Northwest wineries have been banking on grapes from Sagemoor Vineyards for decades. With novel ideas and deep passion, this powerhouse vineyard team continues to supply winemakers with the right stuff.

The late Alec Bayless, an attorney from Seattle, was the mastermind behind what is today known as Sagemoor Vineyards. This pioneer vineyard, founded in 1968, supplied grapes to a number of Washington and Oregon wineries during those early days that helped put the wine industry in the Pacific Northwest on solid footing.

There are four individual vineyard sites in all, consisting of Sagemoor, Bacchus, Dionysus and Weinbau that make up what is officially known as Sagemoor Vineyards.

Weinbau is located 12 miles east of Mattawa on the Wahluke Slope, while the other three are located within miles of each other north of Pasco, Washington, on a spectacular site overlooking the Columbia River to the west.

“At 900 acres in size, we are probably the largest ‘boutique’ vineyard in the state because we do not have our own winery,” says general manager Kent Waliser. Since he joined Sagemoor in 2002, Waliser has embraced the idea of working with a large number of grape buyers, both big and small. At last count they sell grapes to over 75 wineries, including Abeja Winery, Barrister Winery, Efeste, Hedges Family Estate, Januik Winery, L’Ecole Nº 41, Rasa Vineyards, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, Walla Walla Vintners, and Woodward Canyon Winery.

Not only does this practice provide diversification, it best utilizes the makeup of some vineyard sites which don’t ripen evenly (due to variability in soils and topography) and therefore do not appeal to large commercial customers who are looking for uniformity so they can make mass quantities of wine in a consistent style.

Former vineyard manager Todd Cameron mapped the vineyard block and divided them up into smaller rows, or individual sections as they are called. Todd then determined the irrigation and viticulture plan appropriate for each block. Now, each newly planted block takes into account many variables that make sure each grape variety will grow best there. As a result, they have become very attractive to boutique winemakers who want to claim these smaller sections as their own.

Sagemoor is known for producing some of the best Cabernet Sauvignon in the State of Washington, particularly the 1972 Old Vine Cab in block 9 of Bacchus Vineyard. “It has a really nice core of dark fruit and there is a brown herbaceous signature to Sagemoor,” says John Abbott, owner and winemaker for Abeja Winery.

Rick Small of Woodward Canyon Winery has been buying Sagemoor grapes for 34 years and speaks very highly of the growers, as well as their grapes. Speaking about their Cabernet Sauvignon he says, “I like the intensity and the black fruits. I find that the wines are a little bit more elegant. The aromatics, for me, are a key part of Sagemoor, as well as texture. The wine is seamless; it’s wonderful with food.”

At the same time Sagemoor has developed a modern niche growing lesser-known varieties that are not commonly found elsewhere in the state including Barbera, Roussanne, Carmenere, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Cab Franc.

Not content to rest on their laurels as one of the top vineyard growers in the state, Sagemoor Vineyards are progressive in their practices. “The vineyard team understands that they need to continue to farm for better and better fruit. They are willing to work with each winemaker to produce the fruit that each winery is looking for, which is unique. I’m a believer in softer farming, which is a direction that Sagemoor is also willing to go, not only to produce better fruit but also to protect the health and happiness of their workers,” says Abbott.

About five years ago, Waliser started using a product called Extenday in the Old Vine Cab block 10. As a tree fruit grower, Waliser had experience using the white reflective material to advance the maturity of cherries and apples more quickly in the growing season, and he wondered if it could help the 1972 block, which tended to ripen late.

His hunch paid off. Using Extenday has allowed Sagemoor to gain heat units and advance maturity by a week to ten days. John Abbott has worked with Waliser to test the effectiveness of Extenday on these grapes by comparing rows that had the material on them versus rows that did not. “It definitely made a difference,” says Abbott.

Sagemoor also provides their winery partners with current and historical brix, acid, and pH values for each block of the vineyard, not unlike a financial report that tracks the individual performance of stocks and bonds for investors. According to Waliser, “We’ve got ten years of data now in there that you can graph by block. Each block is sampled twice a week. It’s posted to our website every day at 4 o’clock.”

This information can be critical for winemakers who don’t live near the vineyard and are unable to visit as often as they would like during harvest to make picking decisions. “We’ve got winemakers on the Olympic Peninsula, in Spokane, in Walla Walla, in Woodinville. They can check on their block’s progress at midnight, 3am or 10am or whenever they want to, because the information is there.”

Even though Sagemoor is a large operation in terms of acreage, they work hard to make sure that each customer is taken care of and their needs are met. Derek Way, vineyard manager, together with Servando Rodriguez and Miguel Rodriguez, have over 70 combined years experience working with winemakers. They know that customer service is critical for success, and they seem to have a lot of fun in the process. Rick Small recalls the fabulous BBQ parties that the original partners would throw for their shareholders. True to their roots, Sagemoor still holds an annual tasting for their winery partners. It’s not only a time to celebrate and enjoy each other’s company but also a time to discuss what is working and what could be improved.

“It’s almost like a family over there, and I feel like I’m a part of that family. They just take great care of the vineyard, and they take really good care of the wineries that get grapes from them,” says Small.

An Unlikely Boutique: Sagemoor Vineyards was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

A tour of Boushey Vineyards with renowned grape grower Dick Boushey, who makes the tough task of growing world-class grapes appear effortless

One would never guess by talking to Dick Boushey that he ranks among the most respected growers in Washington State. His Boushey Vineyards in the Yakima Valley have been producing much sought after fruit for 30 years, yet he remains remarkably humble about his success.

“I first planted grapes around my house, and then ventured out from there, looking at sites that would fit wine grapes,” explains Boushey without any airs.

Boushey Vineyards is comprised of seven smaller vineyards, called blocks, all in close proximity to Boushey’s home north of Grandview, Washington, at the base of the Rattlesnake Hills. Boushey planted his first experimental block with ten different varieties in 1977. In 1980, he planted his first commercial block.

Today, Boushey grows an impressive 23 grape varieties on 125 acres, including Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Grenache, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Marsanne, and Roussanne. Currently, about 30 producers purchase Boushey grapes. Boushey refers to them as partners rather than customers. “I want to sell to a lot of people,” he says, adding, “It spreads the risk out.” Speaking of diversification, Boushey also grows concord grapes, apples, and cherries in addition to wine grapes.

Boushey grew up in Sumner, Washington, never dreaming he would end up farming. After college, he worked as a banker but decided it wasn’t the career for him. His father bought an orchard in eastern Washington and asked Dick to take care of it for him until he retired and could move there. About the same time, the wine industry in Washington State was just beginning to emerge and Boushey spent a lot of time at the Washington State University Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center in Prosser trying to learn as much as he could about farming. It was there he met Dr. Walter Clore, considered the father of Washington wine, and the relationship sparked his interest in the industry.

Grower and Winemaker

One of the things that makes Dick Boushey an exceptional grower is that he understands the needs and wants of winemakers and the importance of growing the wine in the vineyard. He’s been a home winemaker himself for 25 years, which helps him to understand the process and talk to the winemakers who buy his grapes.

“I wouldn’t consider myself a winemaker, but I probably have more experience than a lot of people starting wineries,” says Boushey. “I’m always a little dubious of winemakers who don’t have a good background in enology. There’s going to be awkward years. You need to make good wine every year, and good winemakers do.”

The Gift of Syrah

The variety most often associated with Boushey is Syrah. Syrah ripens late in the cooler climate of the Yakima Valley, which allows it to retain good natural acidity without the alcohol getting too high. Boushey grows Syrah on several different vineyard sites including McPherson Vineyard, County Line Road Vineyard, Grand Côte Vineyard, and Golden View Vineyard. While all four vineyards are within walking distance of Boushey’s house, they do have some variability when it comes to the slope and the depth of the soil.

When asked to characterize the overriding traits of Syrah made from Boushey fruit, winemakers frequently mention the concentration of color, texture, and integrated tannins.

Marie-Eve Gilla, winemaker for Forgeron Cellars says, “The main thing for me about the Boushey fruit is that it’s got a texture to it. It’s very precise. When you get it into the winery, you don’t need to fight with it. You can let the fruit do what it wants to do and then get it right into the bottle. It’s a gift, beautiful from the beginning to the end.”

Chris Sparkman of Sparkman Cellars agrees, “Texturally, I think it is unique. We’ve messed around with trying to blend it; at least we did in the first couple of years, with other vineyards from other sites. But it’s so singular and so special texturally that we just can’t mess with it. When the Boushey comes into the winery, there is sort of a celebration and a ‘here it comes’ because we’re so excited about it’s unique characters.”

Bob Betz of Betz Family Winery produces his La Serenne Syrah each year with fruit solely from Boushey’s County Line Road Vineyard. “We’ve been farming the same rows with the County Line Vineyard since 2000. We farm eight blocks total of Syrah from Red Mountain to Red Willow. We receive the smallest berry size and the smallest cluster weight from Boushey’s County Line. We typically get this lush, characterful suppleness of tannins that come out of there. We are looking for pigment, concentration, tannins, and yet vitality and vibrancy. I contend that’s what we get from this County Line Syrah.”

Farming Practices

Speaking about his farming practices, Boushey says, “My approach is minimalistic. I don’t like the word stress or deficit irrigation, but it’s moderation. I try to keep a small canopy—small clusters, small berries—and I think that’s one of the attributes that helps the wines have good color and good uniform ripening.” He doesn’t employ a by the book approach and uses technology sparingly. For Boushey, it’s all about experience, learning what makes each row in his vineyards tick to perfection.

Boushey’s good-natured personality makes him immediately likable and actually helps him promote his fruit and the wines made with it. Even after three decades, he considers himself new to the business. “I’m still trying to figure out the best way to do this. I’m still learning. I’ll probably be doing this for another 20 years.”

The fruit already speaks for itself, but with Dick Boushey’s dogged determination and unpretentious attitude, look for Boushey Vineyards to stay ahead of the pack as the vines and grower continue to mature together.

The Golden Touch: Boushey Vineyards was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

Accustomed to dealing with the forces of nature, Paul Champoux is winning his battle with the West Nile virus with steely determination

Champoux Vineyards is considered to be among the best Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards in Washington State. And while it’s true that Mother Nature ultimately holds the cards in any agricultural game of chance, never underestimate the impact that people like Paul Champoux can have on his vineyard’s site, soil, and plants.

Champoux (pronounced “shampoo”) is a master viticulturist who has developed a philosophy of plant nutrition to help accentuate the flavors, color, and varietal character of the grapes at his Champoux Vineyards.

He has broken the growing season down into the “seasons of the vine” (which are initial growth, reproductive cycle, secondary growth/berry development, lag phase, and veraison/maturation). During each of those different seasons, Champoux applies a different nutritional package of nutrients through the leaves to give the vine what it needs for the upcoming stage.

Winemaker Mike Januik of Januik Winery buys fruit from Champoux every year. “People have this traditional idea of what terroir is, but in the case of Champoux Vineyards, I think that you can almost expand upon that and say that Paul Champoux in a certain way is part of the terroir. It is the uniqueness of Paul’s skills in large part that makes Champoux what it is,” he says.

Early Mercer Ranch

Champoux Vineyards is owned by Paul and Judy Champoux along with four partner wineries, Andrew Will, Powers, Quilceda Creek, and Woodward Canyon. Located in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA in south central Washington State, Champoux Vineyards was originally known as Mercer Ranch. The first seven acres of Cabernet were planted by Don and Linda Mercer in 1972 at the request of Walter Clore, known as the “Father of the Washington wine industry,” who wanted to prove that wine grapes could be grown commercially in the state and fine wines could be made from them.

Paul Champoux became the manager for Mercer Ranch after learning the ropes as a vineyard manager for Ste. Michelle. In fact, he helped plant over 2,000 acres near Paterson in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s and worked with great mentors including Dr. Clore, Dr. Wade Wolfe (now of Thurston Wolfe), and Clay Mackey (now of Chinook Wines).

Paul and Judy Champoux and their partner wineries bought the vineyard in 1996. Winemaker Rick Small of Woodward Canyon recalls, “I’ll never forget when I got the call. I told Paul, ‘Yeah, we would definitely be interested in being a partner.’ Between us all, we got the money together and were able to purchase this incredible Cabernet place.”

Where Cab is King

Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely king at Champoux with nearly 60 percent of the 180-acre vineyard planted to the variety. Winemakers rave over its dark black fruit aromas and flavors, silky tannins, structure, and ability to age well.

Champoux Vineyards has ten other grape varieties planted on 180 acres that include Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Merlot, Lemberger, Petit Verdot, Muscat Canelli, Chardonnay, Riesling, Orange Muscat, and Malbec.

In any given year, over 20 wineries purchase Champoux grapes, with about 16 steadily using its fruit year after year, including partners Andrew Will, Powers, Quilceda Creek, and Woodward Canyon, as well as Fidelitas, Januik, and Sineann.

The fruit is so prized and the vineyard so well respected that Champoux estimates that about 90 percent of the wines made using Champoux grapes are vineyard-designated. “Even after all these years and seeing our name on many, many bottles, we still get excited. It’s quite an honor for us,” says Judy Champoux.

West Nile Virus Attack

But on July 17, 2009, Paul Champoux was dealt the scare of his life. Three days prior, he felt flu-like symptoms and achy muscles and joints. By the 17th, he could not move his arms or legs at all.

It took thirteen days before he was diagnosed with West Nile virus, the result of being bitten by an infected mosquito. After being hospitalized for two months in serious condition, Paul returned home in early September about the time the 2009 harvest started.

Fortunately, Champoux has surrounded himself with good people, including vineyard manager Kevin Laurent and production foreman Hipolito Vargas, who kept the vineyard running smoothly in his absence. Even though he could not physically help with harvest, Champoux was able to stay connected with his managers and winemakers via cell phone from his bed with his wife Judy holding the phone to his ear.

Rick Small describes the story, “Behind all of this incredible recovery that Paul has seen in the last year is his wife Judy. I can’t tell you how important she has been. She was his best friend, his best supporter, and his rally point. The reason Paul is back the way he is right now, and back so motivated and encouraged and so enthused is to a huge point, because of Judy. When we talk about Champoux Vineyards, we talk about it in terms of Paul but it really should be in terms of both of them because they are so much a team.”

With the same focus and determination that he learned playing college baseball at Seattle University and has applied to running his vineyard, Paul Champoux has battled back from this physical setback and is well on his way to a full recovery.

A healthy dose of humor has helped, too. He wears a cap that reads “Damn Mosquitoes” on the front and “Fight the Bite” on the back.

Over a year later, use of his arms is back to about 90 percent and his legs back to about 75 percent. He looks forward to the day when he can walk the vineyard again and shoot hoops with his grandkids.

Endless Possibilities

As passionate as Paul and Judy Champoux are about their vineyard, they are just as passionate about sharing it with others. Unlike most vineyards that discourage visitors for fear they’ll get in the way, the couple opened Chateau Champoux in 2000, offering vineyard tours and wine tastings to the public.

“We wanted to get consumers out in the field so they can see what it takes to grow world-class grapes,” says Champoux. “We bring them out in the vineyard and then bring them inside to taste wine from the block they were just in. You can see their eyes light up.” The tours have been suspended over the last year due to Paul’s prolonged recovery, however they hope to resume them in 2011.

Paul has been an integral part of making Champoux Vineyards the world-class vineyard that it is, and also an example to the national and international wine community of what is possible in Washington State.

As Mike Januik puts it, “If all of the grape growers in Washington even begin to approach what Paul Champoux does, we’d be a much better place as far as grape production and wine production goes. He really is somebody that you can look up to.”

Rick Small further speculates, “I still think that we haven’t made the best wines from there yet.” Given its site, soil, plants, and the focus and strong determination of the people, the possibilities seem endless.

True Grit: Champoux Vineyards was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

A source of elegant wines, grapes from Ciel du Cheval Vineyard are sought by winemakers for their ripeness, maturing, and perfect balance.

Attentive. Goal-oriented. Brilliant. Stable. Conscientious. Cutting-edge. These are qualities winemakers and winery owners use to describe Ciel du Cheval’s owner Jim Holmes and vineyard manager Ryan Johnson. Two of the hardest working and most well respected men in the Washington wine industry, their work ethic combined with Ciel du Cheval’s exceptional site make it a world-class vineyard.

“The character of the fruit, the quality of the fruit, the location itself, and the attention to detail by the growers is really a perfect mix of site and human influence,” says Bob Betz, owner and winemaker of Betz Family Winery. Ciel du Cheval is his single largest supplier of fruit.

Started in 1975 by friends of current owner Jim Holmes, Ciel du Cheval is located on Red Mountain just outside of Benton City, Washington. At the time, Jim Holmes and John Williams were business partners at Kiona Vineyards across the road.

In 1991, Kiona purchased Ciel du Cheval and when Holmes and Williams separated their business interests in 1994, Williams took the Kiona property and Holmes took Ciel du Cheval. Holmes made many improvements to the vineyard and hired Ryan Johnson as vineyard manager in 2000.

Today, Ciel du Cheval has thirteen grape varieties planted on 120 acres, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, Grenache, Mourvedre, Petit Verdot, Nebbiolo, Viognier, Roussanne, Counoise, and Pinot Gris.

Currently, about 30 producers purchase Ciel du Cheval grapes, including DeLille, Betz, Andrew Will, Mark Ryan, and Grand Rêve. When asked to characterize the overriding traits of Ciel fruit, Johnson, Betz, and Jay Soloff, co-owner of DeLille Cellars, all make mention of its ripeness, maturity, and balance.

Soloff, whose DeLille Cellars purchases about 30 percent of Ciel’s grapes, says, “When we bring in grapes from Ciel du Cheval, we know what kind of wine it’s going to make. We know that Jim has created for us grapes with flavor, grapes with not only maturity in the pulp but also maturity in the skin and skin tannins, balance with acidity and pH, everything perfect.”

The original owners intended to pay homage to the Horse Heaven Hills, which can be seen from the vineyard, when they named Ciel du Cheval. “They had had some high school French and didn’t get it quite right,” recalls current owner Jim Holmes.

“Every Frenchman who comes by gives us a hard time about it. It kind of translates to ‘Horse Sky’, which doesn’t make any sense, but it was meant to be Horse Heaven.”

No matter the origins of the name, having Ciel du Cheval on a bottle of wine is quite notable. Holmes keeps track of critics’ scores for wines made from his fruit for validation of what’s being done in the vineyard. “For our 2007 vintage, we have something like 50 wines that have been tasted and ratings published, and the average score across all of the wines and all of the wineries is 92 points.”

Ciel du Cheval utilizes different trellising systems, including fan-trained vines as well as the more common bilateral cordon. Fan-trained vines actually have four trunks and disperse the vigor throughout an eight-foot spacing instead of a four-foot spacing. Vineyard manager Ryan Johnson explains, “It catches the sun wonderfully; it’s kind of like a catcher’s mitt—great wind pass-through, great spray coverage, and a great natural shading.”

Some winemakers swear by the fan-trained vines while others prefer bilateral cordon. Holmes and Johnson work with each winemaker who purchases Ciel fruit to decide what’s best.

In addition, the newest vines at Ciel du Cheval are skewed in a diagonal orientation instead of just north/south or east/west so that they get equal heat units on each side of the vine.

At 120 acres, the vineyard is completely planted out, with the exception of a five-acre parcel in the middle of the vineyard reserved if they decide to open a winery someday, though there are no immediate plans to do so. Meanwhile, Holmes and Johnson continue to work hard to maintain Ciel du Cheval’s lofty status.

Johnson says, “It goes back to something that Jim Holmes told me on my first day on the job: ‘If you don’t stay cutting edge, someone else will pass you by.’ That’s our underlying philosophy out here.”

Ciel du Cheval has three different soil types: Hezel sandy loam, Warden silt loam, and scooteney. Since Red Mountain is a desert, one extremely important tool in the Ciel du Cheval arsenal is irrigation management. They have moisture sensors located at one, two, and three feet deep, which provide them with constant updates on the moisture depletion.

Holmes says, “We have forty different blocks out there (in the vineyard), and every morning I’m on my computer looking at the soil moisture profiles. I look at every block and evaluate it. Ryan is out there going up and down the rows.”

One of their most exciting projects is still in the development stages. The desert soils do not offer a lot of nutrition, there is little organic matter, and nitrogen levels are very low. In an effort to work away from using synthetic fertilizers to replace nitrogen, Holmes has partnered with Washington State University and Steven Link, a professional desert biologist, to develop a program to use native, nitrogen-fixing plants as a cover crop.

Bringing in synthetics and even the compost used by some vineyards can change the character of the soil, so Holmes’ goal is to sustain the unique terroir of Ciel du Cheval by using native plants instead. “We want to maintain our terroir as it was in the beginning because that is what defines us and makes us unique. We don’t want to change it, we just want to make it work in a natural way,” says Holmes.

Since the project started two years ago, they have completed a species-sorting part of the project and are currently developing a seed basis for these native plants, along with building their own nursery. The results so far have been promising, but there is quite a bit of research yet to be done.

Holmes and Johnson go above and beyond with hands-on farming practices, cutting edge technology, and excellent customer service to help their customers ultimately produce the best wine possible.

Bob Betz remembers, “One time I could not get over and it was very close to harvest. I had been over on Friday, and we weren’t going to make a decision until Wednesday on when to pick. Ryan picked clusters that morning, put them in a FedEx box, and overnighted them to me just so I could take a look. That’s the kind of communication and passion that they have for their site.”

Ciel du Cheval delivers, in every sense of the word.

Perfect Balance: Ciel du Cheval Vineyard was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

One of the pioneer plantings in the Walla Walla Valley, 19-year old Pepper Bridge Vineyard continues to improve with age

Growing apples in the Walla Walla Valley always seemed like a good idea to Norm McKibben and his business partner, Rob Rupar. So in 1989, they bought an old wheat ranch and set about clearing the land and planting apple trees, and named the farm “Pepper Bridge”, taking the name of an old low-water crossing across the Walla Walla River on the Pepper Family Farm (connecting an old military road between Fort Walla Walla and Fort The Dalles.) Along the way, they brought in Tom Waliser as a partner to help them develop the site and manage the orchard.

Early Walla Walla Valley Grapes

At the time, McKibben was a silent partner at Hogue Cellars, chairman of the board at Canoe Ridge Vineyards, and had a small vineyard of his own outside the Valley. Despite the fact there were less than 50 total acres of vineyards planted in the Walla Walla Valley, McKibben believed the Pepper Bridge Farm soil showed good promise for grape-growing. He talked to his partners about planting grapevines on the property and they agreed to give it a shot, planting five acres each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in 1991.

“I was doing all the farming for the apple end of it, so I volunteered to learn to grow grapes,” remembers Tom Waliser, who has been Pepper Bridge Farm’s vineyard manager since the beginning. “I thought to myself, how hard could it be? I learned there was a lot more to it than I anticipated. With apples, I was raising a product that was consumed by the consumers so they had to cosmetically look good. The more fruit we could grow on a tree, the more money we were going to make. With grapes, it’s all about internal quality. It doesn’t matter what they look like. It’s about getting the vine to focus more on the fruit and internal quality and limiting the volume, so you get small berries and concentration. It’s the opposite of apples. It was a big adjustment for me.”

Waliser made the adjustment quite well, and the wine-grape growing operation, now known as Pepper Bridge Vineyard, has been a rousing success story, despite early skepticism. “Some of the first comments were, ‘Good luck, it’ll never happen,’” said Waliser. “But it turns out that Walla Walla is a great place to grow grapes.”

Bragging Rights

It didn’t take long for some high-profile Washington wineries to express interest in Pepper Bridge Vineyard fruit. Their first five customers were Andrew Will, L’Ecole Nº 41, Leonetti, Seven Hills, and Woodward Canyon.

“I have to brag a little bit. We were the first winery to make wine from Pepper Bridge Vineyard,” said owner/winemaker Marty Clubb of L’Ecole Nº 41. “At the time, the Walla Walla Valley was really in its infancy. Not much fruit was actually grown there and Pepper Bridge Vineyard grapes were not well-known. In 1993, we started producing our Apogee wine using 100% Pepper Bridge Vineyard fruit. The wine has been so well-received by wine lovers worldwide that we’ve made seventeen consecutive vintages.”

L’Ecole’s Apogee is a Bordeaux-blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc. Clubb’s goal is to produce a rich, robust, expressive red wine that showcases what Pepper Bridge Vineyard has to offer.

It’s All in the Fruit

As the vineyard grew in proportion to the apple orchard, the Pepper Bridge Winery estate winery was founded by Norm McKibben and partner, Ray Goff. The first-vintage 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon produced by Pepper Bridge Winery was a single-vineyard wine from Pepper Bridge Vineyard. Beginning with the 2000 vintage, the Pepper Bridge Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with small percentages of Malbec, Cabernet Franc and/or Petit Verdot added year-to-year, with the recipe changing based on winemaker Jean-Francois Pellet’s palate. Like L’Ecole, Pepper Bridge Winery strives to showcase what the vineyard does best in that particular year.

When asked to characterize the overriding traits of Pepper Bridge Vineyard fruit, McKibben, Waliser, Clubb, and Pepper Bridge Winery winemaker Jean-Francois Pellet all make mention of its dark fruits and strong structure. While L’Ecole and Pepper Bridge Winery make single-vineyard Pepper Bridge Vineyard wines, both wineries also produce wines that are a blend of grapes from Pepper Bridge Vineyard and Walla Walla’s Seven Hills Vineyard.

“It’s like ying and yang between those two Walla Walla estate vineyards. Pepper Bridge Vineyard is a little more structured, darker fruit while Seven Hills Vineyard has a little softer tannins and red fruit characteristics. They complement each other very well,” said Jean-Francois Pellet.

Currently, about 45 wineries purchase Pepper Bridge Vineyard grapes, including Leonetti, L’Ecole Nº 41, Pepper Bridge Winery, Long Shadows, Forgeron, and Saviah.

Keeping the Vines Stressed

Pepper Bridge is one of the lower vineyards in the valley at an elevation of 850 feet. Its balanced soils are lake bed sediment from the Missoula floods.

“Our challenge is to make sure the plants don’t get too happy on this type of soil,” said Waliser. “Irrigation management is our biggest tool in getting high quality.”

Under Waliser’s direction, Pepper Bridge Vineyard is sustainably farmed and utilizes cutting-edge technology to monitor irrigation and weather. A network of weather stations all over the valley monitors temperature and humidity, tracking the data 24 hours a day. All of the blocks in the vineyard have moisture sensors that provide Waliser’s team with an ongoing report of what’s happening.

Now that the vines are 19 years old, Pepper Bridge Vineyard is really coming into its own. Pellet sums it up: “Every year the wines are getting more definition and more character.”

In the beginning, there was a struggle to decide if the former wheat ranch was going to be transformed into an orchard or a vineyard. Almost two decades later, 90 acres of apples are still grown, but the emphasis is definitely on the 200 acres of wine grapes. An excellent decision, indeed.

From Apples to Grapes: Pepper Bridge Vineyard was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

While my ratings did not factor into the final decision of the other judges, I tasted all of the wines along with them, made my own notes, and observed the process for the Platinum Judging. I was very impressed by the organization and integrity of the competition.

The Winter issue of Wine Press Northwest should be on shelves now. For results of the Platinum Judging, pick up a copy today. Also, with this issue, Wine Press Northwest is launching a new column reserved for bloggers, which will rotate to different bloggers around the Northwest. I am honored to be the inaugural blogger columnist. Be sure to check out my article on the value of blind tasting.

Wine Press Northwest Platinum Judging 2010 was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

Overlooking the lush Yakima Valley, DuBrul Vineyard is cultivating a loyal following for their elegant fruit—with helpful hands from an all-female vineyard crew

If you drive by DuBrul Vineyard, near Sunnyside, from mid-February through harvest in the fall, you are likely to see the ladies of their vineyard crew hard at work. They might be pruning, thinning, or doing whatever is necessary to take care of this 45-acre world class vineyard.

Why an all-female vineyard crew? “Women are more nurturing to the vines,” says owner Hugh Shiels. “We appreciate continuity of our workforce and people who care about following instructions.”

DuBrul Vineyard was planted by physician Hugh Shiels and his wife Kathy in 1992. At the time they purchased it, the land was home to an apple orchard and a meager seven acres of Riesling vines. Those Riesling vines, some of the oldest in Washington State, are still there today. The apple orchard, however, was torn out in order to plant Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Franc.

Master Farming

Those initial plantings were done under the expert supervision of vineyard consultant Dr. Wade Wolfe (now owner of Thurston Wolfe Winery). When Wolfe got promoted at Hogue Cellars, Stan Clarke took over the development of the vineyard. A Washington wine icon, Clarke worked with the Shiels from 1996 until his untimely death in 2007. Today, Rick Hamman is their viticultural consultant.

Through all three consultants, the one constant has been vineyard manager Larry Dolan, who has been there since the beginning. Under Dolan’s watchful eye, DuBrul is committed to sustainable farming practices. During a drought in 2005, they dug a naturally filling pond in the hydrology draining wedge on their property which allows them to provide the vineyard with normal irrigation even in years with limited rainfall.

Cherry Traits

DuBrul Vineyard, named after Hugh Shiels’ mother’s maiden name, is truly a unique site. The vineyard’s steep, rocky, south-facing slope is situated on a basalt promontory with gorgeous views of the Yakima Valley in all directions. It boasts many different aspects, multiple elevations, multiple exposures, multiple slopes, and multiple soils, which are planted to maximize the growing conditions for different grape varieties.

While cherry can be a very common descriptor in the flavor profile of red wines, Hugh and Kathy’s daughter, Kerry Shiels, who is the winemaker for the family’s estate winery Côte Bonneville identifies, “a very intense cherry that is distinctive of our vineyard,” as DuBrul’s overriding trait. “There is also a lot of complexity and richness in the fruits from DuBrul that is not common. Our vineyard tends to produce wines that definitely have good structure but are not astringent. Our tannin levels are not incredibly high. It lends itself more to elegant, finesse type wines.”

Multiple Varieties

Winemaker David O’Reilly of Owen Roe, DuBrul’s largest customer, speaks highly of the vineyard. He makes numerous single-vineyard wines using DuBrul fruit, including a Merlot, a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Syrah, a Chardonnay, and a Riesling.

Oftentimes, wine critics will perpetuate an idea about a particular region by saying that a certain area is great for growing one particular variety. When you look at DuBrul Vineyard, that theory is challenged.

“Where else can you find a single-vineyard with world class Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay, and Riesling? It is just unheard of,” says O’Reilly.

“You think Syrah from the Rhone, Riesling from the Mosel, Chardonnay from Burgundy, and then the Bordeaux grapes. But here, you have all these grapes grown in one area.”

Hands-On

The common thread that emerges when speaking with winemakers who use DuBrul fruit is the attention to detail that goes into every aspect of the vineyard. “Everything we do is hand-harvested, hand-worked, and nothing mechanical. We differentially irrigate within a row and really manage everything to the nth degree,” says Kerry Shiels.

During harvest, Hugh Shiels, who still works as an orthopedic surgeon, visits the vineyard every morning to check on the crew and give them instructions for the day before he goes to his office. After work, he changes clothes, returns to the vineyard and helps the crew who will be working late into the evening. “To get the quality, you have to be hands on,” says Shiels.

Côte Bonneville

In 2001, Hugh and Kathy Shiels started Côte Bonneville, their estate winery that uses fruit exclusively from DuBrul. “Before the vineyard was ten years old, we knew it was special. So we decided to start our own winery to showcase what the vineyard can do best,” says Kathy.

Owen Roe’s David O’Reilly praises the consistency of the fruit he buys from DuBrul. “Year in and year out, you know what you are going to get and when you are going to get it.”

That consistency is a testament not only to the vineyard itself, but also to the Shiels family and the ladies of their crew who strive to be diligent stewards of the land.

A Feminine Touch: DuBrul Vineyard was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

Klipsun Vineyard is known for its big, bold flavors and has evolved as a shining example of Red Mountain terroir

Klipsun means sunset in Chinook Indian jargon. But the sun is certainly not setting on Klipsun Vineyard, located in the Red Mountain AVA (American Viticultural Area) near Benton City, Washington. In fact, it’s more like late morning in the evolution of Klipsun Vineyard, with many of its best vineyard blocks just entering the prime of their productive lives.

If you ask the best winemakers in the state of Washington to name the top vineyards in the state, Klipsun Vineyard is near the top of almost every list. And in the very next breath, they usually mention owner Patricia Gelles. One of the few women in a largely male-dominated industry, Patricia does not put up with any nonsense.

When winemakers speak of contacting Patricia about buying some of her fruit, they turn into scared little boys. She is very particular about who she sells to because she is determined to preserve the reputation of the vineyard.

Patricia Gelles, with her fire engine red-streaked hair and British accent, is not the prototypical Eastern Washington vineyard owner. If you ran into her on the street, you would probably imagine her sipping a glass of high-end wine with friends, not being the woman responsible for the grapes that go into some of the best wines in the world. According to owner/winemaker John Bigelow of JM Cellars, Gelles is “an amazing ambassador of Washington wine.” Given her marketing background, it is no surprise that she is not only a tireless advocate for Klipsun Vineyard but also the Washington wine industry. In fact, a friend affectionately coined the term “Baroness of the Mountain” to describe her.

When Patricia and her husband David founded Klipsun in 1984, there weren’t many wineries or vineyards in the state. The Gelleses were friends with the owners of Kiona Vineyard, the Holmes and Williams families, who told them about the adjacent land for sale and asked them if they were interested. “We said yes, not knowing at all what we were getting into,” remembers Patricia.

Known for its dark cherry fruit flavors and bold, masculine characteristics, Klipsun’s soil composition is mainly sandy loam, the majority of which was deposited during the Missoula floods. The vineyard faces west with approximately 120 acres of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Malbec, Nebbiolo, Sauvignon Blanc, and Semillon.

Every variety that they have tried has grown well at Klipsun except for Chardonnay. In fact, when asked about it, Patricia dismissively gestured toward a pile of dead vines at the back of the property, saying, “That’s our Chardonnay over there, that wood pile.” After a freeze in 1986, they pulled out all of their Chardonnay vines and planted Syrah.

Their most sought after grapes are their Old Block of Cabernet Sauvignon, which is the first variety they planted back in 1984. “Andre Tchelistcheff (legendary California winemaker and consultant) said that the Kiona Cab was the best he’d ever tasted, so we decided to put in Cab too, since we are right next to Kiona,” said Gelles. As for how they decided what other varieties to plant, “We planted what we wanted to drink.”

Currently, about 35 producers purchase Klipsun grapes, among them Andrew Will, DeLille, Januik, JM Cellars, Seven Hills, and Quilceda Creek. It takes a while for winemakers to learn how to make a wine from Klipsun fruit so that it is not too big. For that reason, many producers blend the masculine Klipsun fruit with more refined feminine fruit from vineyards like Ciel du Cheval and Boushey.

“In a blend, Klipsun fruit lifts up tannin, and adds structure and power,” said winemaker Chris Upchurch of DeLille Cellars.

Even though many winemakers choose to blend Klipsun fruit, there are also winemakers who choose to produce a Klipsun vineyard-designated wine. In fact, Patricia remembers the first time she was asked by a winemaker if she would mind them putting the Klipsun name on the label. It was then that she realized that Klipsun was going to be a very special vineyard.

Since the beginning, Patricia Gelles has spent most of her time in the office making sure that the Klipsun fruit is sold. Her background is in marketing and after year two, she was trying to figure out where to sell the fruit. Rob Griffin, who was working for Hogue at the time, knocked on their door, and they haven’t looked back since. She lets her vineyard manager take care of the hands-on work in the vineyard.

Over the course of 25 years, there are only two people who have managed Klipsun, Fred Artz and Julia Kock. Fred Artz, who owns his own Artz Vineyard adjoining Klipsun, originally planted Klipsun Vineyard for the Gelleses and worked as their vineyard manager for 20 years. They hired Julia Kock, soon after she graduated from viticulture and enology school, to take over as vineyard manager in 2005. While some people in the industry may have been skeptical about them hiring what appeared to be an inexperienced vineyard manager, Gelles is quick to point out that Julia “was fresh out of viticulture and enology school, but very experienced in human resources and she’d done an internship at Columbia Crest. Julia has a fabulous palate. She understands what the winemakers are trying to do.”

Under Julia’s direction, Klipsun Vineyard is focused on sustainable viticultural practices. There is much debate in the wine industry today as to the merits of organic, biodynamic, or sustainable farming. While the ideal may be organic farming, there are many factors that generally make it impractical. Klipsun has not used an herbicide in twenty years, and Julia uses a very soft pesticide program. However, as Patricia points out, “There are too many things going on physically in nature and too many people close by that can have an impact on us. If we get an infestation of mites or something like that, we need to be able to treat it.”

So where does a vineyard that has been named as one of the top 25 vineyards in the world by Wine & Spirits Magazine go from here? “We want to keep on doing what we do best,” said Gelles.  “If we get enough demand, we might put in another few acres. We have 30 or 40 acres that we could plant at some point, but we’re not in a mad rush.”

When you get to know Patricia Gelles, who is as bold and commanding as her fruit, and you see the emphasis she and Julia are placing on sustainable viticultural practices, you quickly realize the sun is shining brightly at Klipsun Vineyard.

Red Mountain Sunset: Klipsun Vineyard was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

Many a great bottle of wine has begun with grapes from Red Willow Vineyard. In winemaker circles, the vineyard is synonymous with grower Mike Sauer, whose elbow grease and vision have contributed mightily to the high demand for his quality grapes.

Sauer has diligently labored over this piece of land for 40 years.  Still, he gives away all the credit for the vineyard’s success. “The soil gives an elegant and concentrated element to the wine with a lot of structure that ages very well,” he suggests. He and his family own Red Willow Vineyard, which sits in the northwest corner of the Yakima Valley appellation on the fourth-generation family farm established by Mike Sauer’s grandfather-in-law in the 1920’s.

Red Willow was named for an ancient, dried up creek bed canyon that descends from Ahtanum Ridge and passes through part of the vineyard. Characterized by its rocky, steep hillsides, the vineyard boasts a complexity and diversity of soils, which allows many different grape varieties to flourish.

“I love hillside fruit because the angle to the sun gives the vines more exposure,” says master winemaker Bob Betz, commenting on Red Willow’s terrain. “Hillside slopes also tend to be more protected in winter. In as much as air drains off a slope, cold air drains off a slope the way water would.”

Betz uses Red Willow grapes in his blends, and in fact, he is releasing a dense and silky Syrah this fall [2009] made from 100% Red Willow grapes, called La Côte Patriarche. Asked what makes Red Willow distinctive, Betz replies, “Red Willow is a combination of a very special site, a very smart grower, and a high work ethic. To me, that is the essence of Red Willow. Mike (Sauer) knows his site, his craft, his culture and provides us with uncompromised fruit.”

Monsignor Chapel

The iconic Monsignor Chapel sits atop Red Willow’s highest hill, built with native stones from the farm. Sauer constructed the monument in memory of his close family friend, the priest who had baptized all of his children. “I was inspired by a chapel I saw in the Rhône region of France,” says Sauer. Seen from miles around, the Monsignor Chapel gives the vineyard a distinct identity that is depicted on certain wine labels and corks.

The Mother of Washington Syrah

The very first Syrah vineyard block planted in Washington was at Red Willow in 1986, making it the mother of Washington Syrah. In fact, it is estimated that 80 percent of all Syrah plantings in Washington can be traced back to cuttings from this vineyard. While Sauer has grown over 20 different varieties at Red Willow over the past 35 years, he believes Syrah is what Washington grows best.

Jonathan Sauer, Mike’s son, recalls the story about how after the first Syrah block was planted there was a celebration on the hillside with bottles of Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie from the northern Rhône Valley in France where Syrah originated. After enjoying the wine, they dug holes and buried the empty bottles to let the ground know what was expected of it. It was a symbolic gesture and the vineyard has lived up to those expectations quite well.

Early Roots

While their first vines were planted in 1971, the defining year for Red Willow was 1973 when Mike Sauer was introduced to Dr. Walter Clore, the esteemed Washington State University (WSU) viticulturist. Their relationship led to many cooperative efforts with the WSU Prosser Experiment Station. They installed a weather station and experimented with numerous grape varieties. Red Willow’s first vineyard block of Cabernet Sauvignon was planted in 1973 and is still going strong, making it one of the oldest Cabernet Sauvignon blocks in the state.

Dating back to 1978, Red Willow Vineyard has had a longstanding relationship with Associated Vintners, later known as Columbia Winery. David Lake, Columbia’s winemaker for many years, was particularly fond of the vineyard and was the first to produce a Red Willow vineyard designated wine.

Popular Demand

Columbia Winery still buys a large portion of Red Willow’s annual harvest. In recent years the vineyard’s characteristic fruit has been sought out by a growing number of other notable Washington producers such as Betz, DeLille, Long Shadows, Owen Roe, Adams Bench, Mark Ryan, Kana, Efeste and Andrew Rich.

Winemaker Bob Betz remarks, “It’s a really wonderful series of notes that Red Willow brings to the party; the flavors tend to be dense and concentrated and rich. Especially the older vines.  We get some Cab that was planted in 1973 and some Syrah that was planted in 1986. I find it a great tool to bring to our blends.”

The Sauer family also owns a second vineyard on the family farm, Les Vignes de Marcoux, named after Mike Sauer’s mother’s maiden name. Less than a mile west of Red Willow, the soils are much less variable than the steep vineyards of Red Willow. Ten wineries, including Betz, Owen Roe, and Adams Bench will vineyard designate this year [2009] using either Red Willow or Les Vignes de Marcoux grapes.

Plowing Forward

In 2008, the Sauer’s planted the last suitable vineyard ground at Red Willow to a block of Cabernet Franc, giving them 140 total planted acres of wine grapes. In spite of the current economic recession, Red Willow continues to plow ahead and do what they do best. “We have seen a lot of caution and sensitivity in pricing but very little pullback (from winemakers),” says Mike Sauer. “Of course, at the vineyard level, these grapes will translate to wine sold two or three or four years from now.”

Sauer is in the process of bringing more energy-efficient farming practices to Red Willow. Not one to rest on past accolades, he is driven by his vision to someday see the vineyards “become authentically green through practices that are sustainable.”

After a lifetime of farming Red Willow, Mike Sauer tirelessly plows forward with the help of his family.

He has huge respect for the vintners that he works with, and believes in a spirit of cooperation. Sauer eloquently sums up the harmonious team effort that exists between growers and winemakers, “It’s the work of many people that comes together in a single vintage, and that vintage eventually becomes a cherished moment of that year.”

Plowing Ahead: Tracing Red Willow Vineyard’s roots to the birthplace of Washington Syrah was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

As promised, below is a list of the 70 Washington wineries, out of a total of 227 different wineries, that produced those 155 wines we have reviewed so far this year that met the criteria of having a Quality Rating >=4 stars (out of 5) and a QPR >=4 bangs for your buck (out of 5). If the winery had multiple high Quality and high QPR wines, they are listed in bold.

These are our “go-to” Washington wineries for 2009:

Adams Bench
àMaurice
Barnard Griffin
Barrister
Basel
Benson
Bergevin Lane
Betz
Boudreaux
Cedergreen
Chandler Reach
Chateau Rollat
Chateau Ste. Michelle
Chatter Creek
Columbia
Columbia Crest
Côte Bonneville
Couvillion
Darby
Doyenne (DeLille)
Dunham
Dusted Valley
Elegante
Fall Line
Feather (Long Shadows)
Fielding Hills
Five Star Cellars
Forgeron
Four Lakes
Gilbert
Gorman
Grand Rêve
Grande Ronde
Hard Row to Hoe
Januik
Jones of Washington
Kalamar
Kana
Kontos
K Vintners
Lone Canary
Mark Ryan
Mercer Estates
Mountain Dome
Nefarious
O*S Wines
Parejas
Pomum
Quilceda Creek
Rio Vista
Rock Meadow
Rotie
Sandhill
Saviah
Sequel (Long Shadows)
Sleight of Hand
Stephenson
Stevens
Syncline
Tasawik
Townshend
Tsillan
Va Piano
Walla Walla Vintners
Watermill*
Whitestone
William Church
Willow Crest
Windy Point
Woodward Canyon

*technically an Oregon winery but located in the Walla Walla Valley

Wine Peeps: Leading the Coverage of Washington State Wines (continued) was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.