected in the dates below. 2022 is considerably delayed from the prior six years due to the quite cool start to the season. </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3PVi957rdLQ0e4_TQvzPnkFbH0UHcM9e__8TCaNxmfCDOjg9q4DOPJIgjrudEudYLOMpoeTqK9LaJeQKR0Pv2RGfukWgumsBaENmUscG7RICcggqa2vCnb1n6jt1Rr9ZRcg8Ez9IApqYBOjNOrSdsUK6u4piIjB_0FUddMr3TkqCOuvTQ9abGDvqlfA/s562/Bloom%20Data.png" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="562" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3PVi957rdLQ0e4_TQvzPnkFbH0UHcM9e__8TCaNxmfCDOjg9q4DOPJIgjrudEudYLOMpoeTqK9LaJeQKR0Pv2RGfukWgumsBaENmUscG7RICcggqa2vCnb1n6jt1Rr9ZRcg8Ez9IApqYBOjNOrSdsUK6u4piIjB_0FUddMr3TkqCOuvTQ9abGDvqlfA/s320/Bloom%20Data.png" width="320" /></a><br />In fact, according to Growing Degree Days, a measure of heat accumulation during the growing season, 2022 is currently tracking quite closely to 2011, which was Washington's coolest vintage on record. That said, a growing season is a book of many chapters; only the first several have currently been written for 2022.</div><div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Image and data courtesy of Lacey Lybeck, Sagemoor Vineyards. Follow <b><a href="https://www.instagram.com/sagemoorvineyards/">Sagemoor's Instagram site here</a></b>.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Growing Degree Day chart from <a href="https://wine.wsu.edu/extension/weather/growing-degree-days/"><b>Washington State University</b></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikJb3DRGoqppEuEMg79Mljxg68sJE_7vVqF87MGrrcqD0lMJr21jPbNSijtv0FYDqAd4tnehyojCM7jka6j8gMjUrS25PJOk0wNXdXs_HjQADQyAujtwzQTcyZsfj-X0MkxH5nzl5fDwNNnZuripHoUR5cmmX_0S5l_lyuNSd_k-m3K1PR3340xE9Adw/s1024/2022%20Growing%20Degree%20Days.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="1024" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikJb3DRGoqppEuEMg79Mljxg68sJE_7vVqF87MGrrcqD0lMJr21jPbNSijtv0FYDqAd4tnehyojCM7jka6j8gMjUrS25PJOk0wNXdXs_HjQADQyAujtwzQTcyZsfj-X0MkxH5nzl5fDwNNnZuripHoUR5cmmX_0S5l_lyuNSd_k-m3K1PR3340xE9Adw/s320/2022%20Growing%20Degree%20Days.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div></div>Sean P. Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03097365383701360215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6303461938563467286.post-91386411046524596992022-06-03T09:00:00.000-07:002022-10-03T12:28:39.379-07:00Rocky Reach: an in-depth look at Washington’s newest appellation<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDQ86Rys-EPXhlCE2dmIYDjAW25hMfe2MbHq_TaWpWG30mE1SOhtFI_w8UAW-Pg1RUCBhnriEl2nzW_UfjdaI16NC3yUnkygi2OIppuQwsuRiyvnAqIgYz5IgIeF8XVeSl3ck3RL3zecHQa3GwfUZUN6VNx6LkCQFFhT8dN6bK2XyXNOcox9Y91J5RRQ/s4200/Double%20D%20Vineyard%20at%20Dawn%20by%20Rick%20Duval.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="4200" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDQ86Rys-EPXhlCE2dmIYDjAW25hMfe2MbHq_TaWpWG30mE1SOhtFI_w8UAW-Pg1RUCBhnriEl2nzW_UfjdaI16NC3yUnkygi2OIppuQwsuRiyvnAqIgYz5IgIeF8XVeSl3ck3RL3zecHQa3GwfUZUN6VNx6LkCQFFhT8dN6bK2XyXNOcox9Y91J5RRQ/w482-h310/Double%20D%20Vineyard%20at%20Dawn%20by%20Rick%20Duval.jpg" width="482" /></a></p>Today the Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) approved Washington’s newest appellation, Rocky Reach. The approval comes on the heels of three appellations last year, bringing the state’s total number of viticultural regions to 20. Here we take an in-depth look at the appellation.<br /><br /><i>Overview</i><br /><br />Rocky Reach is located in the northwestern section of the Columbia Valley, just south of the Lake Chelan appellation. The appellation’s approval brings Columbia Valley’s number of sub-appellations to 16.<div><br />Rocky Reach gets its name from a term that steamboat captains used to refer to the stretch of rapids, or “reach,” in the Columbia River where Rocky Reach Dam is now located. Rocky Reach straddles the Columbia River, with 24% of the area occupied by the river and Rocky Reach Reservoir. The appellation is 32,333 total acres in size, with 117 acres currently under vine.<br /><br />As a growing region, Rocky Reach has three key distinguishing features: its bedrock, its soils and flattop terraces, and its heat accumulation.<br /><br /><i>Metamorphic crystalline bedrock</i><div><i><br /></i><div>Basalt is the ubiquitous bedrock throughout the Columbia Valley. Rocky Reach, however, is an exception.<br /><br />“There's no basalt bedrock within the boundaries of the AVA,” says <b><a href="https://www.vinterra.net/">VinTerra Consulting</a></b>’s Kevin Pogue, who was contracted to write the appellation application by area growers. Instead, Rocky Reach is mostly granitic gneisses, or what geologists refer to as metamorphic crystalline bedrock.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoenEnESql7Rracp0cmhLFK0QOjYL5FM2ckS1FOD7FgsUiVz-JRXoGjJ1H8szJ6PYk6Wnj1sOR0zhRC8yAIDxC0rsQZkDpM0kOAkootbo5ksmnEmmtCDF8LTaPNshOSyJEdv547RCgWEWufypEvz5AvOvYp6aNzG40Iamr4NJU9d9ng8ONnd-YQSWjMA/s794/Figure%209.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="794" data-original-width="772" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoenEnESql7Rracp0cmhLFK0QOjYL5FM2ckS1FOD7FgsUiVz-JRXoGjJ1H8szJ6PYk6Wnj1sOR0zhRC8yAIDxC0rsQZkDpM0kOAkootbo5ksmnEmmtCDF8LTaPNshOSyJEdv547RCgWEWufypEvz5AvOvYp6aNzG40Iamr4NJU9d9ng8ONnd-YQSWjMA/w317-h326/Figure%209.jpg" width="317" /></a></div>Historically, like the rest of the Columbia Valley, Rocky Reach was covered by basalt from lava flows that occurred 15M years ago. However, over time the Columbia River cut through the basalt to reveal the underlying basement rock. As a result, Rocky Reach has bedrock unique from most other areas of the Columbia Valley.<br /><br />“It has a very different chemical composition from basalt,” Pogue says of Rocky Reach’s bedrock.<br /><br />Basalt is rich in minerals like iron, magnesium, and feldspar. In contrast, Rocky Reach’s bedrock is silica-rich and dominated by minerals like quartz and mica. Vines in the appellation that reach bedrock will therefore encounter a different suite of minerals. Lake Chelan is the only other appellation in Columbia Valley that shares this bedrock.</div><div><br /><i>Cobblestone and gravel soils on flattop terraces</i><br /><br />Rocky Reach’s soils also differ from those found elsewhere in Columbia Valley. They are composed of cobblestones and gravels overlaid by wind-deposited sand and silt.<br /><br />Rocky Reach itself was never glaciated, but the area was heavily impacted by glacial outwash. The northern boundary of the appellation is the southern extent of the Okanogan Lobe of the Cordilleran ice sheet that channeled glacial ice down Okanagan Valley during the last ice age.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO-32BfcyMvILeEHfEqS9eOmN5Y0kbXKyD-6NBeCsPiEuS6w3wutUT5T03J9hT0JeAhhVBUMgrkSGooEUUQB8bHATERF_TrhLmkLnYcAezm5rSsgElw_QLHZqbylXpQ_kk3aWJPQBUWTx-snbf4iykkNHOs4DUqgevI5dvcSxL3ZlDsByhtdwwQR4H_Q/s1460/Okanagan%20Lobe%20Cordilleran%20Ice%20Sheet.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1124" data-original-width="1460" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO-32BfcyMvILeEHfEqS9eOmN5Y0kbXKyD-6NBeCsPiEuS6w3wutUT5T03J9hT0JeAhhVBUMgrkSGooEUUQB8bHATERF_TrhLmkLnYcAezm5rSsgElw_QLHZqbylXpQ_kk3aWJPQBUWTx-snbf4iykkNHOs4DUqgevI5dvcSxL3ZlDsByhtdwwQR4H_Q/w370-h284/Okanagan%20Lobe%20Cordilleran%20Ice%20Sheet.jpg" width="370" /></a></div>“There was meltwater gushing out of [the glacier], and it basically filled the valley of the Columbia River with gravels,” explains Pogue.<br /><br />As the glacier retreated, the Columbia River reestablished its original course, cutting into the gravels. The last of the Missoula Floods, a series of cataclysmic floods that inundated the Columbia Valley over 15,000 years ago, further sculpted and eroded the valley. The results are soils and terrain that are quite different from other regions in Columbia Valley.<br /><br />“There’s just an obscene amount of outwash or redeposited gravels and sands and cobble,” says Shane Collins, director of viticulture at <b><a href="https://rockypondwinery.com/">Rocky Pond Winery</a></b>.<br /><br />Rocky Pond has its production facility – the only winery within Rocky Reach’s boundaries – and two vineyards in the appellation. Notably, the cobblestone and gravel soils are often on flat-topped terraces located near the canyon floor.</div><div><br /></div><div>“It's been a famous place for orchards for a very, very long time, and all the orchards and now the vineyards are taking advantage of these flat top terraces that sit on either side of the river,” says Pogue.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh52nJFADyRkaTQZNgE60M_0gLVOMjkTuTJDP4yXReqADfRyB7qnhcpkNJofLMEobfhn2gbH2bffTyetzcsJbIZ1h0Eiye9rJoVWpDURkUEr7BdCoYyCKNJShEFmf0-iWr4whV_7WHjdnxzqkiXrmNhfTZPIdfXic2c4ZmLmHqbC9Dwm_KHzSI2g1vhgw/s1500/Rocky%20Reach%20cobblestone%20soils%20photo%20copyright%20Kevin%20Pogue.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh52nJFADyRkaTQZNgE60M_0gLVOMjkTuTJDP4yXReqADfRyB7qnhcpkNJofLMEobfhn2gbH2bffTyetzcsJbIZ1h0Eiye9rJoVWpDURkUEr7BdCoYyCKNJShEFmf0-iWr4whV_7WHjdnxzqkiXrmNhfTZPIdfXic2c4ZmLmHqbC9Dwm_KHzSI2g1vhgw/w434-h289/Rocky%20Reach%20cobblestone%20soils%20photo%20copyright%20Kevin%20Pogue.jpg" width="434" /></a></div>Rocky Reach’s soils have several impacts on viticulture. As in The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater which is also known for its cobblestones, the stones absorb heat and radiate it in the infrared to grapevines and clusters, promoting faster ripening. However, the cobbles in The Rocks District are primarily made of basalt; cobbles in Rocky Reach are primarily granitic. Additionally, the soils are extremely well-drained, encouraging vines to root into deeper soil horizons.<br /><br />“Water moves through really, really quickly,” says Collins. “I’ve had to learn a lot about different water management strategies.” Rocky Pond has another vineyard, Rocky Reach, located next to the Columbia River that has a different soil profile.<br /><br />“There’s three to six feet of beach sand that’s all blown in to this area,” says Collins. “It’s like a completely different world.”<br /><br /><i>More heat accumulation than surrounding regions</i><br /><br />The final defining feature of the appellation is its heat accumulation. Elevations within Rocky Reach range from approximately 700 feet above sea level to just under 1,600 feet, considerably lower than surrounding areas. For this reason, Rocky Reach is markedly warmer.<br /><br />“It's the hottest place in that area,” says Pogue. This makes it well-suited to many red wine varieties. Areas right by the river can be extremely warm.<br /><br />“Our Growing Degree Days on the river are about the same as Red Mountain believe it or not,” says David Dufenhorst, who owns Rocky Pond Winery with his wife Michelle. “So we get heat here.”<br /><br />In terms of varieties, Pogue sees some natural fits. “The rocky soils and the warm temperatures, to me, screams Rhône.” While there are Rhône varieties planted in Rocky Reach, at present, Cabernet Sauvignon is the most planted variety, though there are more than 15 varieties planted.<br /><i><br />Differences from Lake Chelan appellation</i><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii6jJ9YVROSUV8uYubHQKtOoYfL0hJ2zYG31EgwfRKc5SR0AL8gcOQogbPMADuqMt51pNtsiTKcGdBcFEATCjQ0YxEq8DxwqITMdfo1-bj4gkaSFNKj0AN1C7P8wO5I6ZXu9xgE2IealMbmFtOQjntEzsceezSVlzkrJxeLv-iHL1otWuCcwcWaTJHbA/s572/Rocky%20Reach.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="456" data-original-width="572" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii6jJ9YVROSUV8uYubHQKtOoYfL0hJ2zYG31EgwfRKc5SR0AL8gcOQogbPMADuqMt51pNtsiTKcGdBcFEATCjQ0YxEq8DxwqITMdfo1-bj4gkaSFNKj0AN1C7P8wO5I6ZXu9xgE2IealMbmFtOQjntEzsceezSVlzkrJxeLv-iHL1otWuCcwcWaTJHbA/s320/Rocky%20Reach.png" width="320" /></a></div>While Lake Chelan and Rocky Reach share the same bedrock, these two appellations have significant differences. First, Lake Chelan was glaciated; Rocky Reach was not. Chelan also has significant amounts of volcanic ash and pumice from eruptions of nearby Glacier Peak. All of that material was washed out of Rocky Reach by the Missoula Floods and Columbia River.<br /><br />Rocky Reach also has a higher percentage of cobblestones and gravel. Soils in the Lake Chelan appellation meanwhile are deeper, have more glacial till, and are not on flood terraces.<br /><br />“The soils are not as loamy [as Chelan] and are much better drained,” Collins says comparing Rocky Reach to the Lake Chelan appellation. The two appellations also have differences in heat accumulation.<br /><br />“It's warmer than Chelan, actually significantly warmer,” says Alex Kelly, who manages Pierre Vineyard in the appellation. The heat impacts what can be grown in Rocky Reach and also results in significant differences in the wines compared to Chelan.<br /><br />“I taste things that are similar in terms of the phenolics to warmer regions to the south that I don't think I got at all from the Chelan AVA,” says Collins.<br /><i><br />A young growing region</i><br /><br />While Rocky Reach has long been known for its orchards, the area’s first vineyard plantings were in 2015 when the Dufenhorst family began planting Double D Vineyard. The name is a callout to his family’s long history of people with two Ds in their name. At 65 acres, it is by far the largest vineyard within the appellation and more than half of the currently planted acreage.<br /><br />“The first 30 acres we planted was fallow land,” says Dufenhorst. “It had never been planted with fruit trees because it was so rocky. I was holding my breath that anything would grow.” The initial vines did well, and the vineyard has now been expanded, with additional acreage planned.<br /><br />Dufenhorst, who moved to the area to retire after a career in real estate, purchased the land from the Pierre family. The Pierre family also has a home, a 14 acre vineyard, and other acreage in the appellation. Jamie Pierre, who passed away in January of 2021, was one of the driving forces for the area becoming its own appellation.<br /><br />“As often happened with Jamie, he absolutely lucked into the best wine ground that you could imagine,” chuckles Kelly, his son-in-law. “He had a knack of doing that.”<br /><br /><i>Grand plans for Rocky Reach’s future</i></div><div><i><br /></i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQd1uEcDTe6FeYoYQJPhUaXDR5ZZjz8LOXbIThVI3YyorMeuR0kgGFN0h5k4kVPri95htNsOKoCEYUJ2Lmpu1LAzT68L5ETcF0-gZewkk_ILZ80BsGHdDp0TxNB2KNkkZJan4jE_Z6qVbjTpP5ph_IsD3ENqmIetvJWOQzZO43xVafFRHBhu29R_u7w/s3030/Image%20by%20Richard%20Duval.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="3030" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQd1uEcDTe6FeYoYQJPhUaXDR5ZZjz8LOXbIThVI3YyorMeuR0kgGFN0h5k4kVPri95htNsOKoCEYUJ2Lmpu1LAzT68L5ETcF0-gZewkk_ILZ80BsGHdDp0TxNB2KNkkZJan4jE_Z6qVbjTpP5ph_IsD3ENqmIetvJWOQzZO43xVafFRHBhu29R_u7w/w440-h293/Image%20by%20Richard%20Duval.jpg" width="440" /></a></div>Overall, though viticulture in Rocky Reach is just over seven years old, the area is making quick strides. The appellation currently has eight vineyards in addition to numerous orchards. The wines from Rocky Pond Winery have been impressive and distinctive. <b><a href="https://www.wawinereport.com/2022/01/california-coup-for-rocky-pond-winery.html">Rocky Pond’s hiring of Elizabeth Keyser of HALL Family Wines</a></b> earlier this year should only further elevate the wines.<br /><br />Meanwhile the Pierre family is currently growing grapes for sparkling wine, part of Jamie’s promise to his wife Barbara. They are also growing head-trained Grenache on the terraces. Much like in Walla Walla Valley’s Rocks District, Kelly says farming in Rocky Reach is no easy venture.<br /><br />“It's rough on people,” Kelly says. “It’s all cobbles on top. Farming those terraces is pretty much [with] backpacks and huffing and puffing back and forth, but what we're getting from it is pretty amazing.” Ray Sandidge (<b><a href="https://crsandidgewines.com/">C.R. Sandidge</a></b>) is currently making the wines, though there are no immediate plans to release them.<br /><br />“We want to make the best product that you can put into the market,” Kelly says. “And if it takes a little time to get there, that's what we're doing.”<br /><br />Meanwhile along with their current vineyard acreage, the Dufenhorsts own 90 additional acres, with plans to build a hotel, spa, and restaurant. The project is currently in the planning stage.<br /><br />“I think we really have something special here, but it took a lot of work to get it to where it is now,” says Dufenhorst. “But being in business 30 years, anything good that you want to do generally takes a lot of time, a lot of effort.” Collins agrees and notes that, even with the appellation’s approval, there is much more work to be done at Rocky Reach.<br /><br />“I think there’s a lot of potential for this region for people to come here and plant grapes. But we're still at the very beginning.”<br /><br /><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Images by Richard Duval, except image of Rocky Reach cobblestones, copyright Kevin Pogue. Figures from AVA application. </span><span style="font-size: small;">Figure 9 - Crystalline basement bedrock in Rocky Reach and northern Columbia Valley. </span><span style="font-size: small;">Figure 5 - Southern terminus of Okanagan Lobe of the Cordilleran ice sheet, leading to glacial outwash in the current day Rocky Reach appellation.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Washington appellation graphic courtesy of the <b><a href="https://www.washingtonwine.org/">Washington Wine Commission</a></b>. </span></div></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">NB: This post has been updated to correct the minimum elevation of Rocky Reach, 700 feet.</span></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Sean P. Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03097365383701360215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6303461938563467286.post-54682140316931141842022-05-05T18:20:00.000-07:002022-10-03T12:28:39.400-07:00Guardian Cellars opens Walla Walla tasting room<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkBxptHszBCvYFCNjS9Bsr4upStR6uDJUyhHJWbbbXrUMHM5F0gu5-DkGDNiVUGSEbOqSZRpleN7YDOXBbQQjCfUNHqH9Qsr6dCdcupFYnxUo99rBjv7B65NxFKqd4rRa-NYXbbNbCzSQZWS3Fgj_VNeQvkcE3GTAo9nndhAsRpmZYcBZVS7hg_qNrg/s1820/Guardian%20Entering%20Walla%20Walla.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1669" data-original-width="1820" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkBxptHszBCvYFCNjS9Bsr4upStR6uDJUyhHJWbbbXrUMHM5F0gu5-DkGDNiVUGSEbOqSZRpleN7YDOXBbQQjCfUNHqH9Qsr6dCdcupFYnxUo99rBjv7B65NxFKqd4rRa-NYXbbNbCzSQZWS3Fgj_VNeQvkcE3GTAo9nndhAsRpmZYcBZVS7hg_qNrg/w361-h331/Guardian%20Entering%20Walla%20Walla.jpg" width="361" /></a></p>Watch out Walla Walla, there’s a new sheriff in town. Woodinville stalwart <b><a href="https://www.guardiancellars.com/">Guardian Cellars</a></b> is opening a tasting room in the valley.<br /><br />“It's always been kind of a desire to have something [in Walla Walla] if just the right spot came up,” says Guardian founder and winemaker Jerry Reiner, who works by day as a police officer. “It was just waiting and waiting and waiting and, fortunately, finally the planets aligned, and it fell into our lap.”<br /><br />The new tasting room will be located at 202 East Main Street, across the street from <b><a href="http://www.w2breadco.com/">Walla Walla Bread Company</a></b>. Long-time fans of Guardian, which was founded in 2004, can expect to see themes familiar to the winery’s existing spaces.<br /><br />“It will kind of stay in the Guardian theme of some blacks, whites, blues, and silver,” Reiner says. “We'll have the kinds of cool modern furniture that we like, and very rich feel behind it.” At present, however, the space is still a work in progress.<br /><br />“With the current situation and getting supplies and everything, we can't do exactly what we want to the place yet,” Reiner says.<br /><br />The tasting room will have a soft opening on Friday May 6th, the beginning of Spring Release Weekend. No reservations will be required for opening weekend, but they will begin to be accepted Monday, May 9th. Tastings will be offered Thursday through Monday, and will currently be indoors-only as the winery applies for a permit for outdoor seating.<br /><br />This will be Guardian’s third tasting room and its largest space at 2100 square feet, with 1700 of that dedicated to the tasting area. The winery will continue to maintain its Woodinville and Maltby tasting rooms. Production will remain at the Maltby site.<br /><br />Guardian is the fourth Woodinville winery to open a tasting room in Walla Walla Valley. <b><a href="https://www.markryanwinery.com/">Mark Ryan Winery</a></b> opened a tasting room there in 2012. The winery opened a second tasting room, The Annex, in 2020. Mark Ryan’s production also now takes place in the valley, though it maintains a strong Woodinville presence with multiple tasting rooms. <b><a href="https://baronsv.com/">Barons Winery</a></b> relocated its production to the valley in 2016 and opened a tasting room 2017. Finally <b><a href="https://www.pattersoncellars.com/">Patterson Cellars</a></b> announced earlier this year that it was <b><a href="https://www.wawinereport.com/2022/02/patterson-cellars-purchases-tertulia.html">opening a tasting room in Walla Walla and also moving production to the valley</a></b>.<div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Image courtesy of Guardian Cellars. </span></div>Sean P. Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03097365383701360215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6303461938563467286.post-15682893500264814902022-04-22T14:40:00.000-07:002022-10-03T12:28:39.418-07:00Hyatt Vineyards hires Caleb Foster as general manager and winemaker<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmu5ifVg8F98CuJswQvtdSg0NQRGW4pRzTPxHHRDjX8nNJB-kdZAwt5hKfRsWgqAXETHhryfe4Ir3jbwHuV_EwSY5pVmbu0czZvdcA6OGzJKaSL4uN5H0ArXszCgiVZqRnwC4SSHKFS-0eKFa7b4DHR7I25XBz94oHQFF9tBzklM4qLK8QGy5EzutlNA/s2048/Caleb%20Foster%20Hyatt%20Vineyards.jpeg" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmu5ifVg8F98CuJswQvtdSg0NQRGW4pRzTPxHHRDjX8nNJB-kdZAwt5hKfRsWgqAXETHhryfe4Ir3jbwHuV_EwSY5pVmbu0czZvdcA6OGzJKaSL4uN5H0ArXszCgiVZqRnwC4SSHKFS-0eKFa7b4DHR7I25XBz94oHQFF9tBzklM4qLK8QGy5EzutlNA/s320/Caleb%20Foster%20Hyatt%20Vineyards.jpeg" width="240" /></a></p><b><a href="https://www.hyattvineyards.net/">Hyatt Vineyards</a></b> in Washington’s Yakima Valley has announced the hiring of Caleb Foster as general manager and winemaker. Foster started at the position earlier this month.<br /><br />“I'm excited about the opportunity to help manage and drive the future at a place like this,” Foster says. “There's a great opportunity for growth and change.”<br /><br />Located in Zillah in Yakima Valley’s Rattlesnake Hills sub-appellation, Hyatt Vineyards was founded in 1983 by Leland and Lynda Hyatt. The winery produces approximately 15,000 cases of wine annually and owns 83 acres of vineyards, planted primary to Riesling, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Malbec.<br /><br />The Hyatts have been openly looking to sell the winery for some time. Foster was brought on in part to help facilitate a potential sale in the future.<br /><br />“It’s about envisioning what the new buyer is going to want and need and creating that at this property,” Foster says.<br /><br />Foster has over 30 years of experience in the Washington wine industry, starting out as assistant winemaker at <b><a href="https://www.woodwardcanyon.com/">Woodward Canyon</a></b> from 1991 until 1999. In 2000, he co-founded Buty Winery in Walla Walla Valley with this then wife Nina Buty. Most recently, Foster spent seven years as winemaker at Richland’s <b><a href="https://www.bookwalterwines.com/">J. Bookwalter Winery</a></b> before leaving the winery in the spring of 2021. Foster plans to leverage all that experience at his new position.<br /><br />“I can see clearly the steps that can be made to elevate quality, both in the vineyard and in the cellar as well as elevating the marketing,” he says. In addition to helping revitalize a long-established brand, Foster says there were other aspects that made the job attractive.<br /><br />“This is a great region for great flavors," he says. "When you stand on the front lawn here, it's simply gorgeous. We have an incredible address. There is a great future that can be created here.”<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Image by Tessa Morse courtesy of Hyatt Vineyards. </span>Sean P. Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03097365383701360215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6303461938563467286.post-8023657456919204282022-04-14T12:00:00.000-07:002022-10-03T12:28:39.438-07:00It's time for wine capsules to go away<p><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlchJd3Ac5RRyedESatETKjH_0LcF_fsyjB-B72rZQ9RAu5EaEhAW9IxmT9ujhIEXRg8dbe0i0V3FewArjcVifCDyNBQAztWhBwd1Xk5Qb6ImYBbQ_Y8icI9sS9aqv1TyqNJPeU6m09msPDjnX2q8jJ44gY7zIxJfNfxLYKhQhC9CGpGJ2xETDeyGG/s700/Viewpoint_Wine-Capsules_Photo_Tom_Arena_1920x1280-700x461.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="461" data-original-width="700" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlchJd3Ac5RRyedESatETKjH_0LcF_fsyjB-B72rZQ9RAu5EaEhAW9IxmT9ujhIEXRg8dbe0i0V3FewArjcVifCDyNBQAztWhBwd1Xk5Qb6ImYBbQ_Y8icI9sS9aqv1TyqNJPeU6m09msPDjnX2q8jJ44gY7zIxJfNfxLYKhQhC9CGpGJ2xETDeyGG/s320/Viewpoint_Wine-Capsules_Photo_Tom_Arena_1920x1280-700x461.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">The following article appeared in the March 2022 issue of Wine Enthusiast </span><p></p><p>Most wines are adorned with a capsule atop the bottle. Whether made of plastic, aluminum, tin or something else, they are so ubiquitous sommeliers have an elaborate ritual to cut through them. Screwcap bottles emulate them.</p><br />But as omnipresent as they are, the time has come for wine capsules to go away. <div><br /></div><div>Read the <a href="https://www.winemag.com/2022/02/20/wine-capsules-purpose/"><b>full article here</b>. </a></div>Sean P. Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03097365383701360215noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6303461938563467286.post-38972800262675695702022-04-12T19:26:00.000-07:002022-10-03T12:28:39.457-07:00A look back at Washington’s 2021 growing season<i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbu6HPAH3ORsRNjNHxOnwjXRM14Q3tsoVaaLRO-vabkWmDVOf3t86p9b0flB-IFu9OxmgwBs5n06yF09fYao5InBZNTkmwj57S3J7PaiodW5UBEXet4UoC0-PbnmXsQatinempZ2JKOuUbKjYbquVjSmdLmgqVTLPGNyYB3a9YyoddgpBxAv75cHIkSg/s900/09-14-21-9212.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="900" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbu6HPAH3ORsRNjNHxOnwjXRM14Q3tsoVaaLRO-vabkWmDVOf3t86p9b0flB-IFu9OxmgwBs5n06yF09fYao5InBZNTkmwj57S3J7PaiodW5UBEXet4UoC0-PbnmXsQatinempZ2JKOuUbKjYbquVjSmdLmgqVTLPGNyYB3a9YyoddgpBxAv75cHIkSg/w409-h280/09-14-21-9212.jpg" width="409" /></a></div>Year marked by high heat, low yields, good quality </i><br /><br />2021 was an unusual growing season in Washington, marked by a record heat event in late June, an overall hot growing season, and in many cases historically low yields. However, in the end winemakers were quite pleased with the quality of the fruit. <br /><br />“It’s a strong overall vintage,” says Chris Figgins, president and winemaking director at Figgins Family Wine Estates in Walla Walla Valley. “There’s just not a lot of it.” <br /><br />The growing season started with below average precipitation during the winter, leading to lower soil moisture. Bud break began March 31st, early but in the range of recent years. This was followed by a series of quite cold nights, with temperatures in the 20s for over a week. <br /><br />“It was a fingernail biter,” says Marty Clubb, co-owner and managing winemaker at L’Ecole No. 41 in Walla Walla Valley. “I was really surprised there wasn't more damage.” <br /><br />Bloom began May 17th in Columbia Valley, slightly ahead of recent years. As bloom continued into June, temperatures warmed up considerably and stayed warm and dry throughout the summer. <br /><br />“That was really the driving factor for the whole season,” says Dan Nickolaus, vineyard manager at Wallula and Mach One vineyards in Horse Heaven Hills. He notes that the weather at bloom was not ideal. <br /><br />“About the worst thing that you can have for bloom is hot, dry wind, and we did have some of that.” <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMGf7K79y58RhgwVO0cs11CnmOH7kdsw37D-7cfi6nl0WD99gvsSlAOu39mOHVx32i_7J_sd5fA5rv0LTLfgKB7J4XGsIfBwUi1SNOG4zrdGNsaKAlvOkFzRYFFd3z5OoWDHsyKAFWhLVH_ihwOd1VfY6bo-P-ZnY2yoqu33OviOxWW-y9lHvc4-sc4w/s900/10-02-21-9106.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="641" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMGf7K79y58RhgwVO0cs11CnmOH7kdsw37D-7cfi6nl0WD99gvsSlAOu39mOHVx32i_7J_sd5fA5rv0LTLfgKB7J4XGsIfBwUi1SNOG4zrdGNsaKAlvOkFzRYFFd3z5OoWDHsyKAFWhLVH_ihwOd1VfY6bo-P-ZnY2yoqu33OviOxWW-y9lHvc4-sc4w/s320/10-02-21-9106.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>It soon became clear that the state was looking at a very light crop. “When the shoots first came through, you could just see. It's like, ‘Ooh. Small clusters,’” says Figgins. <br /><br />What happened next, however, was the defining event of the season. A heat dome descended on the Pacific Northwest from June 26th and lasted through June 30th. Growers reported temperatures of 118 degrees Fahrenheit in Walla Walla Valley and 116 in Yakima Valley. Even the traditionally cooler Columbia Gorge was a scorching 108 degrees. <br /><br />“On our thermal camera, we were seeing temperatures as high as 126 [degrees] on the vineyard floor,” notes Lacey Lybeck, vineyard manager at Sagemoor Farms in the White Bluffs. <br /><br />This shattered all previous temperature records in every location throughout the state and beyond. Every grower and winemaker said the same thing without hyperbole. <br /><br />“I've never seen triple digits in June like we had,” says Kendall Mix, winemaker at Milbrandt Vineyards and Wahluke Wine Company on the Wahluke Slope. <br /><br />The good news was the record heat was well forecast. Growers watered liberally in advance. Those with overhead sprinklers used them. Generally speaking, most thought their sites survived the heat well, though some did see curled and scorched leaves depending on location, variety, and vine age. <br /><br />“Young vineyards on shallow soils really suffered in some places,” notes James Mantone, founder and winemaker at Syncline Winery in the Columbia Gorge. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcn7Ei-KCbWuNiTu0Sr-atnVYe0I6BhcJfQueNsM8cblDgH-iPNd7EPxcA7WnQZvT94O1DS78TOFA4SBTrxTm4dXHY_Fu2y6XwhgFD-MPyOvM0HwRRSW20b4zJSE3HxOJPclFR1MX9PE4IVD68c3hmZ1dEROVl2uXXqNJWLovHBxhO3OzVS-R0mNYsg/s900/09-14-21-9279.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="775" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcn7Ei-KCbWuNiTu0Sr-atnVYe0I6BhcJfQueNsM8cblDgH-iPNd7EPxcA7WnQZvT94O1DS78TOFA4SBTrxTm4dXHY_Fu2y6XwhgFD-MPyOvM0HwRRSW20b4zJSE3HxOJPclFR1MX9PE4IVD68c3hmZ1dEROVl2uXXqNJWLovHBxhO3OzVS-R0mNYsg/s320/09-14-21-9279.jpg" width="276" /></a></div>Once the heat dome lifted, above average temperatures continued. Kennewick saw 13 days above 100 degrees in July. <br /><br />“That influenced about everything we did, from labor in the field to watering to when we would do anything,” says Yakima Valley and Red Mountain grower Dick Boushey. Many irrigated throughout the growing season, rarely if ever turning drip irrigation off. <br /><br />“It was a year where I felt like we were just giving and giving to the vines, and they were just happy to take whatever we gave them,” says Lybeck. <br /><br />As the season continued, just how light the crop was became more and more apparent. “Every time we reassessed crop load, it got lighter and lighter and lighter,” says Clubb. <br /><br />Veraison started in mid-July in Columbia Valley, fairly well-aligned with recent years. Harvest began in the state August 11th for sparkling wine and August 12th for white wine, with the latter historically early. <br /><br />The prospect of a light crop, a high heat year, and an early start indicated it might be a fast and furious harvest, with growers racing to pick fruit before sugars got too high. However, that’s largely not how the season played out. <br /><br />Cooler temperatures started in mid-September and lasted through October, stretching out the season. “We had probably the nicest fall we've ever had,” says Boushey. “It went all the way into November, and it allowed us to get this fruit picked.” This took a season that at one point appeared to be barreling down the tracks and slowed it down. <br /><br />“I've always been a believer that you're finishing weather makes a big difference,” says Clubb. “I think the cooler September/October really helped bring the fruit into balance.” <br /><br />Still, harvest was not without its challenges, with the pandemic and other factors contributing to labor shortages and trucking shortages. In some cases this impacted what was picked, when it was picked, and how, in what one grower described as a “logistics nightmare.” <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip52d6XfX7Bqx11Dml6HfbMktFMZEGSZK8zpLbWH8Sjwa9Nd69ExX_dDli6GQ2Jd8FBKluTYYHkk8APzQ01Mxe5JlJZCdqPpb8Yc7PE_LYTsuGMpeUqSwQn9aeMyKXAH39w3MEn2JvZIZDRMzRlyxzzjXe4X1oTnwjkocG10r5R3e4aBEFzWdeW04BkQ/s900/09-16-21-1043.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="900" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip52d6XfX7Bqx11Dml6HfbMktFMZEGSZK8zpLbWH8Sjwa9Nd69ExX_dDli6GQ2Jd8FBKluTYYHkk8APzQ01Mxe5JlJZCdqPpb8Yc7PE_LYTsuGMpeUqSwQn9aeMyKXAH39w3MEn2JvZIZDRMzRlyxzzjXe4X1oTnwjkocG10r5R3e4aBEFzWdeW04BkQ/w410-h273/09-16-21-1043.jpg" width="410" /></a></div>“I couldn't find bodies, and I had to work through a labor contractor, which I haven't done in a long time,” says Boushey, who notes that once harvest started, it did not relent. “I never picked so steady. It was two months, six days a week, just picking.” <br /><br />Some wrapped up harvest in late September/early October and others in the middle of the month. Production vineyards, as usual, continued picking into late October/early November. <br /><br />In the end, the main story was the historically low yields in many locations. Berry size, cluster size, and the number of clusters were all well below average. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>At Syncline’s estate vineyard in the Gorge, Mantone says their Gamay grapes were 70 grams in 2021 instead of the typical 190-195 grams. Clubb says in 2015, Washington’s hottest year on record, his winery averaged 3.7 tons per acre across all of its sites. In 2021, the winery’s average was 2.7. Some would have been happy to just have that. <br /><br />“My worst block, a mature vineyard, I picked Cabernet at .46 [tons per acre],” says Figgins. “We’re always struggling to get a ton, ton and a half [in that block], but .46?” <br /><br />There are a number of theories as to why the crop was as light as it was. Some believe that a freeze event in late 2020 caused more damage than initially assessed, though others are skeptical. Some think freezing temperatures after bud break played a role. Unsettled weather during bloom in 2020 and 2021 also likely had some impact. All, however, agree that the heat dome was the major driver. <br /><br />“It was probably the main contributing factor to what I would describe as the lowest yielding vintage I've ever seen,” says Clubb. The timing of the heat dome was particularly important. <br /><br />“That heat hit during lag phase, so that was that period of time when we've got cell division,” says Mantone. “I think the vines just kind of like the rest of us went into survival mode.” <br /><br />Overall, Cabernet Sauvignon was the most impacted variety, with many growers reporting that they were down 30% or more off their projections. In the end, however, most varieties came in light, though Syrah generally fared well. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWVn4QySon1ibStXF0h2xhtUhoQ_5mMOurRxbWEiohGj2-SRB3mpxA767-eKPRe9HLP8B5pljOF1TlD_-SYXWXUO6IgBIIFbLuhl__dn5aQm1lR0OziYGRMFKvK-68faeC_ZnEAMO8Muqi1tpoGg48p-dXqAO9vWBQYsoKvQFgLSRFhCHsQsW77yjARQ/s1116/Washington%20Growing%20Degree%20Days%202021.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="796" data-original-width="1116" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWVn4QySon1ibStXF0h2xhtUhoQ_5mMOurRxbWEiohGj2-SRB3mpxA767-eKPRe9HLP8B5pljOF1TlD_-SYXWXUO6IgBIIFbLuhl__dn5aQm1lR0OziYGRMFKvK-68faeC_ZnEAMO8Muqi1tpoGg48p-dXqAO9vWBQYsoKvQFgLSRFhCHsQsW77yjARQ/w362-h258/Washington%20Growing%20Degree%20Days%202021.png" width="362" /></a></div>“Everything was down,” says Katie Nelson, winemaker at Chateau Ste Michelle, the state’s largest winery. <br /><br />Many reported Brix were elevated, as would be expected in a warm year. Others saw more mixed numbers. <br /><br />“Brix were kind of a tale of two stories,” says Kate Michaud, winemaker at Double Canyon Winery, which gets the majority of its fruit from Horse Heaven Hills. “We had some sites that had pretty modest Brix, even in the first week of October, then other ones that were 27+.” <br /><br />The heat of the year might seem to indicate it would be a low acid vintage. However, many reported that acids were above expected – though by no means high. <br /><br />“The shocking thing was the acid from the vintage, that it held on,” notes Mantone. <br /><br />In the end, depending on location, it was either the warmest or second warmest vintage on record looking at Growing Degree Days, a measure of heat accumulation. While the heat dome and warm summer surely had their impacts, winemakers were quite happy with the final results. “Quality is great, but it’s going to be a little shorter in certain varieties,” says Nelson. <br /><br />Unlike the previous two vintages, where a lot of fruit was left on the vine due to a frost event in 2019 and concerns about potential smoke impact in 2020, growers picked every grape they could find in 2021. “Basically the state was picked out,” says Mix. <br /><br />In the end, the heat dome and low yields were the big stories of the vintage. While the heat had its impact, several producers noted how fortunate it was that the record heat came in late June and not in July or August. <br /><br />“Had that heat happened three or four weeks later, I think we would have lost the vintage,” says Figgins.<br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />All quotes from interviews conducted in December 2021 and early January 2022. Photos </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">by Richard Duval.</span><div><br />*** <br /><br />Harvest pick dates are below. The information in the table is aggregated from personal correspondence with growers and winemakers, as well as information posted on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. It is not intended to be comprehensive but rather as a snapshot of what went on around the state. If you wish to send data for your grapes or vineyards in the future (or correct any of the information below), please email me at wawinereport@gmail.com. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJbNqg_OcF8TSUmXFHiXJCe3TKMOLuwWVFulakBKUCXKR8Yz-N8_BhJkVsCel9wHAIlLDonfgKH6QQhMS-ribFUmvUBzwZtvj9RY9DDPNbFzSVA7Fjj4vcVt7bV7a7-jEwSTSkFRGfQoFP8TqNdCOcpYCICJuGsPWkH68f5ehetbYYq7eg9tCDVAvxQ/s1650/Harvest%20Report%20Table%20Full%202021.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1650" data-original-width="1275" height="711" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJbNqg_OcF8TSUmXFHiXJCe3TKMOLuwWVFulakBKUCXKR8Yz-N8_BhJkVsCel9wHAIlLDonfgKH6QQhMS-ribFUmvUBzwZtvj9RY9DDPNbFzSVA7Fjj4vcVt7bV7a7-jEwSTSkFRGfQoFP8TqNdCOcpYCICJuGsPWkH68f5ehetbYYq7eg9tCDVAvxQ/w549-h711/Harvest%20Report%20Table%20Full%202021.jpg" width="549" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvO3xoYLOANBWhp1LtYC9qO6jKzMsd1dCo9SNHNujP0DHsc14IJ8HxwvQOfi5sdzp2k3KiLdcyQG3gpvu_7Jp7Iysvk1K1j-hZleFW27hA9F5GNENW1Setd2ls2-2-qtgHmAICMKOniod8ameEXpU4bFO876pH-AihjE-44f_UKcowDxQ_GEBbsD9GAw/s1650/Harvest%20Report%20Table%20Full%202021%20Part%202.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1650" data-original-width="1275" height="716" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvO3xoYLOANBWhp1LtYC9qO6jKzMsd1dCo9SNHNujP0DHsc14IJ8HxwvQOfi5sdzp2k3KiLdcyQG3gpvu_7Jp7Iysvk1K1j-hZleFW27hA9F5GNENW1Setd2ls2-2-qtgHmAICMKOniod8ameEXpU4bFO876pH-AihjE-44f_UKcowDxQ_GEBbsD9GAw/w553-h716/Harvest%20Report%20Table%20Full%202021%20Part%202.jpg" width="553" /></a></div><br />Sean P. Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03097365383701360215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6303461938563467286.post-81015601150311902852022-04-11T17:50:00.000-07:002022-10-03T12:28:39.477-07:00Hinterlands: Washington's Horse Heaven Hills<span style="font-size: x-small;">The following article appeared in the April 2022 edition of Wine Enthusiast.</span><div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXFwaWndwIEVd6kaY4HW6RqRnPRtMlk48VA8QTLaUjfHoBHOmEsVOPb2GNr4h9Iv737D9GmoP4U_1Il1fCogGdjlVTJ8JM6JmNHP2C3waN9aEAZc09kwPKK7hI31984EA6QJwNPNhzXYx1yov5rf0Cs6Zospigih3wS39IrpXYYJis2RqG3hHd7Mnd/s700/04_2022_Horse_Heaven_Hills_HERO_ALT_Wallula_Vineyard_Credit_Andrea_Johnson_1920x1280-700x461.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="461" data-original-width="700" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXFwaWndwIEVd6kaY4HW6RqRnPRtMlk48VA8QTLaUjfHoBHOmEsVOPb2GNr4h9Iv737D9GmoP4U_1Il1fCogGdjlVTJ8JM6JmNHP2C3waN9aEAZc09kwPKK7hI31984EA6QJwNPNhzXYx1yov5rf0Cs6Zospigih3wS39IrpXYYJis2RqG3hHd7Mnd/s320/04_2022_Horse_Heaven_Hills_HERO_ALT_Wallula_Vineyard_Credit_Andrea_Johnson_1920x1280-700x461.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>Horse Heaven Hills is a region of unsurpassed physical beauty. It is also home to nearly a third of Washington State’s wine grape acreage. A large amount of production occurs in the appellation, which also boasts a rich agricultural history. Yet many barely know this viticultural outpost exists. Fewer have been there.<div><br /></div><div>Read the full article <a href="https://www.winemag.com/2022/04/11/horse-heaven-hills-wine/"><b>here</b></a>. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo by Andrea Johnson</span></div>Sean P. Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03097365383701360215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6303461938563467286.post-7005117137945490172022-04-03T19:40:00.000-07:002022-10-03T12:28:39.497-07:00Bud break begins in Columbia Valley<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu9xF3mh85dJjSUwnLErOLkAzsYkWtWJ7TeXuTv9v3jJFryj9_JIkDKUB95DydyMwT_sKlz-bgJdYsrT64UBlUvSJq6GS7H9sHDXMlbG6cwhaVoCX1C1ZREZn4XfuwdRNelCi3qTaiBdiMdu7wyh15GiWAh-5HRrhYZWvyEZ4syJQM7N5FKuz-zoCb/s1440/89C6CFBB-1AAB-46CB-BFD7-3A03814B6E23%20(1).JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1439" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu9xF3mh85dJjSUwnLErOLkAzsYkWtWJ7TeXuTv9v3jJFryj9_JIkDKUB95DydyMwT_sKlz-bgJdYsrT64UBlUvSJq6GS7H9sHDXMlbG6cwhaVoCX1C1ZREZn4XfuwdRNelCi3qTaiBdiMdu7wyh15GiWAh-5HRrhYZWvyEZ4syJQM7N5FKuz-zoCb/s320/89C6CFBB-1AAB-46CB-BFD7-3A03814B6E23%20(1).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Bud break has begun in Columbia Valley. Sadie Drury at <b><a href="http://seveinvineyards.com/nsm.php">North Slope Management</a></b> noted bud break in Syrah at Seven Hills Vineyard on March 28th. Drury also said that she has seen bud break in Cabernet Franc (pictured here), Sangiovese, and Merlot. Though Drury says bud break has currently occurred in less than 5% of buds at Seven Hills, she expects widespread bud break shortly with a series of warm days in the forecast.<div><br /></div><div>2022’s bud break tracks with the historically early 2016 vintage and is a few days behind what turned out to be an extremely warm 2015 vintage. It is a few days to several weeks ahead of other recent vintages.</div><div><br /></div><div>Meanwhile <b><a href="https://www.wallawallavineyardmanagement.com/">Walla Walla Vineyard Management</a></b> saw bud break at Yellowhawk Vineyard in Cabernet Franc on March 29th. They also saw bud break in Sangiovese at Mission Hills Vineyard on March 31st. The latter was six days earlier than 2021. Finally, <b><a href="https://www.delmaswines.com/">Delmas</a></b> noted bud break in Grenache at SJR Vineyard in the Rocks District on April 3rd.</div><div><br /></div><div>Let the 2022 growing season begin! <br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Picture courtesy of Sadie Drury, North Slope Management</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Note: This post has been updated.</span></div>Sean P. Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03097365383701360215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6303461938563467286.post-12492971276348345652022-03-02T18:46:00.000-08:002022-10-03T12:28:39.514-07:00Updated Wine Enthusiast submission schedule for Washington and Oregon<p>Wineries, please note that the <i>Wine Enthusiast</i> submission schedule for Washington and Oregon has changed from the schedule that was released at the beginning of the year.</p><p>In the revised schedule, <b>reviews for Washington and Oregon will now be published in every issue of the magazine</b>. For Washington, this realigns the schedule to how reviews have been published in recent years. For Oregon, this is a change from every other issue, as reviews have been published in the past, to every issue.</p><p>My intention in advocating for this change was to a) make the schedule easier to understand and b) decrease the time between when wines are submitted and when reviews are published as much as possible.</p><p>With this change, wineries have two options. If you wish the reviews to be targeted to a specific issue of the magazine, you may follow the <b><a href="https://redirect.viglink.com/?format=go&jsonp=vglnk_164627404654510&key=28628947fbfc77a40759c38bb3bd4e71&libId=l0ad1b1u01038ivx000DLbjrhekh4&loc=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.winemag.com%2Fsubmit-for-rating%2F&v=1&out=https%3A%2F%2F253qv1sx4ey389p9wtpp9sj0-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2022%2F02%2FWine_Enthusiast_2022_BG_Tasting-Schedule_R1.pdf&ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&title=Submit%20for%20Rating%20%7C%20Wine%20Enthusiast&txt=2022%20Buying%20Guide%20Tasting%20Schedule" target="_blank">2022 Buying Guide Tasting Schedule</a></b> found on the <b><a href="https://www.winemag.com/submit-for-rating/">Submit for Rating page</a> </b>of the <i>Wine Enthusiast </i>website. Alternately, if you want the wines to be tasted as quickly as possible, you can ignore that schedule and simply send in the wines when they are ready for review. </p><p>In either case, I taste on a rolling basis and wines will generally be tasted within two to four weeks of when they were received. If you have any questions, please email me using the <b><a href="https://www.wawinereport.com/p/contact.html">information on the Contact page</a></b>.</p><p>For consumers, this means you can expect to see my Washington and Oregon reviews in every issue of the magazine going forward. We can all raise a glass to that!</p>Sean P. Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03097365383701360215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6303461938563467286.post-20915592520268214712022-02-16T05:00:00.000-08:002022-10-03T12:28:39.531-07:00Patterson Cellars purchases Tertulia winery and vineyard, will move to Walla Walla<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgCA6LVO5h9ABifg1bJz74qvySvWvkYF1o9DvpwnAujful8C2d7GImYW_RwJ5DX8ZZxzh33dGw4Td3JhbG_s0m1PdCT-Nxm7-KIkecn2IgOBrtnVwQ0VPg4cm-FizNMyi2-G_M8drc8nhpPqeKSqDiVo1DE6hm2_G4GlO3kDFWPxkA0QkTaJvlwXWwCXQ=s1024" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="681" data-original-width="1024" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgCA6LVO5h9ABifg1bJz74qvySvWvkYF1o9DvpwnAujful8C2d7GImYW_RwJ5DX8ZZxzh33dGw4Td3JhbG_s0m1PdCT-Nxm7-KIkecn2IgOBrtnVwQ0VPg4cm-FizNMyi2-G_M8drc8nhpPqeKSqDiVo1DE6hm2_G4GlO3kDFWPxkA0QkTaJvlwXWwCXQ=w419-h279" title="Tertulia Cellars" width="419" /></a></p><b><a href="https://www.pattersoncellars.com/">Patterson Cellars</a></b> announced today the purchase of the former <b><a href="https://www.tertuliacellars.com/">Tertulia Cellars</a></b> winery and its surrounding Whistling Hills Vineyard in Walla Walla Valley. The long-time Woodinville producer will move most of its production to the valley and open a tasting room there.<br /><br />“My team's excited. I’m excited. It’s going to be a good move,” says owner and winemaker John Patterson.<br /><br />The purchase includes Tertulia’s 9,200-square-foot production facility and tasting room space located in the southside of Walla Walla. It also includes a 14+ acre surrounding vineyard. A little over seven of those acres are currently planted, with room for an additional 1.4 acres. The Tertulia brand and inventory were not part of the sale.<br /><br />The building will be rebranded as Patterson Cellars and will have a tasting room, Patterson’s fifth. Patterson will continue to have two tasting rooms in Woodinville, one at Hollywood Hill and one in the Warehouse District. The winery will also continue to operate satellite tasting rooms in Seattle and Leavenworth. Patterson himself will relocate to Walla Walla.<br /><br />“I'm just looking for a little bit of a change. I'm hoping that, with the move, life will be a little slower,” Patterson says, noting this year will be his 36th harvest.<br /><br />The winery plans to continue all existing vineyard contracts and hire someone to manage the new estate property. Walla Walla Valley currently comprises approximately 20% of Patterson’s fruit. Patterson produced 18,000 cases of wine in 2021. The winery plans to add 2,800 square feet of space to its new building to accommodate that production.<br /><br />“We can get one vintage in [to the existing building], but we can't get two vintages,” says Patterson. “So that will be one of the first things we do.” The winery also plans to add covered outdoor spaces to serve guests.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgwKUNHbIqSz9e-whaT-1dlRImaZSHKNPIaDcI2pI7jTu2XAtK53xAseM390NVgWke-lPZUEQXkBqfS2M5WEth1fCFYKErjp7fv-kJqdnQeVOBrs3Ixya-tcU8f9djt05GoWI_nPQczsERdgaUadlc3nP3CMGbeQK0UqnR9hR230yVIBbEOO0zXc9201w=s900" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgwKUNHbIqSz9e-whaT-1dlRImaZSHKNPIaDcI2pI7jTu2XAtK53xAseM390NVgWke-lPZUEQXkBqfS2M5WEth1fCFYKErjp7fv-kJqdnQeVOBrs3Ixya-tcU8f9djt05GoWI_nPQczsERdgaUadlc3nP3CMGbeQK0UqnR9hR230yVIBbEOO0zXc9201w=w320-h213" title="John Patterson" width="320" /></a></div>In addition to moving the majority of production, Patterson will be winding down his healthy consulting business. This has involved everything from custom crush and equipment use to various other services for numerous western Washington wineries.<br /><br />“I’ve got a lot of customers and friends that I've worked with for 15-plus years,” says Patterson. “I’ve been letting them know that I have to focus on a different phase of my business.”<br /><br />Patterson Cellars was founded in 2000 in Monroe, Washington by John Patterson and his father Jack. John had previously spent 13 years at <b><a href="https://quilcedacreek.com/">Quilceda Cree</a></b>k. The winery moved to Woodinville’s Warehouse District in 2007. While Patterson is relocating the winery, he remains bullish on the future of Woodinville.<br /><br />“Downtown there's so much going on,” he says. “You've got the new schoolhouse, you've got Woodin Creek, and you've got all the multi-use buildings. It's exciting to see it all.” Patterson is currently serving his ninth year as president of Woodinville Wine Country, a local promotional body.<br /><br />With the move, Patterson says he hopes to spend more time with the winery’s customers. “I love working with the guests when they come in and in greeting them and talking to them. For me, that’s so relaxing.”<br /><br />Tertulia Cellars closed its doors in 2021 after 16 years in business. With this sale, owner Jim O'Connell continues to have two vineyards in Walla Walla Valley, Elevation Vineyard in the North Fork region and Rivière Galets in The Rocks District. <b><a href="https://www.metisnw.com/">METIS</a></b>, a mergers and acquisitions firm specializing in Pacific Northwest wineries and vineyards, served as the exclusive transactional advisor in the sale. Terms were not announced.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Images of Tertulia Cellars and John Patterson by Richard Duval. </span>Sean P. Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03097365383701360215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6303461938563467286.post-37064080873491767082022-02-07T15:13:00.000-08:002022-10-03T12:28:39.551-07:00Walla Walla’s College Cellars looks to the future<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi7IMzKxRPz416HTniVK0aZxAtzfmk3-5VgdqmdJy-sG_OR7K29Yz4rDj7Fns7Uc72z0071sw98vyA6aOser99PhLirkYXNUzTl7OaCbJyNUYiMmn0KDrKl9ymbQu1idZVeYQ5O5LgcVQXIZhJhB5Mne_i492k0wRgucAVx4KnmXQRJVs25UHqwDayufw=s1024" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="681" data-original-width="1024" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi7IMzKxRPz416HTniVK0aZxAtzfmk3-5VgdqmdJy-sG_OR7K29Yz4rDj7Fns7Uc72z0071sw98vyA6aOser99PhLirkYXNUzTl7OaCbJyNUYiMmn0KDrKl9ymbQu1idZVeYQ5O5LgcVQXIZhJhB5Mne_i492k0wRgucAVx4KnmXQRJVs25UHqwDayufw=w382-h253" width="382" /></a></p>Today the <b><a href="https://dept.wwcc.edu/enology/">Institute for Enology and Viticulture at Walla Walla Community College</a></b> announced the search for a new director. The institute is home to <b><a href="https://collegecellars.com/">College Cellars</a></b>, a teaching winery that along with the Institute have had an outsized impacted on the west coast wine industry.<br /><br />“The number of graduates that are involved in various companies and businesses and wineries is astonishing,” says Marty Clubb, co-owner and managing winemaker at <b><a href="https://www.lecole.com/">L’Ecole No. 41</a></b>, one of Walla Walla Valley’s founding wineries. “When you create such a strong, educated network of people, it has a multiplier effect in terms of its influence.”<br /><br />To wit, at present L’Ecole’s entire cellar team comes from the college. “It's been the best thing that ever happened to us,” says Clubb of his new team. “They are wine savvy. I think they’re ultimately going to help us make better wine.”<br /><br />Another one of the valley’s founding wineries, <b><a href="https://www.woodwardcanyon.com/">Woodward Canyon</a></b>, has also seen the impact of the college. Woodward recently underwent a generational transition, where founders Rick Small and Darcey Fugman-Small transitioned leadership to their daughter Jordan and son Sager. Sager is a graduate of the program.<br /><br />“One of the things I didn’t really expect to see was how entrepreneurial the program turned out to be,” says Small, noting the number of graduates that have gone on to start wineries and other businesses. These graduates have also taken key positions <b><a href="https://collegecellars.com/graduates/">throughout the Washington wine industry as beyond</a></b>.<br /><br />The Institute was founded in 2000 (Full disclosure: I am currently an adjunct instructor at the college.) Since that time, the program has had over 350 students. Many of them have gone on to have successful careers as growers, cellar hands, winemakers, and hospitality workers.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi2nJHX3VovFGXSKYw_1CG2u9_6ZvcljVE77rbW7KpH_keudpB7O6kVt5Tjy9G-GBFi-emd5cihw7tC2mQNeqPrdKHBlLvCZD5AQuu5s1M2yLIhNzEvWo48wfdTFFfim4dnfyfYywpKkUS-yHx3ltFBW593EAJ9d6wzltOb-JADOGz5QQlOMHKKD6gZew=s1024" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="845" data-original-width="1024" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi2nJHX3VovFGXSKYw_1CG2u9_6ZvcljVE77rbW7KpH_keudpB7O6kVt5Tjy9G-GBFi-emd5cihw7tC2mQNeqPrdKHBlLvCZD5AQuu5s1M2yLIhNzEvWo48wfdTFFfim4dnfyfYywpKkUS-yHx3ltFBW593EAJ9d6wzltOb-JADOGz5QQlOMHKKD6gZew=s320" width="320" /></a></div>Sabrina Lueck, interim director of winemaking at the college, credits the program’s success to the hands-on experience students get. “Our students truly learn by doing,” she says. “We have eight acres of vineyards and a 2,000 case winery where our students really do have true ownership over the product.”<br /><br />The intimate size of the program and its tight relationship with the Washington wine community are also pivotal to its success.<br /><br />“I think that we have a nearly unparalleled ability to refer students into jobs where they're going to thrive, because we get to know our students and their motivations, their goals,” says Lueck. “Then our program has been integrated in this community for [over] 20 years, so our staff members understand the needs of our local industry as well.”<br /><br />The impacts of the program have been felt well beyond Walla Walla Valley and Washington. Graduate Joel Sokoloff is currently vineyard manager at highly regarded <b><a href="https://www.sotervineyards.com/">Soter Vineyards</a></b> in Willamette Valley. He previously held the same position at <b><a href="https://cayusevineyards.com/static/">Cayuse Vineyards </a></b>in Walla Walla Valley, one of the top estates in the world.<br /><br />“The biggest strength [of the community college] is giving an excellent foundation for being successful, no matter which route you want to take in the wine industry,” Sokoloff says. “They really help students find what they're interested in.”<br /><br />Maryam Ahmed, founder of <b><a href="http://www.maryamandcompany.com/">Maryam + Company</a></b> in Napa Valley, is also a graduate of the program. Prior to founding her own company, she spent nearly five years as director of public programs at the <b><a href="https://www.ciachef.edu/cia-california/">Culinary Institute of America</a></b> in Napa. Ahmed says the college offers a unique opportunity for students to gain direct experience and be embedded in a community that is home to over 120 wineries and tasting rooms.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjHX4gLwIak19IizC9K469lYpzHeQAUGijxP_q-i9QEh4gkUdCjSxc0kHnacud4aI618enpAuJF_MR3DH1G-EwTerTwu8HvRLZ1VlJvU8L0FlRNZwgVvv5anzItVBJsPnk9BbTB4QrYOJ4CMClaz07bC18kHoEhO4ZLqdbDnNe9x_ZuOk5RURd-ZHvdPg=s4288" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2848" data-original-width="4288" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjHX4gLwIak19IizC9K469lYpzHeQAUGijxP_q-i9QEh4gkUdCjSxc0kHnacud4aI618enpAuJF_MR3DH1G-EwTerTwu8HvRLZ1VlJvU8L0FlRNZwgVvv5anzItVBJsPnk9BbTB4QrYOJ4CMClaz07bC18kHoEhO4ZLqdbDnNe9x_ZuOk5RURd-ZHvdPg=w383-h255" width="383" /></a></div>“I really wanted a hands-on program,” she says of why she choose the college. “It was an amazing opportunity to both get this degree and be completely immersed in a wine region and a community that supports the school too.”<br /><br />Lueck has been at the college since 2011, starting teaching there at the tender age of 23. She has served as interim director since 2021 and is leaving the college to work at the esteemed German producer <b><a href="https://www.wine-searcher.com/merchant/35334-weingut-keller">Weingut Keller</a></b>.<br /><br />“I am leaving, but I love this program,” says Lueck. “The most rewarding and exciting thing for me has been the success of the graduates.”<br /><br />With Lueck leaving, there will be a chance for the next generation of leaders to carry the torch, teaching new students and taking the program to the next level. Lueck says the next director, who she will have a role in hiring, will have the opportunity to have an enormous impact on Northwest wine.<br /><br />“One of the missions of the college is to be the catalyst that transforms our students lives and the communities that we live in, and I truly believe we do,” Lueck says. “I've seen the impact that our program has had on our students individual lives and also our winemaking community here.”<br /><br />Applications for the position are <b><a href="https://www.schooljobs.com/careers/wwcc/jobs/3415088/director-of-enology-and-viticulture?fbclid=IwAR2ZKmPuZYSsgszxNchwWAajq-vIRlpGlcUdjo_AM7CzEq7NKq9CQFWBcsY">currently open</a></b>.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Image of Institute for Enology and Viticulture and Sabrina Lueck by Richard Duval. Image of students in vineyard courtesy of the Institute for Enology and Viticulture.</span>Sean P. Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03097365383701360215noreply@blogger.com0