Great Northwest Wine magazine Fall 2023

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 4

GREAT NORTHWEST FALL 2023

WINE

GREATNORTHWESTWINE.COM

Garden City Melanie Krause, Joe Schnerr of Cinder lead Idaho’s urban wine scene

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Fall Built: 20232008 • Great Northwest Wine | 3 • Length: 360 ft. • Width: 38 ft.

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Organic since 2002 and certified as the largest Biodynamic® vineyard in North America in 2016, King Estate is at the forefront of sustainable wine production. With our recent innovative glass solution, we have significantly reduced our carbon footprint, demonstrating our commitment to a greener and more environmentally conscious approach to winemaking.

This innovation is a significant step forward in our commitment to sustainability.

Glass bottles can account for nearly 50% of wine’s carbon footprint due to manufacturing and transportation.

Please Drink Responsibly. ©2023 King Estate Winery, Eugene, Oregon

King Estate moved all glass bottle manufacturing to North America, reducing weight and freight.

75% of our bottles are now lighter, reducing our annual glass weight by 128 metric tons.

These combined changes reduce our carbon footprint by 2,448 metric tons of CO2 annually. That’s the equivalent of removing 353 cars, each driving 20,000 miles every year.

Fall 2023 • Great Northwest Wine | 5

Welcome to

magazine

IN THIS ISSUE FALL 2023 | VOL. 2, NO. 4

08 10 12 14

A VINE START | by Eric Degerman It’s been a wild ride for this Washington Wine Country license plate.

26 30

THE WINE KNOWS | by Andy Perdue F or a second time, I’ve been humbled by The Auction of Washington Wines.

SWIRL, SNIFF & SIP | by Ken Robertson There’s much more to the Willamette Valley than Pinot Noir.

ELLEN ON WINE | by Ellen Landis Oregon’s Iris Vineyards creates wine-based cocktails for its downtown Cottage Grove bar

RISING STARS | by April Reddout West Coast vintners gather in Oregon’s Dundee Hills for 2nd annual Queer Wine Fest.

THE WINES THAT MADE US | by Liz Moss-Woerman Château de Beaucastel Roussanne continues to charm Candy Mountain winemaker Seth Kitzke.

WASHINGTON LOSES WINEMAKING TALENT BROCK LINDSAY | by Eric Degerman Legacy left by Brock Lindsay, 40, includes 2018 Washington Winery to Watch.

TURNING THE TABLES | by Carl Giavanti No need to mansplain Tempranillo to new Great Northwest Wine contributor Dana Van Nest.

31

INFLUENCER FEATURE | by Dana Van Nest Zach Geballe’s path to VinePair podcaster began in Seattle’s restaurant community.

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32 40 44

COVER STORY | by Jim Thomssen Garden City, Idaho has grown into one of the Northwest’s hot spots for top wines.

TASTING RESULTS | by Eric Degerman Airfield Estates in Washington’s Yakima Valley turns into a Sauvignon Blanc leader.

MATCH MAKER | by Eric Degerman Caprio Cellars has become a deliciously disruptive force in the Walla Walla Valley.

PHOTOS ON LEFT

Page 18 - West Coast winemakers and wine lovers return for the second annual Queer Wine Fest in Oregon.

Page 32 - A fertile ground for Northwest wine - Richard Duval Images Page 44 - Caprio Cellars toasts Walla Walla wine, cuisine - Richard Duval Images 6 | greatnorthwestwine.com

GREAT NORTHWEST

W IN E

Since 1998, our team of journalists has set out to help identify award-winning wines from the Pacific Northwest and to share the stories of those behind them. We focus on those in the cellar and among the vines who work with fruit from Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, Idaho and Montana.

Our coverage includes those restaurateurs, merchants and ambassadors working to promote the Northwest as one of the wine world’s leading destinations. Along the way, we continue to pay homage to the historic figures responsible for our industry’s delicious past, present and future.

CEO, Eric Degerman EDITOR-IN-CHIEF eric@GreatNorthwestWine.com & CO-FOUNDER PUBLISHER Jerry Hug

jerry@GreatNorthwestWine.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Ken Robertson & COLUMNIST STAFF Richard Duval PHOTOGRAPHER COLUMNISTS

Ellen Landis Liz Moss-Woerman Andy Perdue April Reddout

CONTRIBUTORS Carl Giavanti Jim Thomssen Dana Van Nest

Great Northwest Wine 2023 WA Winery to Watch

CONTRIBUTING Steve Smith PHOTOGRAPHER

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Lisa L. Vogt Lisasdesignworks@gmail.com ADVERTISING SALES Jerry Hug Jerry@GreatNorthwestWine.com (509) 947-9422 To subscribe: Subscriptions cost $40 per year for four issues per year. Mail check to the address below or subscribe securely at GreatNorthwestWine.com.

Free weekly newsletter: Sign up for our free Great Northwest Wine of the Week email newsletter at GreatNorthwestWine.com Mailing address: Great Northwest Wine LLC 8524 W. Gage Blvd. A-244 Kennewick, WA 99336 COVER PHOTO

© 2023 Great Northwest Wine A publication of Wine News Service

Cinder Wines owners Melanie Krause and Joe Schnerr are pioneers of the craft beverage corridor in Garden City, Idaho.

(Richard Duval Images)

The best escape is Winescape 6011 E 32nd Ave, Spokane, WA 99223

winescapewines.com

Fall 2023 • Great Northwest Wine | 7

COLUMN l A Vine Start

My winding road to a WA Wine Country license plate I

didn’t expect the personalized Washington Wine Country specialty license plate I applied for on Dec. 16, 2022, to arrive in time for Christmas, so its July 30 arrival to my mailbox received a ERIC celebration.

DEGERMAN Yeah, the process took more than seven months, but I’m tickled to be driving around as a government-approved wine geek. And when the mood strikes me, some might even see me impersonating a conductor while I’m behind the steering wheel with Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 playing on my stereo.

Everyone who gets these plates should thank Rep. Kelly Chambers from Puyallup, who owns boutique Lomcevak Cellars near Lake Chelan. It took three years of meetings, petitions and consensus building for the House Republican to get the Senate to vote 46-2 in favor of House Bill 1530 last year.

“I joke many times that I’ve worked harder on this license plate than I did to get elected,” Chambers says.

Better late than never for Washington wine lovers, yet Oregon was miles ahead on this driving form of marketing. In 2011, the state Legislature in Salem authorized the first winethemed license plate in the country. More than 6,000 hit the road within a year.

Early estimates from the Washington State Department of Licensing were that about 1,200 wine country license plates would be ordered during the first year of the program with potential revenue to all corners of the state via the new membership-based State of Washington Tourism at $33,544. (The state stopped funding a tourism office in 2011.)

Those estimates seemed low, considering there were 4,000 wine-loving citizens who signed an online petition to support Chambers’ bill. That effort was spearheaded by the Washington State Wine Commission and a number of wineries — large and small, family-owned and corporate — who donated prizes for those who signed the petition.

They included Arbor Crest Wine Cellars in Spokane, Chateau Ste. Michelle and DeLille Cellars in Woodinville and Fortuity Cellars near Yakima. Josh McDonald of the Washington Wine Institute testified in Olympia on behalf of the bill.

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My initial cost for a personalized version of what’s branded on the DOL website as “the Washington Wine Commission license plate” was $209.25. According to DOL, the annual renewal for my tabs will be an additional $42 for personalized plates, with $28 of it going to the SWT. I admit I contributed to the delay of my new plates. I didn’t completely grasp the DOL restrictions with references to wine for this plate featuring an aerial photo of the picturesque Wallula Gap Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills. After all, I recall seeing MERLOT and SYRAH and more overt references to wine on other personalized plates in Washington state.

However, all three requests on my first application for the WA Wine Country plate were denied. My favorite remains VINUM, the Latin term for wine that my botanist wife suggested. I thought I was both clever and within the parameters with my Rhône-inspired second choice — GSM4ME. The real shocker was the rejection for RIZZA90, my bid for a three-tier homage. First, there’s Idaho winemaking talent Leslie Preston, who branded her acclaimed sparkling Riesling project “Rizza” — borrowing Australian slang for the noble German grape variety. And “90” is an über-nerdy reference to the minerally charged Neustadt 90 clone of Riesling at Sagemoor’s historic Bacchus Vineyard.

Alas, I learned Jan. 31 via email that I struck out on all three.

“You will also need to make (a) new choice for your messages,” read the note that I received from a DOL customer service specialist, “we can not issue the ones you have requested (because) they are related to alcohol.”

I heard through the grapevine that officials in Olympia were unrelenting on that. A vineyard owner in the Columbia Valley sought TMPRNLO, an almost vowel-free reference to the Spanish red grape grown by the petitioner.

So with all that in mind, I submitted three new requests via email with a brief description of each:

• EROICA - Beethoven’s Third

Symphony, Eroica is Italian for “heroic”

• DRCLORE - Washington State

University famed agriculture researcher

• HOGAN53 - Golf great Ben Hogan and his best season - 1953

That first new request from my second application — my fourth choice overall — was approved within two hours.

Now, it’s possible to connect Beethoven’s

Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major, Opus 55 and wine. When the world-renowned German composer finished writing Symphony No. 3, Meriwether Lewis & William Clark were making final preparations for their Corps of Discovery Expedition. It would take them through modern-day wine regions along the Snake and Columbia rivers.

Many of us learned in grade school it was the Louisiana Purchase from France in 1803 by wine-loving Thomas Jefferson that prompted the Corps of Discovery. Coincidentally, Beethoven initially dedicated his third symphony to French Revolution leader Napoleon Bonaparte. However, Beethoven changed his mind after the diminutive war hero declared himself emperor.

All that history aside, it would be five months from approval until I received my WA Wine Country plates — about the same amount of time for Lewis & Clark to travel from Great Falls, Mont., to the Pacific Ocean.

Along the way, on June 13, I received a courteous update via email from a DOL specialist. It turns out that I couldn’t blame an inmate at either of the correctional institutions in Walla Walla or Monroe for the delay. “ … the manufacturer is much slower due to their backlog from the machine breaking down last summer.”

A year ago, as Chambers’ bill was getting approved, she said, “If you’re driving one day and a lady in a black SUV pulls alongside you honking and waving … that will be ME celebrating your license plate!”

It was a sultry day in the Columbia Valley on Aug. 1 — the day I installed my personalized WA Wine Country plates. And I would use one of the world’s greatest expressions of Riesling to toast to Rep. Chambers.

Eric Degerman is the president, CEO and co-founder of Great Northwest Wine LLC. He can be reached at eric@GreatNorthwestWine.com.

COLUMN l A Vine Start

Fall 2023 • Great Northwest Wine | 9

COLUMN l The Wine Knows

An accidental wine expert I

never grew up thinking I’d one day be considered a wine expert.

I have two distinct wine memories from growing up in a naval town west of Seattle. The first is ANDY a box of California PERDUE red wine that my mom kept in our refrigerator. It might have even been labeled “Chillable Red.” The other is going to an Italian restaurant called Tony’s, which made outstanding pizza.

Each table had a straw-covered bottle of Chianti converted into a candle holder. I was fascinated, but I don’t remember my parents ordering wine.

So there was no wine, beer or cocktail culture in our house growing up. I remember being shocked that my grandma had Olympia Beer, because she was a Baptist Sunday school teacher for nearly 75 years. Turns out she bought the cheapest beer to catch slugs in the garden.

My memories of wine didn’t get much better during college. I went to Western Washington University, which at the time had a reputation for alcohol consumption by undergrads. The beginning of my relationship began humbly, with an occasional bottle of Vitamin R — a Seattle nickname for thenubiquitous Rainier Beer. The closest I came to wine were Bartles & Jaymes coolers. There would be no Leonetti or Woodward Canyon for me, at least for a decade.

The switch flipped after moving to Eastern Washington and getting married. One summer weekend in the mid-1990s, my wife, in-laws and I ended up at the Prosser Wine and Food Festival. We tasted a rosé that blew us away as novice wine drinkers on a hot day. We weren’t alone because Rosy Outlook sold out at the festival.

A few weeks later, driving through the Yakima Valley on the way to Seattle, we saw an exit for Outlook and a tourism sign to Tefft Cellars. We happily purchased our first case of wine. We accidentally still have a few bottles of Rosy Outlook, although the winery has closed and rosé does not age well.

That trip was pretty fun, so we started visiting wineries on the weekend. I subscribed

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to Wine Spectator to further our new hobby.

I quickly learned Washington, the secondlargest wine-producing state, was not guaranteed national coverage.

About the same time, Eric Degerman also caught the wine bug. He was a sports writer at the Tri-City Herald, where I was a copy editor.

During the half-hour between deadline and when the press started, we would yak about wine. Then Wine Spectator came out with a huge article about American Chardonnay without a single mention of Washington. I mentioned this to Eric, who uttered the words, “Someone needs to start a magazine for this area.”

The next day, I walked into the newspaper publisher’s office and said, “I want to start a wine magazine, and I want you to pay for it.”

He replied, “Sure, why not?”

Suddenly, I was a wine magazine editor, but I couldn’t have been further from a wine expert.

At Eric’s suggestion, we signed up for a wine sensory course at the University of California, Davis near Sacramento. It was worth the drive as we learned a great deal about wine — foundational knowledge instrumental to developing our palates and learning how to describe wine in stories and reviews.

Soon, I began to get invitations from wine competitions asking me to be a judge. I mastered the art of swirl, sniff, sip, and spit — and learned to balance a flight of white wines after breakfast, welcome the reds that bookended lunch and still enjoy an actual glass of wine with a nice dinner. Really, it’s all about the spitting.

We had intentionally chosen a regional name for the magazine, not wanting to limit ourselves to Washington state. That brought wine-country adventures in Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia. While it meant a lot of miles on the Subaru Outback, it was rewarding to witness those wine areas as wine tourism was taking off.

A few years later, I got a call from Sasquatch Books in Seattle, leading me to write a book that took advantage of all the traveling, Northwest Wine Guide: A Buyer’s Handbook.

Just as I hadn’t expected to become a wine expert, I hadn’t expected to be recognized for what started as a hobby and had turned into a profession. Journalists are a bit allergic to

I never grew up “thinking I’d one day be considered a wine expert.ˮ awards and recognition. We chose the career to be observers and storytellers.

Twice now I’ve been humbled to be honored by the Auction of Washington Wines, which celebrates the wine industry while raising money for Seattle Children’s Hospital and Washington State University’s Viticulture and Enology program.

The first time was in 2015, when I was named Honorary Chair of the big gala event.

And this past August, the Auction’s “Toast!” awards ceremony included me as the Wine Industry Champion in a list of luminaries: Ted Baseler (Lifetime Achievement Award), Marty Clubb (Award of Distinction), Gary McLean (Star Award), Hedges Family Estate (Healthy Land, Healthy Communities), Eduardo Zaragoza (Vine to Wine) and four Emerging Leaders — Rebecca De Kleine, Devyani Isabel Gupta, Michelle Moyer and Ashley Trout.

The complex coordination of this premier event was led by my longtime colleague Jamie Peha and her talented team. You see, there are many nuances to this honor for me.

I suffered a near-fatal stroke in 2016 that left me physically disabled, so I’ve needed to step away from wine judging and significantly dial back my wine writing to instead focus on recovery.

It means a lot to be recognized for 20+ years of supporting and advocating for the wine industry by telling stories that help the everyday wine consumer — you — also grow into a wine expert. And I’m grateful for the unexpected turns in my life that wine continues to bring.

Andy Perdue, former wine columnist for The Seattle Times, now is a mostly retired stroke survivor. He lives in the heart of Eric Degerman is the president, CEO and Washington wine country with his wife, co-founder of Great NorthwestNiranjana, Wine LLC. He Melissa, and their daughter, whocan be reached eric@GreatNorthwestWine.com. plans to studyatcommunications in college.

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COLUMN l Swirl, Sniff & Sip

When Oregon branches out beyond Pinot Noir Another way the F “Willamette wineries are

or Northwest wine lovers, Oregon no doubt prompts thoughts of Pinot Noir. With good reason. Of the state’s nearly 41,899 acres of wine grapes in 2021, some 25,123 were planted in Pinot KEN Noir. Pinot Gris was ROBERTSON a distant second at 5,740 acres, followed by 2,724 acres of Chardonnay, 1,739 of Syrah and 1,592 of Cabernet Sauvignon.

That seems to say Oregon’s wine world is not overly diverse in the varietals grown there. Most of its grapes come from the Willamette Valley AVA’s 3.4 million acres, which makes it roughly one-third the size of the 11-million-acre Columbia Valley AVA. But if you dig a little deeper, some interesting experiments begin to appear. More than 20 other wine grape varieties are grown in the Willamette. They offer opportunities to discover some obscure wines that are rarities in our region. And they also can bring a respite from Oregon’s endless onslaught of Pinot Noir and its clones.

While some Pinot Noir fans never tire of sampling every iteration of their favorite grape and discovering how it can be made a smidgen differently by an imaginative winemaker, one’s Pinot palate can get a bit tired.

A friend recently recounted hearing a wine tourist ask a tasting room attendant, “Don’t you have anything besides Pinot?”

A number of winemakers and growers in the Willamette have been paying heed to such inquiries. For example, I’ve discovered a number of rarities, including Auxerrois, Grüner Veltliner, Melon, Pinot Meunier and Gamay Noir.

In addition, there are many other more common grapes not normally associated with the Willamette AVA, including Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Dolcetto, Malbec, Müller-Thurgau, Tocai Friulano, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier.

On a recent weekend jaunt with friends, for example, we tasted an array of excellent Pinots, but also found plenty else to enjoy.

Here are a few highlights: Longtime Pinot Noir winery, Raptor Ridge, was pouring Auxerrois and Grüner in its tasting room, along with a few Pinot Noirs and a Chardonnay, all

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from its estate vineyards.

Raptor Ridge’s 2020 Auxerrois, $30, was limited to 300 cases but still enough to make it the largest producer of the varietal in the Willamette Valley. It showed subtle layers of lemon-lime, a bit of pear and a fairly mellow acidity. It also has a Chardonnay-like texture in the mouth that makes it a great fit for seafoods with a touch of sweetness.

The other surprise at Raptor Ridge was its 2022 Grüner Veltliner, $30, also a small-production wine, with 400 cases made. According to the folks at the winery, their Tuscowallame Estate site in the Chehelem Mountains is one of only 29 Grüner plantings in North America.

It’s a bright drink that shows off lovely herbal and lime notes, then flavors of lime and bright acidity, true to its Austrian heritage, where Grüner is more than 30 percent of the grapes planted. If you love Sauvignon Blanc, there’s a good chance you’ll also like Grüner with its similar aromas, flavors and textures.

The Willamette also produces great Sauv Blancs, and the 2022 “Chemistry” we tried from Stoller Family Estate ($25) was clearly the consensus favorite of the weekend for our group of five veteran tasters, all with three or more decades of sipping the region’s best wines.

Its aromas of starfruit, lime and just-watered grass combine with the lime and starfruit flavors and its vibrant juicy acidity to make it a perfect late-summer patio sipper.

Stoller offers a flock of Pinot Noirs as well, plus outstanding sparkling wines. We all greatly enjoyed the nonvintage $40 Estate Brut made from 98.5% Pinot Noir, 1 percent Pinot Meunier and 0.5% Chardonnay. Its bubbly nose shows off notes of ginger, pear and anise, with bright flavors of ginger, pear and citrus. Its acidity is beveled a bit by aging on the lees.

Another way the Willamette wineries are broadening their offerings is to bring grapes from the dry east sides of Oregon and Washington. Jim Bernau of Willamette Valley Vineyards, for example, split off the Pambrun line of reds made from Bordeaux-origin grapes grown in the Walla Walla Valley. We tried the $75 Cabernet Sauvignon (2017) and the $70 Chrysologue blend (2018), pricey but not overpriced for premium wines from the Oregon side of the Walla Walla AVA. Both are complex reds showing an array of black and blue fruit aromas and flavors.

broadening their offerings is to bring grapes from the dry east sides of Oregon and Washington.ˮ

So, if you’re a wine lover who doesn’t put Pinot Noir at the top of your favorite lists, don’t worry. The Willamette has a lot more to offer. And you also may discover a scintillating Pinot Noir or two that opens new vistas for you.

Wine Words: A correction to Charmat Well, here’s a wine word I hoped never to have to use. But I’m guilty of giving my readers incorrect information in the Summer 2023 issue.

The retired lead winemaker for Domaine Ste. Michelle’s sparklers, Rick Casqueiro, was kind enough to take the time to write in to set me straight. Here’s what he said: “The Charmat Process does not involve injecting CO2 gas into still wine in a pressurized tank.

“Instead, a still wine with an alcohol content of less than 11% is pumped into a stainless steel tank capable of withstanding 100 psi; sugar is added to the wine creating a residual sugar concentration of approximately 2.4% residual sugar content; a champagne yeast culture (saccharomyces bayanus) is also added the wine and the stainless steel tank is then sealed “Secondary fermentation begins with the yeast consuming the sugar and producing carbon dioxide gas and ethyl alcohol. Because the tank is sealed and can withstand pressure, the carbon dioxide dissolves into the wine, which creates the bubbles. Final secondary fermentation can take between 16 weeks to 60 weeks. Charmat sparkling wine can exhibit yeast aromas and toastiness flavors, subject to the amount to time the sparkling wine is left in contact with the yeast lees.”

Ken Robertson, associate editor and columDegerman is theWine president, CEO has and nist forEric Great Northwest magazine, co-founder of Great Northwest Wine He can been sipping Northwest wines andLLC. writing be reached at eric@GreatNorthwestWine.com. about them since 1976.

Fall 2023 • Great Northwest Wine | 13

COLUMN l Ellen on Wine

Wine, wine cocktails and good spirit pour out at Iris Vineyards Wine Bar S

PRINGFIELD, Ore. — Pamela Frye and her Iris Vineyards project, led by Aaron Lieberman, have earned a reputation beyond the Willamette Valley for award-winning ELLEN wines.

LANDIS Now, they are creating a stir in the Eugene suburb of Springfield with the Iris Vineyards Wine Bar, which also tempts guests with wine-based cocktails.

Imagine a supple Manhattan or crisp Kentucky Mule created as a wine-based beverage that emulates the revered spirit-

The Iris Vineyards Wine Bar opened in 2022 along Main Street in Springfield, Ore., a suburb of Eugene.

STEVE SMITH PHOTOGRAPHY/COURTESY OF IRIS VINEYARDS

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inspired cocktails.

Frye, Lieberman, General Manager David Cordtz and their team achieved their goals with the new space they opened in 2022. They wanted to provide a more social and relaxing bar vibe while offering these special cocktails that would also broaden the menu beyond glasses of wine. And Lieberman skillfully uses crisp, unoaked Chardonnay as the canvas for his delicious emulations of bourbon and gin.

“We infuse it with oak and caramel for ‘the bourbon’ and juniper and other botanicals for ‘the gin,’ ” Cordtz says. “Aaron is a very passionate mixologist outside of the wine business, and I love branching out and making different beverages. We both wanted something unique for the new urban location.”

These hand-crafted drinks are paired with savory antipasto plates, featuring salted

almonds, Italian olives, baguette slices, Italian olive oil and balsamic, cheeses, cured meats and other charcuterie delicacies. They can be sipped while seated inside the bar or across a charming outdoor patio.

It began in 1992 when Frye and her partner — hospitality executive Richard Boyle — purchased their 870-acre estate west of Eugene near the Lorane Valley. In a fascinating move, they quickly began by planting 500 acres of Douglas Fir trees.

Then in 1996, they began working on their dream winery with 36 acres of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay vines sunk into Jory, Bellpine and Dupee series soils. That vision received early acclaim — led by their Hill Hill 2002 Pinot Gris being voted as the No. 1 wine of Wine Press Northwest’s 2004 Platinum Judging.

Lieberman joined Frye’s cellar as the winemaker in 2008, and the talent that the Oregon State grad acquired by working at storied brands such as Amity Vineyards, DePonte Cellars and Owen Roe has helped Iris Vineyards and the reserve label Areté earn acclaim at competitions across the country.

In 2018, the winery led all Pacific Northwest entrants at the New Orleans International Wine Awards with four gold medals — a double gold for its Chalice Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir, golds for two expressions of Chardonnay and a gold for the 2015 Areté Pinot Noir.

In 2022, I judged the McMinnville Wine Competition where Iris Vineyards won best of show for its 2020 Pinot Gris. And Lieberman has earned five Platinum Awards in the past three years from Great Northwest Wine, the competition I judge each October that requires a gold medal in order to enter. Last year, the Areté 2018 Chardonnay and remarkably priced 2019 House Call Red Blend ($19.99) each went Double Platinum. That House Call qualified via a gold medal at the prestigious 2022 Sunset International.

“Our wine bar puts a face to the Iris Vineyards brand, and we are proud to have it be a smiling one in Springfield,” Cordtz says.

Here are three recent releases that I enjoyed during my visit to the Iris Vineyards Wine Bar: Areté 2019 Brut Blanc de Noirs, Willamette Valley, $34: This complex sparkling wine bursts with tropical notes on the nose and expands on the palate with red cherries, raspberry pastry, hints of citrus and a

touch of spice. The mousse is elegant, leading to a finish that is lively and lingering.

Areté 2019 Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley, $35: Wildly aromatic stone fruit aromas are heaven-sent. The palate coats the mouth with layers of lemongrass, blanched almonds, white peaches and underlying hints of vanilla.

It is brilliantly balanced and pure all the way through.

Iris Vineyards 2021 C Block Estate Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, $40: Forest floor and dark fruit aromas take the breath away.

Deep and bright with beautiful layers of black cherries, the savory notes, strawberry/ rhubarb sauce and hints of anise lead to a mouthwatering finish.

And thanks to the support, wine bar manager Lauren Giacobine and her engaging team will soon have some new versions by Lieberman and additional recipes by Cordtz to serve.

“We have been warmly welcomed by the Springfield community, especially the people and businesses on Main Street,” Cordtz says, “and the many regular visitors living in nearby Springfield neighborhoods have become new wine club members.”

Manhattan, $13: This elixir that uses wine to emulate bourbon is spicy and supple, with aromas of toasted campfire marshmallows adding to flavors of dry and sweet vermouth, subtle black licorice and aromatic Angostura bitters.

Old Fashioned, $13: Also crafted using wine to emulate bourbon, this gem shows off flavors of orange zest, caramel, hints of toast, allspice and a whisper of molasses.

Kentucky Mule, $13: Ginger beer and the bourbon-inspired wine product make this cocktail savory and fully flavored, bringing hints of brown sugar toffee sauce and bright citrusy accents.

Negroni, $14: Developed using gin-inspired wine and sweet vermouth, this delectable aperitif presents Award-winning winemaker Aaron Lieberman, left, and proprietor mellow cherry notes, dried Pamela Frye have created a deliciously diverse beverage list for herbs, Angostura orange young Iris Vineyards Wine Bar in Springfield, Ore. bitters, cardamom and a STEVE SMITH PHOTOGRAPHY/COURTESY OF IRIS VINEYARDS hint of smokiness.

Gin and Tonic, $13: Here is an energetic and The Iris Vineyards Wine Bar, refreshing quaff that I find simply delicious.

322 Main St., Springfield, Ore., is open It is reminiscent of a classic Gin and Tonic Thursday through Sunday from 12:30 to 8 p.m. cocktail with its juniper, tonic water and twist Learn more at IrisVineyards.com. of lime flavors.

Purple Sunset, $13: The newest cocktail Ellen Landis is a certified sommelier, jour— one I have yet to try — uses cherry juice nalist and wine judge based in St.Petersburg, to take the Gin and Tonic to another level. It’s Florida. also available as a mocktail.

PHOTO BY ELLENONWINE.COM

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANDREW RICH WINES

Fall 2023 • Great Northwest Wine | 15

At Palencia Wines, our motto “dig deep” symbolizes our unwavering

COLUMN l The Wines That Made Uscommitment to sourcing the highest-quality grapes from exceptional vineyards

F

Header here

ate has a funny way of changing the game,

and our Winemaker Victor Palencia’s relentless passion for crafting premium wines. It is this dedication that sets us apart and allows us to create truly remarkable wine experiences. When you choose Palencia Wines, you’re not just selecting a bottle of wine; you’re supporting a small family winery that values your happiness, together let’s celebrate Washington wine.

LIZ MOSS-WOERMAN

2022 El Viñador Albariño

2022 Palencia Albariño

2020 El Viñador Petit Verdot

2020 Red Mountain Carménère

99 Points Best/Class SNW

Double Gold 93 Pac NW

Gold 93 Pac NW

96 Double Gold SNW

Best/Class 91 SNW

Best/Class 94 WA/SEA

2020 Red Mountain Syrah

2020 Casa Amarilla

2020 Monarcha Malbec

2020 El Viñador Cabernet

Double Gold 92 Gold 91 Pac NW Pac NW

Gold 91 Pac NW

Gold 90 SNW

Gold 93 WA/SEA

Best/Class 94 WA/SEA

Gold 90 SNW

Gold 90 SNW

Gold 92 SNW

90 WA/SEA

Gold 91 WA/SEA

Gold Cascadia

Visit our Monarcha Winery tasting room located within Columbia Gardens Wine & Artisan Village in Kennewick.

Enjoy the best of Washington’s wine regions with Palencia & Monarcha wines. Open 6 days a week. www.palenciawine.com

“I was looking for a new challenge, and Victor was looking to take Culture Shock Bistro to the next level. It was serendipitous and I’m excited to be back. After all, who doesn’t want to live in Washington Wine Country?” — Frank Magaña Culture Shock Bistro is a long overdue collaboration between our winemaker Victor Palencia and Chef Frank Magaña. Two longtime friends have combined efforts to showcase the finest examples of food and wine that WA Wine Country has to offer. With Victor’s exceptional Washington wines and Chef Frank’s passion for all things Spanish-Pacific Northwest, we’re excited to welcome this new chapter for the Culture Shock Bistro food truck and catering. especially when you pu

253.678.1988 (cell) frank@chefmagana.com 325 East Columbia Gardens Way | Kennewick, WA 99336 Find us on Facebook & Instagram

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COLUMN l The Wines That Made Us

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visit zerbacellars.com Fall 2023 • Great Northwest Wine | 17

COLUMN l Rising Stars

Queer Wine Fest rainbow continues to grow in Dundee Hills D

AYTON, Ore. — Remember that Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon game?

The theory was that everyone in Hollywood was connected to Kevin Bacon via APRIL six connections.

REDDOUT When I worked for Hope Moore at her Heaven’s Cave Cellars in Prosser, Wash., we had a Barbera named Two Degrees because a shared love of wine reduced the degrees of separation between people to two steps.

I was reminded of that phenomenon during this year’s second annual Queer Wine Fest, staged June 25 at Remy Wines in Oregon’s Dundee Hills.

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Having organized and thrown more than a few wine festivals during my career in guest services, I can say Remy Drabkin’s team deserves major kudos for a highly organized celebration. Pinot Car provided transportation.

The eclectic and fun Vintages Trailer Resort offered a festival rate. Parking and check-in were a breeze.

The Remy Wines campus includes large grassy areas to stroll or sit on a blanket under mature and cared-for shade trees to offset the summer heat. Winemakers poured at tables throughout, and music duo Camp Crush played for happy people sporting rainbow everything.

Added features included an impressive charcuterie station and passed appetizers, including gluten-free/vegan options. Indeed, QWF is a celebration of expression where being yourself is safe and being different is supported. Everyone I met was friendly and chatty, and I found three particularly

fascinating people.

Sara Garr in Medford produces wine with the Quady North team and for her own brand, Circadian Cellars. I was drawn to her station by her Chenin Blanc, which is a star in France’s Loire Valley and regaining acclaim in the Pacific Northwest thanks to the work of historic L’Ecole N° 41 in the Walla Walla Valley and folks such as Sara.

She has participated in the first two QWF. She appreciates that the festival brings media coverage and sales opportunities while offering an affirming and positive vibe where diversity is embraced and celebrated.

Sara is adopting a new trend in retail, calling it “ultra-direct to consumer.” Rather than the traditional/expensive tasting room model, her approach will be a mobile tasting room — either a retrofit 17-foot box truck or Winnebago — bookable for popups, events and festivals.

Circadian Cellars began in 2016 with

COLUMN l Rising Stars $300 and small lots from the high-quality fruit available throughout Southern Oregon’s micro-climates. She describes her winemaking style this way, “Once you understand the science of winemaking, it’s more like you are setting up this beautiful fruit for success. Like parenting, you don’t want to do too much, but you’re ready for any needed corrections.”

Another star is Vivianne Kennedy of Ram Cellars. Viv started Ram Cellars in 2014 in southeast Portland, focusing on natural/ low-intervention wines. She works with varietals often used for blending as well as aromatic whites. She values the atmosphere surrounding the Queer Wine Fest.

“I am re-energized to be myself,” she told me. “It reminds me to ‘show up’ because there are a lot of people that show up for me.

“I do so many events where I am the lone exception in my demo — to be in that space is a special feeling. A feeling of peace and comfort,” she adds. “Not having to allocate energy to being safe makes it so much lighter and easier.”

Viv believes more support of workers can be shown by wineries, which have been slow to move away from the model of “intern them and wish them well.” It’s a term that refers

to the employment cycle surrounding harvest — where interns and cellar workers are hired temporarily to meet demands of the season, but rarely offered a permanent spot.

She also wants to create a safe space for queer and trans folks where interns are paid well and have a path to staying with the brand after harvest. Ram Cellars wines are distributed along the West Coast, and a portion of proceeds go to agencies supporting trans people — including The Q Center in Portland.

She and business partner Christina Gonzalez opened Community Wine Bar in Portland not long after QWF 2023. They take pride in offering accessibility and inclusivity to all visitors. For example, visitors can communicate in English, Spanish and American Sign Language.

Another rising star is Fah Sathirapongsasuti of Sunset Cellars in Fairfield, Calif. His sparkling Sauv Blanc is a treat with tropical fruit aromas complemented by fine bubbles within a bright structure. Fah told me he met Remy in the Bay Area at an event called Cheers to Queers, hosted by CoFermented. com. There, she invited him to participate in her Dundee Hills festival.

“Both festivals were celebrations of

winemakers and the community,” he says.

“It’s heartwarming to be among peers, to build a professional network of people who understand the same issues.”

Fah is Thai-American, a graduate of Stanford who earned his doctorate at Harvard.

He jokes that his “wine life” begins at 2 p.m., when his job as a geneticist wraps for the day. His husband is an executive in the food industry. When they met 15 years ago, Fah didn’t drink.

Then, they visited Napa and became friends with the owners of Sunset Cellars. They found many things in common, such as heritage, level of education and wines they loved.

After years of friendship and mutual support, the business was passed on; now Fah and his husband are carrying on the legacy and style of the house. Their mantra is “Seek to understand each other and have respect.”

And thanks to Remy, the Queer Wine Fest is an established celebration proving that within a shared love of wine, ours is one big community.

April Reddout is a professional wine judge and hospitality consultant who was then the guest services manager for Col Solare on Red Mountain. She can be reached at ReddoutWine.com.

Attendance grew by 19% for the second annual Queer Wine Festival at Remy Wines in Oregon’s Dundee Hills.

PHOTO COURTESY OF REMY WINES

Fall 2023 • Great Northwest Wine | 19

COLUMN l The Wines That Made Us

Seth Kitzke and Château de Beaucastel Roussanne Vieilles Vignes S

eth Kitzke spent the summers of his youth pruning vines at his family’s vineyard on Washington state’s Candy Mountain.

While managing orchards north of the LIZ MOSS-WOERMAN Sagemoor vineyards, Bacchus and Dionysus, Seth’s father, Paul, was inspired by the daily drives through the vines to plant some grapes of his own on their property.

“It’s all caliche and granite, honestly if I could pick one spot on Candy Mountain to have a vineyard, I’d pick there,” Seth says.

“And they just got lucky, you know? They just got super lucky.

“I worked a lot in the summertime, and I could save all that money for snowboarding.”

Prior to committing to wine full-time, Seth was a semi-professional snowboarder, spending much of his year saving up for his winter seasons. “It’s what drove me to be okay working when it’s 95 degrees in the vineyard.”

Initially, the idea was just to sell grapes, but best-laid plans tend to go awry. “Long story short, one year they couldn’t sell them, so they had someone make some of the grapes into wine. And once you’re stuck with two barrels of wine…”

The inaugural vintage was a 2005 Cabernet Franc, a heralded year for many in Washington wine. Seth eventually studied at the Northwest Wine Academy in Seattle, working for K Vintners and Brian Carter Cellars before heading back to Eastern Washington to help out with the family business.

Kitzke Cellars now produces 600 cases of wine annually, all from Candy Mountain — something that is important to Seth and his family. Beholden to its own plot of land, it has reached its max production, thus Upsidedown Wine picks up where Kitzke leaves off.

Upsidedown Wine, created by Seth and his wife Audrey (who, Seth is quick to point out, is the integral piece to the entire operation, though he gets much of the press), is not a winery intermeshed with its own vineyard, but rather one that follows the lead of its ownership and the wine styles they hold dear.

“I always respect people who stick to their own influences and create what they think is an enjoyable representation of them,” he says.

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“What they teach you in school is control over the fermentation, how you mitigate flaws. Do’s and don’ts, which is great. And then in winemaking, when you want to make compelling wines, usually, you take that with a grain of salt, you push the edge of it — a little.”

Seth holds firm to keep their program low-intervention, with meticulous care both in the vineyard and later in the cellar.

“The coolest part about wine is that you can take a bottle anywhere in the world and share it with someone; it’s a representation of a plot of land that you farmed for a Seth Kitzke makes wines for three tasting year.

“So as soon as rooms that his family operates in two states.

RICHARD DUVAL IMAGES you’re changing that by adjusting pH, adding acid with, how we’re growing, how we’re farming. or sugar, it loses a little bit of what it was truly So growing past that level of control and then trying to give you,” he adds. “So I think, begiving other people trust, it’s hard to do. cause I’m a farmer first, I take that as more of “Kitzke will never really grow, and Upsida responsibility. Whereas, if I was a chemist edown, I don’t want to say never, but I love or scientist first, maybe I wouldn’t.” having a qualitative standpoint be No. 1,” he With tasting rooms for Upsidedown Wine adds. “As soon as you grow, it becomes such in Hood River and Cle Elum as well as the a numbers game.” original Kitzke Cellars in Richland, it seems Curating and refining a wine program can natural that the big picture involves an inbe a daunting task, but a clear focus helps. “If crease in case production. there’s a style of wine that we want to make, “I’m trying to really focus on getting better we’re not just making it from somewhere just and spending more time farming. I have no so it can exist — we’re looking for the right desire to grow outside of our demand. And place to make that style.”

I’m kind of OCD with what vineyard to work

COLUMN l The Wines That Made Us

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Seth sources Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier from Konnowac Vineyard, a site at 1,300 feet elevation in the northwest portion of the Yakima Valley. He uses that fruit to create textural Rhône whites that flourish through malolactic fermentation and sans filtering.

He uses unique WeatherEye Vineyard on Red Mountain for their The Devil is a Liar project.

“It’s not your typical Grenache. It’s polarizing, because it’s not big, sweet fruit,” he says, “it has a more Pinot-like elegance to it. The aromatic side, I really appreciate, I like smelling a wine just as much as I like drinking.”

Rhône wines are peppered throughout the Upsidedown Wine list, something that might be a winemaker’s version of art imitating life. On a trip to France, Seth was faced with wines that changed his perspective and showed him there was a different way to do things. Those include a Pierre Ganon Saint-Joseph Syrah that was elegant, perfumed and refined — a departure from many Syrahs he’d had prior.

“Anytime you get to taste a wine on the soil where it’s grown, you get this overwhelming sense of understanding,” he says.

“In Saint-Joseph, you feel a tension, and the granite you can literally see, and you’re like, ‘How does this grow here?’ ” While traveling in southern Rhône, Seth tried a wine that revised what he knew a white wine to be; the Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Roussanne Vieilles Vignes.

“You think of white wine as refreshing and this one, you want to just sip on it on a cold winter day,” he explains. “They make 500 cases of it every year. It’s almost all Roussanne; it has 50% new oak, it’s higher in alcohol, and its texture is insane.

“I’d never had a white like that,” he continues, “there’s so much flavor and density — an overwhelming power.”

Château de Beaucastel itself dates back to the 16th century and remains an integral part of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation.

Creating something near-everlasting, that can go on for decades while the fruit it hails from lasts only moments, it’s practically magic. And Seth believes that seeing and feeling the soil that ushered the grapes into such suspended animation is an integral part to the whole experience.

“When you don’t have that, I think there’s a disconnect. It’s just a good bottle. But when you’re standing right there, looking at where it’s from, that’s when the fireworks go off.”

Liz Moss-Woerman is the director of hospitality and direct-to-consumer manager at Barnard Griffin Winery in Richland, Wash.

She represents the third generation of her family to be a part of the Washington state wine industry.

Fall 2023 • Great Northwest Wine | 21

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Fall 2023 • Great Northwest Wine | 23

FEATURE l British Columbia

By Allison Markin

B

OISE, Idaho — Did it make sense to bring Walla Walla w

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Header here

Fall 2023 • Great Northwest Wine | 25

FEATURE l Remembering Brock Lindsay

Chelan-area winemaker Brock Lindsay, 40, dies in farm vehicle accident I

By Eric Degerman

His affable demeanor and business sense earned the respect of esteemed growers and access to grapes from buzz-worthy vineyards such as Bacchus, Candy Mountain, Conner Lee, Quintessence and Lawrence. Viticulture knowledge he gained via WSU led to him becoming the vineyard manager of

t’s out of the ordinary for a county sheriff to share a note of sympathy surrounding the passing of a local winemaker, but extraordinary is the impact Brock Lindsay had beyond his Succession Wines and Alta Cellars.

“The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office would like to express our deepest condolences to the Lindsay family,” Sheriff Mike Morrison wrote. “Brock’s positive influence on the community of Manson and the people in the Chelan

Antoine Creek.

Accolades came quickly. At the 2017 Wenatchee Wine Awards, Lindsay’s 2015 reds and 2016 whites combined for two unanimous double gold medals and four gold medals on the way to a remarkable six best-of-class honors. A few months later, Succession earned three Platinum awards during Wine Press Northwest’s 2017 best-of-thebest judging. Those included his 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2015 Cabernet

Valley will be missed.”

Harvest of the 2023 vintage had barely begun when the Washington wine industry suffered a shocking blow with the news Lindsay, 40, died in a utility vehicle accident Aug. 26 not far from his popular winery that overlooks the north

shore of Lake Chelan.

The late Brock Lindsay, a graduate of Montana State, transitioned Franc.

The Sept. 14 celebration of his from a career in structural engineering to become a renowned “That was amazing — when you put life prompted a large gathering of winemaker in the Lake Chelan American Viticultural Area. your heart and soul into something and winemakers and growers throughout RICHARD DUVAL IMAGES somebody else thinks it’s pretty good, the Columbia Valley to pause and gather engineer and project manager for a Puget too,” he said during a 2018 interview. at Succession Wines to pay their respects.

Sound construction company. His projects From 2,000 cases toward 10,000 A GoFundMe campaign launched by included the new Highway 520 bridge and the friends rapidly raised more than $110,000 in 5 years latest Manette Bridge in Bremerton. for Lindsay’s wife, Erica, and their two In 2018, he bottled 2,000 cases, but that Along the way, however, he and Erica, then daughters. would not be nearly enough. The hospitality a marketing executive with Hewlett-Packard, “Brock was larger than life with his and vibe he and Erica created — combined grew attached to the Chelan area where her personality, great hospitality, passion for with a prime location overlooking Lake family had a cabin. He began making small Washington wine and the greater Lake Chelan next to their friends at Cairdeas lots of hobby wine, cultivated connections Chelan community,” said Charlie and Lacey Winery and the ongoing excellence of the with vintners and got into Washington State Lybecker of Cairdeas Winery. “We remember wines — set them up for continued success.

University’s winemaking program as winery popping bubbles with him and Erica the Among the examples of the Lindsays’ ownership was turning from a dream into a day they closed on their property, officially entrepreneurial spirit was their 2021 second career. making us neighbors. We still think we might acquisition of Alta Cellars, a modest label In 2014, the Lindsays had just started their see him popover from the neighboring crush with a prized tasting room location in family but soon lost their newly built home to pad. It still doesn’t feel real.” downtown Manson. That addition also meant the massive Carlton Complex fire that burned Lindsay’s early master strokes as a the winemaking team would grow its annual for six weeks, scorched more than 256,000 winemaker led Wine Press Northwest acres and claimed 300 homes in the region of production toward 10,000 cases. magazine to name Succession Wines as the 2018 Washington Winery to Watch, not only for his wines but also for his ability to overcome hardship.

Born and raised in Seattle, Lindsay graduated from Montana State University in 2006, going on to become a structural

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Pateros and Alta Lake.

Undaunted, the Lindsays launched Succession Wines with 600 cases, opening in 2016 while pouring reds from the 2013 vintage and 2015 whites. They didn’t produce wines from the 2014 vintage.

And from the start, Succession paid homage to his previous career by branding the flagship red as Bridge Builder’s Blend.

The L&R White Wine, a Sauvignon Blanc, is named as a tribute to daughters Layla and Reese.

ANALYSIS l Gem State Report

Chelan Tasting Room 3875 US HWY 97A Chelan, WA 98816 | 509-682-9463

2020

Elegant wines paired with two elegant world-class wine tasting venues.

Woodinville Tasting Room 13550 NE Village Square Dr. Woodinville, WA 98072 | 425-482-5976

Fall 2023 • Great Northwest Wine | 27

FEATURE l Around the Puget Sound

Header here

B

LAINE, Wash. — The roots for Van Vi

Your Neighborhood Bistro Located in Richland, Washington

Food served with pride,

Featured Recipe Adobo Rubbed Grilled Flank Steak with a Black Bean Corn Salsa We use Flat Iron for this but you can use any cut of meat you prefer.

Rub steak with adobo seasoning, we mad our own with a little bit of chipotle puree, brown sugar and sea salt.

Grill the steak to your desired temperature, Medium Rare is always best!

For the Black Bean Corn Salsa 1 cup of fresh roasted corn you cut off the Cobb 1 cup black beans freshly made .5 cup fire roasted tomatoes .25 bunch cilantro chopped .25 red onion diced .5 squeezed lime 1 tsp fresh garlic Salt, pepper to taste You can also add a bit agave nectar for a hint of sweetness.

Come try this dish on our menu!

28 | greatnorthwestwine.com

I

t’s no exaggeration to say if it weren’t for Hedges Family Estate on Red Mountain, the Tri-Cities restaurant scene would have lost Fat Olives to Walla Walla.

The neighborhood surrounding Richland’s Uptown District wouldn’t be nearly as delicious, and owner/vintner JD Nolan might be collaborating on his award-winning Schooler Nolan wines with folks other than the Hedges and the Mercers.

“My dad was at a specialty trade show in Anchorage, and we’ve always had Hedges wines on our wine list, so he goes to the Hedges table, and there’s Pete Hedges pouring,” Nolan said. “They had never met, but my dad tells him, ‘I’d love to come down and work a crush some time.’

“I guess Pete said, ‘Come on down!’ ‘Now, everybody says they want to work crush, but nobody follows through.”

Tiny did, and he flew down from Alaska

during the 2008 harvest. He’d already bought a house in Walla Walla and planned to open a Fat Olives there on the heels of the Great Recession, but the Hedges convinced him to instead fire up his kitchen in Richland — 15 minutes from their Red Mountain winery and two blocks from the Columbia River.

And 2023 marks the 13th anniversary of Fat Olives in wine country, and JD and his wife, Erika, used their culinary approach, customer service and catering business to survive the pandemic. The family still owns and operates their restaurant on the Kenai Peninsula.

“We consider both restaurants as a neighborhood bistro, and my parents are very much involved in both,” JD says. “We like to cater to everybody. Sitting at this table could be a couple of blue-collared workers who just got off work enjoying a happy dinner with their families, while at this table a couple of white-collars might be having a business

COVER STORY l LʼEcole

approved

prepared with a Passion!

meeting. And everyone will feel just as comfortable. Mom and dad can have a nice dinner.

The kids can order a pizza, and everybody is happy.”

That includes wine lovers.

JD Nolan is a fourth-generation restaurateur and certified sommelier with a keen interest in the Pacific Northwest wine industry. That’s reflected in receiving Wine Spectator magazine’s Award of Excellence for his wine list.

In addition to staging winemaker dinners for Columbia Valley producers and catering events such as the Auction of Washington Wines, Nolan also judges wine competitions throughout the Northwest.

And his palate is reflected in the bottles of Schooler Nolan wines that he sells through Fat Olives and beyond. His red wines have earned a coveted Platinum Award from Great Northwest Wine in each of the past two years, including a 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2018 blend of Malbec and Petit Verdot.

“We’ve been really fortunate to have the relationships with both families,” JD says.

Those collaborations with the winemakers,

Calendar of Events

the critical acclaim for the brand and the price make them a bargain at the restaurant or on location for Fat Olives catering events — which range from a picnic for 2,500 folks to a 500-plate prime rib dinner.

During the pandemic, Nolan seized upon the opportunity to promote the delectable and affordable customized pizza and calzone program at Fat Olives. His culinary team’s work with gluten-free dough and pasta might be the best in the Tri-Cities and can be enjoyed by anyone.

Featured Drink Pineapple Manhattan 1 oz four roses small batch bourbon 1 oz giffard pineapple .5 oz red vermouth 2 dash aromatic bitters Add bourbon, giffard pineapple, vermouth and bitters to mixing glass and stir until well chilled. Strain in martini glass garnish with cherry.

For lunch, sandwiches such as the housesmoked Beef & Bleu steak sandwich and Reuben with house-cured pastrami can be prepared gluten-free. That goes for the Fat Olives Black Angus burgers.

Nolan would hear about it were he to remove the Pork Osso Bucco on creamy rosemary polenta, the Chicken Marsala or Grilled Korean Short Ribs with tamari-pear gochujang sauce and cucumber kimchi on a bed of rice.

Among the specialties at Fat Olives is the Grilled Hanger Steak with Brandy-Peppercorn Demi-Glace on a plate including puréed potatoes and roasted vegetables, an ideal pairing with any of the Schooler Nolan reds and spotlighted as part of Great Northwest Wine’s 25-year-old MatchMaker series.

Wednesday Evenings Locals Night - 15% off all Dinner Entrees & Chefs Specials

~Featuring~ Award Winning Washington Wines from

Thursday Evenings: Oyster Night! - Oyster Night…Oysters only $1.50 October 1st - Brown Bag Wine Dinner November 5th - Sheridan Wine Maker Dinner with Guest Chef

www.SchoolerNolan.com

Fat Olives Restaurant & Catering 255 Williams Blvd., Richland, WA 99354 Monday- Friday, 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Saturday, 4-9 p.m., Closed Sunday.

We are your catering pros!

(509) 946-6404

Fallwww.FatOlivesRichland.com 2023 • Great Northwest Wine | 29

FEATURE l Q&A

Turning the Tables on wine writers Turning the Tables is an ongoing series of wine writer interviews conducted

by Carl Giavanti, a longtime wine industry advocate based in Portland.

We asked him to DANA begin his collaboVAN NEST ration with Great Northwest Wine by introducing Dana Van Nest, a new contributor, to our readers.

When not writing about wine or judging wine competitions, Van Nest works as a copywriter and communication strategist, helping organizations to bring their values into their voice. The Seattle resident earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Washington, a master’s of fine arts in creative writing from Emerson College and the Level 2 award in wine from The Wine & Spirit Education Trust. Her website is DanaVanNest.com.

Q

How did you come to wine and to wine writing?

In my mid-20s, I lived in Boston while going to grad school at Emerson. The wine I drank was usually terrible, but I had no idea how to determine what “good” wine was. I bought a copy of Wine for Dummies — it was surprisingly informative — and started going to local liquor stores to read wine labels.

When I returned to Seattle, the Washington wine scene was on the upswing, and I jumped in and started tasting and learning.

Five years ago, I opened my communication consulting practice. Concurrently, I started taking classes at Northwest Wine Academy and later online at Napa Valley Wine Academy to take my wine interest from a hobby to a profession. I asked for a lot of introductions and attended a lot of events.

A few years ago, I spoke to Eric Degerman and he invited me to work as a chief judge for Great Northwest Wine competitions. It was daunting to be the newbie in a room full of professionals who had decades of experience, but I got the hang of it and from there began establishing myself as a wine writer.

30 | greatnorthwestwine.com

Q

How does your experience as a marketing and communications professional inform your writing?

I think a great deal about audience. Who’s reading this magazine? What’s their wine education level? I want to find that sweet spot: not talking down to people and also not talking over their heads. The articles I write are for entertainment and information, so I’m always watching for jargon and the insider speak. If we want to expand our audience and encourage more people to drink wine and support the industry, we must be welcoming and inclusive in our language.

Q

you?

What would people be surprised to know about

My “claim to absolutely no fame at all” is that I co-wrote a screenplay that was produced by the Danish Film Institute. It was shown at the San Jose (Calif.) Film Festival in 2003.

Q

What haven’t you done that you’d like to do?

I’d like to try rock climbing — at a gym though and not on actual outside rocks. I want to be all geared up with lots of people around to catch me if I tumble.

Q

How do you describe your approach to wine writing?

I tell engaging stories that don’t require a degree in enology to understand. The wine industry should not be elite and neither should the writing about it be. If we want people to buy wine, we need to provide access points for people to join the party.

Q

What is your approach and perspective on judging wine competitions?

I find it fascinating to be on judging panels.

I’ve met many lovely people who are interested in a collaborative process and a number of real snoots who act like their presence is a gift from the wine gods. I’m not having that. Go mansplain Tempranillo to somebody else, buddy.

When judging wine, I want to determine if the wine is true to its varietal characteristics.

If it is not, can we figure out why? Can it be weird in a good way? And it’s important to put personal preferences aside. For example, I’m not big on oaked Chardonnays, but I know a well-made one when I taste it.

Q

How do you describe your tasting process for writing reviews? What happens to the leftover wine?

I follow the WSET tasting format and go through all the categories, making notes. My final notes give the reader a guideline of what to expect — but in an evocative way.

Last year, when I was writing tasting notes for the Sip Magazine Best of the Northwest, I worked my way through three cases of wine.

I kept a few but took open bottles with me whenever I had a meeting or appointment. I was very popular that month.

Q

If you take days off, how do you spend them?

Hell yes, I take days off. I love my work, but I also love dance classes, reading, walks with friends, vacations and cooking.

Q

What is your most memorable wine or wine tasting experience?

In 2018, my husband and I wine-tasted and hiked our way through New Zealand. We visited the Central Otago, Waipara, Queenstown and Waiheke Island. In Queenstown, we had a seven-course seasonal wine dinner at Amisfield Winery. The plating was so inventive! It took me a while to realize the bowl of pretty rocks was not a decoration and actually cleverly disguised butter.

Carl Giavanti is in his 14th year of working with West Coast wineries as a public/media relations consultant. His background includes technology sales, digital marketing, project management and public relations for more than 25 years. His website is CarlGiavantiConsulting.com.

FEATURE l Zach Geballe

Somm-turned-journalist Zach Geballe lends Seattle perspective to VinePair

By Dana Van Nest

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(back when the medium was brand new) and decided to launch his own wine podcast.

For his show, he interviewed Adam Teeter, VinePair cofounder, and then spent the next year bugging him to create a podcast.

“I kept popping up in his inbox,” he laughs.

His campaigning worked, and they launched in 2018.

Zach Geballe gives the VinePair EATTLE — The son of a podcast a Northwest perspective professional cook and the from his home in Seattle. stepson of a restaurateur, Zach Geballe has been immersed in the Pacific Northwest food and beverage culture since childhood.

“Food was a very big part of my family life,” Geballe says. “At a young age I was encouraged to try new things, including a sip of beer or wine.”

Recommendations This early introduction to an array of flavors and textures for NW wineries started him on a path to his With more than 500 episodes current career as a wine writer to date, the VinePair trio delves and podcaster — though it took into topics and trends on which him a while to realize he was on the publication collects data RICHARD DUVAL IMAGES this path. It may have been a little or listeners inquire about. The more clear to those around him. restaurant owned by his late stepmother, biggest wine trends of late, he says, are from “As a kid, I was weirdly interested in Susan Kaufman. the natural wine world. reading restaurant reviews,” he chuckles.

Serafina was home to a small, but vibrant “There are lots of producers who are taking Geballe is the affable and confident cocktail community. more cues from the natural wine movement,” co-host/producer of the popular VinePair “This was my entry into the beverage he says, noting that producers are making podcast, a production of the same-named industry,” Geballe says. wines with higher acidity, fresher fruit and online publication. Twice a week, he and He started as a busser, eventually became a less barrel aging. co-hosts Adam Teeter, VinePair CEO, and waiter, and then a bartender.

“Natural wine is not meant to age. It has an Joanna Sciarrino, editor-in-chief, chat about “I loved the environment of the restaurant. I energy meant for immediate consumption,” what they are drinking, discuss trends in the wanted to learn more about food and wine.”

Geballe says. beverage industry, and gently rib each other.

A few years later while working for Tom And he sees some opportunities for the “It’s a pretty hefty undertaking,” he says Douglas Restaurants, Geballe started pursuing Northwest wine industry. of recording, editing and producing the now wine education seriously.

“As a whole, what Washington and Oregon twice-weekly podcast from his Seattle home.

“The opportunity was put in front of me,” need to pay attention to is white wine. This Geballe approaches their conversations Geballe says. “I hadn’t applied myself in has potential for differentiation and to provide with a producer/hospitality lens while a systemic way or pursued something in a exceptional wine in an industry too focused Teeter and Sciarrino bring the perspective structured way. I was fortunate that Tom on red wine. of journalists and consumers. The easy covered the Level One class.”

“Data is showing that people are moving back-and-forth between the three — his coGeballe went on to become a certified away from big reds for everyday drinking,” he hosts join him from a studio in New York sommelier (for which Douglas paid half adds. “Younger generations want a beverage City — belies the lift it takes to create a fun, the tuition). He ran the wine program at the they can enjoy with a whole host of cuisines. engaging, and relevant discussion that will late, great Dahlia Lounge and became the It’s short-sighted to focus on reds.” entice listeners. company’s wine educator. In March 2020, the Geballe’s genuine curiosity and frankness restaurants closed because of the pandemic. are appealing, as is his enthusiasm.

The path to podcasting Geballe and most of the staff were laid off.

“This appealed to me. There is an endless Parallel to his restaurant career, Geballe ocean — to learn, to experience. You never reach Geballe’s plan, back in the mid-2000s, was the shore; but I’m fine with being adrift.” had been building a reputation as a journalist. sports broadcasting. After studying broadcast He wrote food and drinks columns for the journalism at New York University, he found, now-defunct Seattle Weekly, for Northwestmuch to his disappointment, that the seasoned Dana Van Nest is a Seattle-based communifocused Sip Magazine and then for the sports journalists he met were jaded and cations strategist and contributor to several national beverage publication VinePair. complained that their work was a grind. regional publications. She judges several “I was invited to be on a local podcast to Disillusioned with this experience, Geballe wine competitions and is a chief judge for the talk about wine and remembered how much returned to Seattle’s Eastlake neighborhood Great Northwest Invitational and the I loved talking about wine, not just writing where he spent part of his childhood (the Cascadia International. Her website is about it,” Geballe says. other parts were in Shoreline and Poulsbo) DanaVanNest.com.

He had produced a sports podcast in college to take a job at Serafina, the popular Italian Fall 2023 • Great Northwest Wine | 31

COVER STORY l Garden City Idaho

Headline into garden Boise suburb blossoms spot for Northwest wine

The Garden City Arts Commission’s Postcard Mural along the Osage Street alley greets Cinder Wines visitors along 44th Street.

Story by Jim Thomssen Photography by Richard Duval Images

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URBAN TASTING ROOM 152 E 52ND STREET,GARDEN CITY,ID 208-948-3136

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ROLLINGHILLSVINEYARD.COM

ARDEN CITY, Idaho — Take a look at a map of the Snake River Valley in Idaho and you’ll see five cities creeping closer together, a reflection of the fastest-growing state in the country five years straight from 2017 to 2021.

Nampa and Caldwell stretch west along the interstate while Boise, Eagle, and Meridian merge toward the Boise River, the state Capitol and Boise State University.

What may not be quite so obvious is one of the Pacific Northwest’s best destinations for exploring wine — Garden City.

As people are looking for the authentic winery experience closer to home, at least eight great options in Garden City present themselves. The Garden City experience is underscored by meeting the winemakers and sampling their wines without driving to the closest vineyards — 25 miles away.

“There’s a vibe of being in Garden City,” says Joe Schnerr, who owns Cinder Wines with his winemaking wife, Boise native Melanie Krause. “It’s funky; the people have bootstrapped their wineries, and you are probably going to meet the winemaker or the owners or at least the assistant winemaker in the building. That’s pretty cool, and you don’t

COVER STORY l Garden City Idaho Cinder Wines offers two indoors tasting bars, concerts and outside seating along the Osage Street alley.

get that a lot at other places in the Northwest.”

Between the Boise Bench and its namesake river, Garden City has morphed into a 4-square mile enclave of coolness tucked in the hip pocket of its larger neighbors. It offers something for anyone — surfing, paddling, summer rafting, cycling, jogging, shopping, dining, snacking, drinking, ax throwing, even staycationing for those in Idaho’s capital city.

Garden City’s inclusive nature today harkens back to its origins. It was incorporated in 1949 and named in homage to the prolific river-bottom gardens tended by Chinese immigrants who settled on this side of Boise. The main thoroughfare, Chinden Boulevard, is even a graceful portmanteau of the words China and garden. The town became a legal entity as a reaction to the city next-door’s ban of gambling after 545 of the local residents voted to keep that economic driver on the books. That is, until the entire state outlawed gambling in 1954.

Along the way, Garden City has leaned into its less-than-stellar reputation. In the early 2000s, its lower-rent status was home to a plethora of pre-owned car and RV dealerships, surplus stores, taverns, mobile home parks and light industrial shops. Some of those are being cleared to make way for upscale, multi-story dwellings with retail shops on the first floor.

Not surprisingly, the urban winery

concept began to gain a foothold. Not every winemaker wants to be a grape grower. And as more grapes were being planted in Idaho, a few vintners sought to take advantage of the lower rents in Garden City and make wine in the heart of the old gardens — with Boise mushrooming just across the river.

Krause honed her techniques in Washington state’s wine industry working for Château Ste. Michelle. Yet, she yearned to return home and raise a family. In 2008, while Krause was doing some consulting on the Sunnyslope near Caldwell, her connections in the business community told her about an old fruit and vegetable packing shed in Garden City.

Cinder Wines was the first winery planted there. Twice, it has shared space with upstarts that would grow their own following and find their own space.

Along the way, however, Krause’s skill has earned her a reputation as one of the top talents in the Pacific Northwest. The following for her wines, paired with Schnerr’s business acumen, set Cinder on a path to become into one of the state’s largest family-operated wineries, reaching 10,000 cases per year.

Indeed, Garden City has grown around them — home to a thriving and exciting food and craft beverage corridor. And Earl Sullivan of Telaya Wine Co., says Krause and Schnerr helped show many what is possible.

“I believe Melanie and Joe are two of the main people responsible for the emergence of a high-quality, craft wine industry in Idaho,” Sullivan says. “Without them knocking on every door to convince people that Idaho could make incredible wine, we would not be where we are today.

“In addition, they took in small, potentially competitive wineries and fostered their growth by providing a location for those brands to start,” Sullivan continued. “Having done this ourselves, we understand the level of commitment to the industry that this requires.”

Cinder Wines still carries the urban vibe of the old fruit shed, combined with the awardwinning wines. Its name really helps you understand the volcanic soils that underlie many of the Snake River Valley vineyards they work with. Their Tempranillo, which has earned a Platinum from Great Northwest Wine, highlights many of the similarities between the region and those from the Rioja in Spain. Cinder’s Verdejo from Emerald Slope Vineyard, overlooking the Snake River near Adrian, Ore., received a Platinum at the prestigious 2023 TEXSOM judging in Dallas.

Among her other deliciously bright wines is a blend of Muscat and Viognier labeled Ville de Jardin — French for garden city.

Fall 2023 • Great Northwest Wine | 33

COVER STORY l Garden City Idaho

Lauren Askarnia graduated from Boise State and was a customer of Telaya before joining the riverside winery’s hospitality team.

Telaya Wine Co., celebrates its 15th anniversary this year of winemaking in the Pacific Northwest and has been in its Garden City riverside location since 2016 — after spending five years at Cinder.

Earl Sullivan and his wife, Carrie, are co-owners and cowinemakers who source fruit from premier Washington vineyards and top-tier Idaho sites for age-worthy whites and European-inspired reds. Their Syrah from the Snake River Valley won best of show at the 2021 Cascadia International Wine Competition. They’ve recently added two fascinating white grapes to their portfolio — Grüner Veltliner and Picpoul Blanc.

And they continue to create new customer experiences at their facility. Joining the twoyear-old patio extension is a new deck right next to the Boise Greenbelt. Success with their winemaking and hospitality programs prompted the Sullivans to increase production to the extent that they have taken over the historic Sawtooth/Pintler production winery south of

34 | greatnorthwestwine.com

Nampa — west of Garden City — in order to meet demand.

And just before harvest of the 2023 vintage began, the Sullivans staged a vineyard education tour and catered dinner at that facility, now billed as Telaya West. It’s a unique experience for a Garden City producer. For some special events, Telaya also offers a shuttle from their Garden City tasting room out to the production space nestled in the Skyline/Sawtooth vineyard site south of Nampa and back. That makes a great way to explore more of Idaho wine country without renting your own car.

The diversity of wine options and experiences offered by Garden City producers is unique. At the west end of town sits Potter Wines. Von and Crystal Potter made a name for themselves at the Boise City Market with a summer flavor bomb of jalapeño-infused white wine that is a blast to cook with. But don’t let that flagship bottling color your opinion of their lineup. They have honed their winemaking skills and are producing delicious single-varietal wines and multiple offerings in camp-site ready 1.5-liter pouches.

Carrie and Earl Sullivan of Telaya Wine Co., used a Snake River Valley Syrah to win best of show at the 2021 Cascadia International Wine Competition.

Von Potter quickly created a following for his portfolio, which includes jalapeño wine lemonade.

COVER STORY l Garden City Idaho Lori Pasculli, who grew up helping her grandfather tend grapevines in California, is at home at Rolling Hills Vineyard in the Eagle Foothills.

Mark Pasculli and his sons, Daniel and Zach, are behind some of the state’s top wines, which they pour at the Rolling Hills Vineyard Urban Tasting Room in Garden City.

Certified trainer Crystal Potter of Potter Wines offers midweek fitness classes at the winery.

Great Northwest Wine’s 2023 Idaho Winery to Watch, Rolling Hills Vineyard, is a half-block off Chinden Boulevard.

Mark Pasculli’s young Urban Tasting Room allows him to showcase bottles made from his family’s vines surrounding his home in the Eagle Foothills. His wife Lori and daughter Savannah oversee the tasting room and son Zach helps with marketing. Mark and the older son, Daniel, manage the vineyard and the winery. They have more than a dozen standalone varieties and blends and pour them on a pleasant patio that enjoys late-afternoon shade in Garden City.

Between 43rd and 44th streets sits Par Terre Winery, which shares a colorful muraladorned alley with Cinder. Started by a pair of former ballet dancers, the Walkers, it

focuses on small lots for their balanced wines.

Travis and Mallory refer to theirs as a “nanowinery” where they put Idaho fruit on stage.

Travis, a graduate of Walla Walla Community College’s acclaimed winemaking school, debuted Arneis from Arena Valley Vineyard near Parma at 2023 Savor Idaho and received praise for his rather obscure Italian white.

Acclaim for Par Terre Winery includes Wine Press Northwest’s 2019 Idaho Winery to Watch.

Fall 2023 • Great Northwest Wine | 35

COVER STORY l Garden City Idaho

Leslie Preston of Coiled Wines is among the Garden City wine pioneers who cycled through the Cinder facility as she ramped up her award-winning brand. A graduate of the famed University of California-Davis enology program, she worked in Napa and began returning home to Boise to make wine. And akin to Krause, she returned to the Treasure Valley to raise her family.

under one roof also helps Preston and her team to better tell the story of the brand.

Jed Glavin of Split Rail Winery has also doubled down on Garden City. He spent years crafting distinctly different and awardwinning Rhône-inspired wines within a converted auto mechanics shop just feet off Chinden. Recently, however, he moved down to 32nd Street and into a custom-designed winery with an eclectic and edgy tasting room. On this day, the playlist included rockers such as Primal Scream, the Bare Mutants and The Brian Jonestown Massacre.

There’s also outside seating that’s ideal for afternoon and evening gatherings.

Not surprisingly, more people outside of Idaho are taking notice of the urban wine scene in this Boise bedroom community.

Proletariat Wines out of Walla Walla has acquired land for a production facility and tasting room off 36th Street. Their intent is to make wine from Idaho grapes as well as fruit from their Washington vineyards on site for bottle sales to supplement their successful 5-gallon keg program for the restaurant and tavern trade. With part of the ownership team living in Idaho, they made the decision to build a new tasting room and production site that will have a 1,700-square-foot rooftop deck. They plan to open by the beginning of 2024.

She produces small-batch wines that “follow their own winding path” just as the Snake River that winds through the region.

Those include big reds with names such as Black Mamba, Diamondback and Sidewinder, as well as her internationally acclaimed sparkling Riesling — called Rizza. Her newly expanded tasting room at 34th and Chinden imports the vibe of the downtown Boise tasting room she closed during the pandemic.

The Garden City space also allows for increased production, and bringing everything

One of the Gem State’s largest and most accommodating hotels could not be more convenient for wine tourists than the aptly named Riverside Hotel. The 300-room Best Western Premier Collection property is home to the Sandbar Patio Grill, the Riverside Grill and the Sapphire Room — a nightclub and live music venue. Hotel staff can orchestrate free transportation to and from BOI — the well-operated regional airport that’s a

Mallory and Travis Walker of Par Terre Winery came to the Snake River Valley as performance dancers prior to becoming winemakers.

By Person Name

Boise native Leslie Preston began making Idaho wine in 2006 while working at Stag’s Leap Winery in the Napa Valley.

Expansion for Coiled Wines provides additional tasting space, an events center and a production facility.

Between wine time and bedtime

Urban planner/winemaker Jed Glavin pours some of the Northwest’s most eclectic and delicious wines at Split Rail.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SPLIT RAIL WINERY

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COVER STORY l Garden City Idaho

Fans of British rock will be among those who enjoy the vibe at Split Rail, which took over a half-acre block that was an auto sales lot.

15-minute drive away. The Riverside also rents out bikes, ideal for exploring Boise’s renowned 25-mile long, tree-lined, riverside greenbelt.

And now comes The Arcadia, a completely renovated 27-room motel that began life as the Sunliner, which is directly across Chinden from the remodeled Coiled Wines.

Thanks to the rise of the craft beverage industry, wine lovers heading west of The Riverside can explore a variety of cuisine

and other creature comforts, often without losing sight of the Boise River or Chinden Boulevard.

Puerto Rican cuisine and Garden City wines are featured at Wepa Café. Asian specialties and sushi are available at Ling and Louie’s, with Chinese at the Golden Wok. Mexican specialties are abundant. There’s pub food at Twisted Kitchen and old-school classics at the historic Stagecoach.

When it comes to coffee, Push and Pour

was voted No. 1 last year by Idaho Statesman readers, and the company’s flagship store is on 34th Street. There’s also Western Collective or Moxie Java. Seasonal al fresco beers and wines can be purchased at the Yardarm on the river. And always keep an eye open for a great collection of food trucks that rotate among the wineries. The mobile menus range from Basque/Vietnamese fusion (Basquenese), cannolis and barbecue to melted cheese, wood-fired pizza as well as shrimp and grits.

For the craft beer drinker, there is a parallel trip through Garden City as well. At the west end is PowderHaus Brewing with the new Barbarian Brewing tasting room facility sandwiched between Telaya and the new Split Rail spot on 32nd Street. Berts Brews, a newcomer, is in the middle near Western Collective.

Avoiding cellar palate is something you need to consider while spending the day tasting great Idaho wines. Sturman’s Wine & Cigars Lounge and Patio has just the cure available at their young Garden City location at 42nd and Chinden. With 3,000 square feet of patio out back and space for live music and food trucks, their well-curated list can help you compare the best local wines with those from the Columbia Valley, California and Europe. Look for names such as Leonetti,

Fall 2023 • Great Northwest Wine | 37

COVER STORY l Garden City Idaho

Split Rail Winery moved 11 blocks closer to Boise with its new tasting room/winery at the corner of 32nd and Chinden.

Sean Minor, Silver Oaks and Chateau du Glana on their bottle list or enjoy any of the ever-changing pours available by the glass.

Other activities If you’ve reached the Boise Fairgrounds, you are on the western outskirts of Garden City’s wine community. Near the end of August, it will be dominated by the Western Idaho Fair, but the campus — including the Exposition Building — is busy throughout the year. The Boise Hawks, a member of the Pioneer Baseball League, spend the summers along the river at the 3,400-seat Memorial

Stadium. Their season runs Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.

Among the attractions found along Chinden is the Idaho Pinball Museum, home to more than 60 machines. Admission is $10, and it’s open evenings on Thursday and Friday as well as Saturday afternoon.

Those who need to cool down but want some competition can roll into Westy’s Garden Lanes and knock down a few pins just a couple of blocks from Potter Wines.

Breakfast is served all day, including hearty biscuits and gravy. (They open at 10 a.m.)

The more daring sports fans will consider

The popular Boise River Greenbelt skirts the Riverside Hotel and provides another path to the Garden City craft beverage corridor.

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swinging into the Section 37 Axe Room.

Bring your own beer, wine and vittles while mastering the Pacific Northwest pastime of ax throwing. Close-toed footwear is required, and “if you become overly intoxicated, we will ask that you stop throwing.” Complete guidelines are at Section37axeRoom.com.

And for the sports fan who is into collectibles, there’s Sportscard Fanatic.

It’s not as easy to find a card shop as it was 30 years ago, so head west on Stockton Street off Chinden. This shop also carries Pokémon and other collectible memorabilia.

For those who bring along man’s best friend, the woman-owned Idaho Dog Park on 50th Street provides dog daycare As does the Dog Retreat Center nearby.

Reservations for your pup’s spa day are encouraged. If heading west on Chinden, you could swing in before dropping by the Rolling Hills Vineyard Urban Tasting Room on 52nd and Potter Wines near 53rd.

Telaya Wine Co. also has a soft spot for furry friends and allows leashed friends on the patio and the grassed yard right off the Greenbelt that follows the river to their door.

Dog water and treats are available.

Retired banker Jim Thomssen now is known as The Idaho Wine Ambassador. The Minnesota native earned a business degree at the University of Puget Sound with the help of professor/wine economist Mike Veseth prior to moving to the Snake River Valley in 1994.

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TASTING RESULTS | Sauvignon Blanc

Airfield Estates Winery soars with Sauvignon Blanc from Yakima Valley — the largest single bottling in the history of Airfield Estates Winery,” Miller says. “Combined with what Travis is doing in the winery, I feel like we’ve figured things out. And the sales have backed that up.”

Maple adds, “People don’t think of Sauvignon Blanc from Washington.

We can make a Sauvignon Blanc that’s really expressive, and I think ours really stands out.”

Indeed, none scored higher than the Airfield Estates release from the 2022 vintage during this summer’s tasting of Sauvignon Blanc staged Airfield Estates winemakers Travis Maple and Marcus Miller now

by Great Northwest produce two styles of Sauvignon Blanc, the 10,500-case flagship Wine. bottling and a new Old Vines expression.

“We’ve been having double-digit growth RICHARD DUVAL IMAGES in SB for six years,”

By Eric Degerman says Miller, who worked with that storied Marlborough fruit after graduating from UNNYSIDE, Wash. — Third-generaWalla Walla Community College’s vaunted tion winegrower Marcus Miller knew winemaking program. “I occasionally will the style of Sauvignon Blanc he wanted have someone who tells me they liked the for his family’s customers at Airfield Estates style of Sauv Blanc that we used to make, and Winery, and it would need to start with growI tell them, ‘I appreciate that, but our sales tell ing grapes that evoked memories of his time me the majority of people prefer the direction in the famed region of Marlborough. we’re taking it.’ And it’s now our flagship “Making Sauvignon Blanc has been a white wine.” passion of mine ever since the vintage I spent The growing thirst for Sauvignon Blanc working harvest in New Zealand in 2005,” among U.S. consumers has coincided with Miller says. “Tasting it on the vine in New the efforts of Maple, Miller and his family’s Zealand was a revolutionary experience for longtime farming partners — the Neimeyer me. The grapes in the vineyards of Cloudy family. This spring, Wine Business Monthly Bay were so zesty and full of flavor that it magazine shared U.S. market data compiled tasted like a different grape from the ones my

by NielsenIQ. The only variety with any dad was growing in our own vineyard.” substantial increase in sales was Sauvignon In 2017, he hired Travis Maple to replace Blanc at nearly 5%. him as the hands-on winemaker, which It’s no coincidence that sales of wine from gave Miller more time to focus on vineyard New Zealand — which has earned a cultadjustments he wanted to make in his family’s like following for its distinctive Sauvignon historic 830-acre Airport Ranch. Soon after, Blanc since the 1980s — were up about 4%. the Sauvignon Blanc from Airfield Estates No other major wine-producing country began to smell and taste the way Miller exporting to the U.S. could boast any growth. believed was possible in the Yakima Valley.

In light of that market data, a growing “We’ve matured into our style of SB into wines that are zesty, and we’ve gone from number of producers in the Pacific Northwest 1,500 cases annually to last year 10,500 cases are bullish on Sauvignon Blanc, including

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Steven Sinkler, wine merchant of The Wine Shack in Cannon Beach, Ore. His own Puffin Wines 2022 Sauvignon Blanc also received 94 points in our tasting.

“With the recent demand increase in Sauvignon Blanc, I would expect to see more Pacific Northwest wineries adding it to their lineups,” Sinkler predicts.

In addition to Airfield Estates, there’s also a strong connection to New Zealand for the Puffin Sauvignon Blanc program. That’s because Sinkler works closely on that wine with Ray Walsh, the Kiwi winemaker behind Capitello Wines in Eugene.

“Sauv Blanc has increased in popularity over the past couple of years,” Sinkler says.

“My thought is that the citrus, apple and peach notes are pleasing to most palates. Plus, the wine pairs amazingly well with shellfish — crab, clams, shrimp and scallops — a big part of our local diets. It also is great with cheese boards, or by itself.”

And in hindsight, it was no surprise for the 2022 vintages from Airfield Estates and Puffin to grade out so highly in our tasting.

Earlier this year, the Puffin 2022 Sauvignon Blanc merited a gold medal at the Savor NW Wine Awards near iconic Haystack Rock. One of the fascinating features to that wine is the pixie dust provided by the advent of concrete egg fermentation Walsh helped to pioneer in Oregon.

As for the Miller family and Airport Ranch, they can take a measure of pride from the 2023 Cascadia International Wine Competition. That’s where Seattle-area negoçiant Matt Frazier and his Drum Roll Wine label turned a blend of Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc — from Airport Ranch — into the Best White Wine of the judging. That acclaim also reflects the often unappreciated work in the Yakima Valley — the cradle of the Washington wine industry.

“Not only are we an estate-grown and estate-bottled winery, but we also go back to the very start of the vinifera age in Washington state — 1967 — the first vintage,” Miller points out. “We planted in ‘68. So much of our fruit has always gone to Ste. Michelle, so frankly ours is a story we haven’t told very well.”

Some of the family’s Sauvignon Blanc vines reach back to 1978, and those grapes have become the third leg in Airfield Estates’s new small-lot Old Vines program with Chardonnay (1968) and Cabernet Sauvignon (1989).

TASTING RESULTS | Sauvignon Blanc Maple graduated from Washington State University’s winemaking program, and his résumé includes Ste. Michelle Wine Estates and J. Bookwalter. One of the key adjustments he and Miller credit for the success with Sauvignon Blanc is maintaining a temperature of 62 degrees Fahrenheit during fermentation. However, their efforts and rewards go beyond that.

“We have the ability to craft amazing wine, and we don’t have to deal with the farm manager/winemaker relationship because It’s all here in-house,” Maple says.

Another trend that’s no surprise harkens back to the bromide “site matters.” A look under the hood of the Puffin Sauvignon Blanc leads back to one of Oregon’s most historically delicious examples of Sauvignon Blanc — organically farmed Croft Vineyard near Salem.

Among experienced Oregon winemakers, Croft Vineyard is a garden spot for Sauvignon Blanc. King Estate’s recent launch of Sauvignon Blanc proved to be an immediate success in the marketplace — thanks in part to sourcing from Croft Vineyard. And Joe Dobbes, who has reinvented himself with his young Iterum Wines project, will always have a fondness of Croft Vineyard.

“Back in 1990, I made one that got a ton of attention, which showed you don’t need

hot temperatures to make Sauvignon Blanc,” Dobbes says. “In fact, if it gets too hot where you grow it, then you make wines that have no balance. I’m a fruit freak, and Sauvignon Blanc from the Willamette Valley can be gorgeous.

“Before I started Dobbes Family Estate, I got ahold of some Croft Sauvignon Blanc for a couple of years, and it was gorgeous,” Dobbes says, “but I couldn’t get back to Sauvignon Blanc because I was already making so many varietals. At the time, I thought, ‘If I couldn’t get Sauvignon Blanc from Croft, to hell with it.’ ” For Iterum — Great Northwest Wine’s 2023 Oregon Winery to Watch — Dobbes sources from the Huggins family’s Oak Grove Vineyard in addition to his own young planting in the Eola-Amity Hills called Orchard House Vineyard. Oak Grove was responsible for that buzzworthy Sauvignon Blanc more than 30 years ago.

“One of my goals with Iterum is to show that Sauvignon Blanc from the Willamette Valley can be world-class, just like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from here,” Dobbes says.

Our summer tasting displayed a variety of styles with Sauvignon Blanc, which is to be expected because examples came from Washington, Oregon, Idaho and British

Columbia. For a bit of context, we included a 2022 bottling from Marlborough by “The Queen of Sauvignon Blanc” — Jules Taylor.

And her expression from New Zealand’s South Island finished rather high.

Outstanding!

Airfield Estates 2022 Sauvignon Blanc, Yakima Valley, $17 — 95 points Best Buy! Thanks to the Miller family and winemaker Travis Maple, one of the Pacific Northwest’s most prolific efforts of Sauvignon Blanc also ranks among the very best. And least expensive. It also might be the easiest to enjoy for those new to this white Bordeaux variety. White peach takes the lead over gooseberry as Key lime and Meyer lemon combine for an enticing citrusy profile. And it’s an example that doesn’t go “meow” when it comes to the aromas. It’s approachable, expressive without getting nerdy and deliciously balanced. Suggested pairings include summertime salads, gazpacho, calamari with garlic and peas, grilled vegetable pasta with cumin or cheese wedges of sharp cheddar or bûcheron (10,500 cases, 12.7% alc.)

Fall 2023 • Great Northwest Wine | 41

TASTING RESULTS | Sauvignon Blanc

Puffin Wines 2022 Sauvignon Blanc, Willamette Valley, $24 — 95 points Coincidence? Maybe, but arguably the most New Zealandesque of the Sauvignon Blancs in this tasting came from a collaboration with a Kiwi-born winemaker — Ray Walsh — and Cannon Beach wine merchant Steven Sinkler. The nose screams gooseberry with lemon, yellow grapefruit, river rock and minerality. Walsh fermented this lot of organic grapes from the Salmon Safe-certified Croft Vineyard in a concrete egg, and that treatment imparts some finesse, enjoyable weight and complexity to the mix of gooseberry pie, white peach and greengage plum preserves. A portion of proceeds from the sale of this wine, available at Sinkler’s Wine Shack shop, go to his community’s Haystack Rock Awareness Program. (80 cases, 13.6% alc.)

Indian Creek Wine Cellars 2022 Sauvignon Blanc, Snake River Valley, $23 — 94 points This second-generation winegrowing family in the Boise suburbs continues to reflect the maturation of the Idaho wine industry in this serious, bone-dry example of Sauvignon Blanc. Mike McClure’s winemaking presents gooseberry-laden aromas that include jasmine, Granny Smith apple, celery leaf and a faint whiff of tomcat.

It’s compelling with its style, flashing lime juice, green apple and starfruit, offering pleasing weight and a slaty and savory finish.

It first revealed itself in the spring at the 2023 Cascadia International Wine Competition where it earned a double gold medal before being voted best of class. Serve with oysters on the half shell, scallops or shrimp. (125 cases, 13% alc.)

Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery 2022 Dry Rock Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc, Okanagan Valley $18.99 — 94 points Best Buy! The Gehringer family devotes this Sauvignon Blanc to its Dry Rock planting adjacent to the winery, and it’s no surprise for one of their entries to emerge as elite, evidenced by seven career Platinum Awards for their work with this variety. Wonderfully fresh aromas of pink grapefruit, gooseberry and lime lead into the rewarding palate of pink grapefruit, honeydew melon and a superlong crisp finish of gooseberry with fresh mint. That delicious richness on the midpalate trails out with a sense of succulence. At 3.9 grams per liter, its 0.39% residual sugar is distant if at all perceptible. Enjoy with red snapper, cod, shrimp or crab. (750 cases, 13.2% alc.)

42 | greatnorthwestwine.com

example of the tasting, beginning with aromas of Italian lime soda and a panettone baked with bits of apricot and pineapple.

That lime theme carries through to the palate, joined by Saturn peach, a bit of spritz acidity and a spoonful of honeydew melon. (1,400 cases, 13.6% alc.)

Pendulum Winery 2022 Sauvignon Blanc, Columbia Valley, $14.99 — 92 points Best Buy! Precept’s Pendulum brand can be spotted on the shelves at Costco and has made Wine Spectator’s Top 100 list, and anything associated with Walla Walla’s John Freeman and his winemaking team is worthy of attention. Harvested during the last week of September, the bottling ranks among the grassiest and most fascinating of the tasting. Green-toned fruit akin to Granny Smith apple and Key lime pick up secondary notes of fennel pollen, gooseberry pie and Big Hunk candy bar.

The weight on the midpalate is enjoyable, and the finish is clean and tantalizing.

These wines can also be found at Fred Meyer, Safeway and QFC markets in the Northwest. (2,000 cases, 12.3% alc.)

The Airfield Estates 2022 Sauvignon Blanc ranks among the most delicious, affordable and widely produced in the Northwest.

RICHARD DUVAL IMAGES

Boomtown by Dusted Valley 2022 Sauvignon Blanc, Columbia Valley, $19 — 93 points Best Buy! The brothers-in-law from Wisconsin source beyond their estate plantings in the Walla Walla Valley and collaborate with some of Washington’s top winegrowers for their nicely priced Boomtown tier. In the case of this stellar Sauvignon Blanc, they pull from two of the Northwest’s prime locations for graceful white wines — Olsen Vineyard in the Yakima Valley and Evergreen Vineyard in the Ancient Lakes. This provides much of what a Sauvignon Blanc supporter wants, a weaving of Key lime, gooseberry pie, grassiness, tomcat and Ancient Lakes minerality. The profile is zesty yet not nervy, and screams for steamed mussels. (1,000 cases, 12.9% alc.)

Jones of Washington 2022 Sauvignon Blanc, Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley, $16 — 92 points Best Buy! Aromatic whites in the hands of Victor Palencia routinely return gold medals from judges and appreciation from savvy consumers. His effort for the Jones family is the product of Lauzier Vineyard, their decadeold planting in the Beezley Hills and one of the state’s loftier sites at nearly 1,800 feet elevation. Here’s perhaps the most quaffable

Reustle - Prayer Rock Vineyards 2022 Estate Selection Sauvignon Blanc, Umpqua Valley, $32 — 91 points The versatility of Stephen Reustle’s site west of Sutherlin, Ore., continues to amaze competition judges and consumers, and the decorated self-taught winemaker began his journey with Sauvignon Blanc by sourcing clone 01 material from the University of California-Davis. Those cuttings were brought to the West Coast in the 19th century by industry pioneer Charles Wetmore, who acquired them from Bordeaux icon Château d’Yquem. This bottling releases aromas of grapefruit, lemon, kiwi and jasmine, which entice the palate with similar fruit flavors.

There’s a lick of candied pineapple on the midpalate, chased by mouth-watering lime zest and a sense of slate. The Reustles suggest serving this with halibut, oysters or goat cheese. (327 cases, 13.5% alc.)

Dude DeWalt Cellars 2022 Sauvignon Blanc, Yakima Valley, $30 — 91 points Michael Prout, a product of Walla Walla Community College’s winemaking program after serving in the Air Force, lifted the profile of this young brand in Idaho upon his arrival.

There’s not an abundance of Sauvignon Blanc grown in the Snake River Valley, so he’s working with esteemed Yakima Valley grower Patrick Rawn and Schmidt Vineyard in the Rattlesnake Hills. Rather than grassy and gooseberry, this hits on notes of ambrosia salad

TASTING RESULTS | Sauvignon Blanc with orange, grapefruit zest and minerality.

On the palate, there’s pleasing richness of peach and rewarding zing of starfruit and Maui Gold pineapple core. This earned a gold medal at the 2023 Cascadia International Wine Competition, and it shows no signs of slowing down. (400 cases, 12.5% alc.)

Stag’s Hollow Winery 2022 Herrera Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, Similkameen Valley, $26 — 90 points Few in the British Columbia wine industry offer as many different vineyard-designated bottlings as this fascinating Okanagan Falls producer, and Keira LeFranc’s first effort with this certified sustainable site near Keremeos definitely deserves an encore. The certified somm used concrete, stainless steel and oak during fermentation, and the late October harvest allowed for that fruit to prevail.

White peach, dried apricot and lime aromas are realized on the palate and joined by dried pineapple. Great weight on the midpalate is followed by slate and a food-friendly finish of peach pit. Alas, Sauvignon Blanc was among those varieties that didn’t fare well in the devastating freeze across the Okanagan Valley in late December 2022. Suggested food pairings include fish and chips, asparagus quiche, fried dim sum and Mexican. (425 cases, 12.5% alc.)

Croft near Salem. Citrus and slate readily emerge as the theme, expanding with lime and gooseberry. The use of neutral oak, concrete and stainless steel during fermentation creates complexity, and the weekly stirring of the lees provides some midpalate weight. At the close, the sense of citron pulp adds a bit of tension and grip. (4,000 cases, 13.5% alc.)

Maryhill Winery 2021 Classic Sauvignon Blanc, Columbia Valley $21 — 90 points It makes sense for Richard Batchelor to produce one of the Northwest’s leading examples of Sauvignon Blanc, considering

he’s a native of New Zealand and received two degrees from Lincoln University near Christchurch. His approach with prized Tudor Hills grapes from the Yakima Valley is straightforward — limited to stainless steel fermentation. There’s a ripe angle to the aromas of this Sauv Blanc, starting with hints of pineapple upsidedown cake, apricot, golden raspberry and fresh jasmine. It’s rather succulent on the palate as dried pineapple and dried apricot lead into a boost of honeydew melon and a tantalizing finish of lingering Rose’s Lime Juice. (3,104 cases, 14.1% alc.)

Westport Winery 2021 Elk River Sauvignon Blanc, Rattlesnake Hills, $30 — 90 points While the Roberts family lives not far from the Elk River Natural Resources Conservation Area in Grays Harbor County, they focus their wine program on acclaimed grape grower Joe Hattrup and his plantings above the Yakima Valley. For the Sauvignon Blanc, that’s Sugarloaf Vineyard. This fanciful nose developed by Mark Bosso includes candied lemon peel, crystallized ginger and butter mints. On the entry, there are bites of white peach and Bosc pear, joined by an underlying thread of lime zest and capped with a forkful of gooseberry pie. Great Northwest Wine’s 2022 Washington Winery of the Year built its reputation with big reds and sparkling cranberry, yet this Sauvignon Blanc also earned a gold at the 2023 Cascadia International. (124 cases, 13.5% alc.)

King Estate Winery 2021 Sauvignon Blanc, Oregon, $19 — 90 points Best Buy! It was only as recent as the 2018 vintage when winemaker Brent Stone took the King family’s Sauvignon Blanc program beyond a club-only level of production. And that bottling went on to earn a Platinum Award. This effort involves more than a handful of vineyards throughout Oregon, led by young planting Willig near Mount Angel, with a noteworthy contribution from

Fall 2023 • Great Northwest Wine | 43

FEATURE l Match Maker

Caprio Cellars delectably achieves perfection in Walla Walla Dennis Murphy is owner/winemaker of Caprio Cellars, which he launched in 2008 using estate grapes from the Walla Walla Valley.

W

Story by Eric Degerman | Photography by Richard Duval Images

ALLA WALLA, Wash. — There’s no question Dennis Murphy, one of the Pacific Northwest’s most successful home builders, has engineered a business model on a foundation of hospitality that’s delicious, disruptive and successful at Caprio Cellars.

The proof can be found in a simple web search for Caprio Cellars. There are more than 1,600 Google reviews, and the overall rating is a perfect 5.0. It’s an astounding testament, particularly considering the expectations customers have for tasting rooms and restaurants.

“Marketing is great and all, but one of the things that we’re most proud of are those Google reviews,” says Murphy, owner/ winemaker of Caprio Cellars and CEO of Hayden Homes.

It might seem an unbelievable rating for those who haven’t yet been greeted by customer experience director Emily Kiefer’s team and dined on the cuisine that executive chef Kyle Daniel and sous chef Angel Cruz pair with the wines Murphy grows and produces.

And no one in the Pacific Northwest does it like Caprio Cellars. There is no tasting fee. There is no charge for the not-so-small plates prepared within Murphy’s state-of-art food truck.

44 | greatnorthwestwine.com

It bears repeating — the complementary wine-and-food experience is complimentary.

Heaven help the next winery on someone’s tour after they spend a couple of relaxing hours at Caprio.

RICHARD DUVAL IMAGES “It is totally innovative and disruptive to the industry,” Murphy admits. “And those who say we must be losing money with this approach would be wrong. Caprio is successful, and Emily can attest that we are making money.

“The key is we have to sell direct to the consumer,” he adds. “And if you can keep that DTC figure around 95%, you are in the Holy Grail of wine selling.”

According to Murphy, Caprio’s DTC stands at 97%, so those who visit are tasting, enjoying, buying, joining the wine club and fueling the growth of Caprio Cellars. In the past two years, Murphy has increased production by about 50%, closing in on 3,000 cases.

“The easy thing for us to do would have been to open the hospitality center and charge a tasting fee, but we were going to take a different approach,” Murphy says. “We’re not going to charge a tasting fee. We’re going to give an incredible experience, and we’re going to cross our fingers that we sell more wine because of that.”

Caprio Cellars began producing wine in the 2008 vintage, but Murphy didn’t create a stage for his bottles until 2019. In many ways, the timing couldn’t have been more challenging, with the pandemic just around the corner.

“It was a total roll of the dice, and everyone thought I was crazy for two reasons — no tasting fee and appointment only,” Murphy says. “And then COVID hit and everyone thought I was a genius because then everything was by-appointment. For a while, you were only allowed 20% occupancy, which worked for us because the building can hold 200, so that’s 40 people max. But our business model is that we only take 20 people at a time, so that was luck.

“So much has played into our favor,” Murphy continues. “And when we were shut down, we did the Friday night to-go dinners.

We’d serve 50 to 100 dinners every Friday, and they were super popular. Those were the days when you weren’t going anywhere, so when people pulled up they acted as if they hadn’t seen a human in years.”

Those seeking a pretentious experience won’t find it at Caprio Cellars because that’s not Murphy. On this day, he wore a plain, logo-free white golf shirt and a pair of dark khakis. He talked about how he strives to keep

FEATURE l Match Maker

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things straightforward, honest, wholesome and hospitable.

“I’m a simple guy,” Murphy says with a chuckle.

His security gate at Caprio requires a phone

Emily Kiefer brings a background in hospitality from Bend, Ore., and Colorado Springs to her role at Caprio Cellars as the customer experience director.

call to the tasting room in order to proceed, but at the end of the driveway is a level of hospitality unmatched in the Northwest — starting with a flute of bubbles and a smile from Kiefer or a member of her team before you get to the door.

“I looked at the industry and spent a lot of time in friends’ tasting rooms watching what people do,” Murphy says. “People come to have a good time and be with their group — hence our tall tables with plenty of space and the fire pits outdoors. And people want food.”

Caprio Cellars became a tribute to Murphy’s family. And it was made possible by growing up near Sacramento with an interest in civil engineering and graduating from Chico State.

“I’d go see my grandmother, Eleanor Caprio, and she would give you a big hug and plate of lasagna and tell you how beautiful and brilliant you are. Why wouldn’t you want to go there?” Murphy says. “I always smile when I tell that story, but what a gift you can give somebody — just words of compliment and a plate of lasagna.”

As a 17-year-old, he struck up a seemingly unlikely friendship with a high school classmate, Hayden Watson.

“I had long hair, a mustache, played bass in a heavy metal band and was on the football team,” Murphy says with a smile. “Hayden

was class president, would wear two IZOD shirts — with both of the collars up — and shoes with pennies in them. We couldn’t have been further apart.”

One day, Murphy was finishing up a drafting project — a prototype for a subdivision he dreamed he would build someday. Watson spotted it and lined up a meeting with his father — a real estate developer.

The path of Murphy’s life changed forever.

The summer between his freshman and sophomore years at Chico State, the two high school chums went north and built two houses within the Watson family’s new subdivision in Redmond, Ore. “We made $10,000 each and looked at each other and said, ‘We could probably do this.’

And that was 24,000 houses ago,” Murphy says.

Hayden Homes develops communities in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana, which means regular trips to each region for Murphy.

“We like to build houses for the people who run our country, and we’re proud of that,” he says. “Our average price has been between $250,000 and $300,000, but lately is getting close to $400,000. We don’t like that, so we are aggressively trying to get lower pricing.

Everyone deserves to grow up in a house.”

Fall 2023 • Great Northwest Wine | 45

FEATURE l Match Maker

Caprio Cellars 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley, $37 upon release (322 cases, 14.1% alc.)

The 2012 vintage proved to be a classic and age-worthy one for many Northwest producers, slotting in beautifully between the back-to-back cool vintages of 2010-2011 and the first warm-tohot growing season of 2013.

Reds from 2012 achieved ripeness and balance, and they were pegged for cellaring along the same lines as the 2005 vintage, which is the year Dennis Murphy established his first estate vineyard — Eleanor.

This bottling by Murphy offers a snapshot of the fifth commercial vintage for Caprio, and it marks a transition. It’s a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (76%) with Cabernet Franc (14%) and equal shares of Merlot and Malbec. And while it was not labeled “estate,” it would qualify because Murphy has an ownership stake in Octave Vineyard in the SeVein development.

Octave formed the foundation for this Cab at 90% with Eleanor rounding out the bottling. And the French oak barrel program featured 30% new wood. The rest was in neutral barrels, fitting in the tradition at Caprio.

Beginning with the 2013 vintage, Murphy brought more involvement from Eleanor and within two years, the vines nearest to the winery contributed more than a third of the blend. For the 2014 vintage, Cabernet Sauvignon merely led the blend at 58%. He’d also essentially doubled this wine’s production and increased the asking price.

This library wine shows the trajectory and approach that has driven Murphy’s winemaking, an expression of Left Bank Bordeaux similar in style and execution to efforts that have helped built and define the reputations of Walla Walla Valley leaders such as Marty Clubb at L’Ecole N° 41, Seven Hills Winery founder Casey McClellan and Jean-François Pellet of Pepper Bridge, vintners who continue to thread the needle on enjoyment not long after release as well as long-term investment.

It’s a classic red with remarkable approachability while still teasing at the future.

There’s a suave structure bringing a steady stream of black cherry, black currant and finegrained blueberry skin tannins, a dusting of cocoa and pinches of violets and thyme. One of the biggest compliments anyone could pay to Murphy would be to say this reminds them of McClellan’s 2012 Pentad, a select Left Bankinspired blend some critics pegged for enjoyment starting in 2022.

And the 2020 Sanitella ($88) recently received an Outstanding! rating and 92 points from Great Northwest Wine’s tasting panel.

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Caprio Cellars has not strayed from its traditional look and focus on Bordeaux varieties in its 15-year history.

Early on in Central Oregon, Murphy joined a well-heeled wine tasting group that regularly opened bottles from the world’s famous producers. The Walla Walla Valley was not yet on their radar.

“I went to Seattle to visit a buddy, saw L’Ecole on the wine list and I asked the somm, ‘Is this stuff any good?’ And he said, ‘This stuff will blow your mind.’ He brought out a mid ’90s Merlot, and I said, ‘No way! I’ve been driving by that place for years and have never stopped!”

As a result, he moved to Walla Walla in 1999. Not long after, his lumber supplier introduced him to Norm McKibben, owner

of Pepper Bridge Winery and arguably the most influential figure in the region’s young industry.

“It turns out that Norm and I are both civil engineers and we knew some of the same people, so we had a lot to talk about and got along famously,” Murphy says. “It was fun to meet someone who had evolved from engineering to winemaking and winery ownership and vineyard management. And he just hired this young winemaker from Heitz Cellar in Napa.”

In addition to seeking winemaking advice early on from JeanFrançois Pellet, “We’re like brothers,” Murphy says.

“We’ve been hanging out for 20 years fishing and going on duck-hunting trips.”

Murphy worked on his first Caprio wines at Pellet’s Artifex customcrush facility.

Murphy began making them at nearby Pepper Bridge when McKibben asked him to join the ownership team in 2022. Once the wines are in barrel, they are moved to Caprio’s spacious cellar.

“Norm and I have been partners in Octave Vineyard since 2006,” Murphy says. “It’s an honor to be a partner, and they are doing me a favor by expanding my horizons. Norm is in his mid 80s, and he doesn’t look it. He’s one of a kind, and he comes here for lunch a lot.”

Aside from the sparkling wine, the Caprio wines are grown on vineyards Murphy either planted with viticulturist Chris Banek or invested in. There’s Eleanor near his winery.

FEATURE l Match Maker His Sanitella planting is in the famed SeVein project near Octave and above McKibben’s historic Seven Hills Vineyard.

“I own 300 acres in the valley, and I plan to plant more, but I won’t do that until I’m ready,” Murphy says. “The 30 acres I do have in vines will get me into the full production of the 5,000-case range.”

His ability to innovate and decades of working with local governments also set the table for Caprio’s culinary program.

The county prefers to keep as much land as possible in agriculture, and restaurants want to encourage people to drive back into town for

their dining. It was the latter that didn’t line up with Murphy’s upbringing.

“Under the current zoning because of the size of our parcel, I am not allowed to build a brick-and-mortar kitchen, but I can have food trucks here. So I went to Emily’s husband, who is the best restaurateur I know, and asked him, ‘Design for me the greatest kitchen you’ve ever seen that is 8 feet wide, 22 feet long and can be mobile.’ ” Murphy admits it’s difficult for him to sit still, which helps explain his range of involvement in nonprofit efforts. He ranks among the most impactful donors to Chico

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Caprio Cellars 2022 Estate White Wine, Walla Walla Valley, $38 (400 cases, 13.9% alc.)

Vintners around the world invest in marketing mavens and trademark attorneys to come up with proprietary names for wines.

Other than honoring the memories after his grandmother and great grandmother with his two most important red wines, Dennis Murphy doesn’t spend any bandwidth on names for his other wines.

That explains why his blend of Sauvignon Blanc (75%) and Sémillon from his Sanitella Vineyard is simply called Estate White Wine.

“It took a long court battle to use that on the label, but it’s fine now,” he jokes, adding, “The focus shouldn’t be about the vessel or the logo or the name. It’s about the wine.”

Sanitella is Murphy’s second planting in Oregon near Milton-Freewater and in the expansive 2,700-acre SeVein Vineyards project that Norm McKibben, Marty Clubb and the Figgins family brought to life. The vines fight their way through fractured basalt at 1,300 feet elevation, contiguous to his Octave Vineyard. Sanitalla also shares a property line with the McQueen planting for Drew Bledsoe’s Doubleback as well as the western block of Willamette Valley Vineyards’s Pambrun sites.

Last fall, Murphy harvested his white Bordeaux varieties the first week of October. Bottling came Feb. 8 after three months in neutral French oak, and he made it available in time for the Walla Walla Valley’s Spring Release Weekend in early May. The nose screams Sauvignon Blanc with its gooseberry and lime zest. On the palate, the involvement of Sémillon and its short time in barrel adds some structure and a lemony aspect, but neither gets in the way of the salinity and lip-smacking Rose’s Lime Juice in the finish. And it’s good that Murphy increased production 60% beyond his 2021 Estate White.

Either that or he’ll need to invest in a peach orchard to meet demand for the Tomato Peach Gazpacho that often is featured at Caprio Cellars with his Estate White Wine. His culinary team also pairs it with Cauliflower Bisque or Butternut Squash with Black Lentil Salad — and both recipes are on the Caprio Cellars website.

Fall 2023 • Great Northwest Wine | 47

FEATURE l Match Maker

Tomato Peach Gazpacho Makes about 3 quarts Ingredients 1 1/2 pounds tomatoes, very ripe and rough chopped 1 1/2 pounds peaches, very ripe and rough chopped ¼ pound sweet onion, rough chopped ¼ pound zucchini, rough chopped ½ pound cucumber, rough chopped 3/4 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced ⅛ cup salt 1/2 tablespoon black pepper 8 ounces of almonds, ground 2 ounces fresh basil 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/3 cup Champagne vinegar Method 1. Mix the peaches, tomatoes, cucumber, zucchini, garlic, onion, salt, and pepper.

2. T oss well, cover and refrigerate for one hour.

3. Mix in the basil, vinegar and almonds.

4. Blend mix while drizzling in olive oil.

5. O nce all is blended, mix well and readjust seasonings.

Prawn and Sausage Orecchiette Serves 2

For the orecchiette Ingredients

1 cup semolina flour ¼ cup all-purpose flour 1 cup water 1 teaspoon olive oil ½ teaspoon salt Method 1. Combine all Ingredients and work/ knead into dough ball until elastic consistency.

2. C over with a damp towel and rest for 20 minutes.

3. C ut dough into quarters and roll pieces into logs and cut into ½-inch pieces.

4. U se a butter knife to shape the orecchiette.

5. Blanch 3 minutes or until pasta floats.

6. D rain and toss with olive oil to prevent sticking and place in the refrigerator to cool down.

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house is yours. Many times the families who get these The Tomato Peach houses are the first in their Gazpacho at Caprio sphere to own a house, and Cellars is among a these houses become the number of recipes epicenter for holidays and available on the birthdays. winery’s website.

“The number of First Story homes is now at 109,” he adds. “I remember the time a 12-year-old boy came up to me and asked if he can paint his room because he’s never been able to. Moments like that are pretty special.”

Murphy, 53, isn’t quite ready to step away from Hayden Homes, but he does look forward to when he can channel more of his energy into Caprio Cellars and spend more time flyfishing with his teenage son. The practical side of Murphy prompted him to outline a succession plan for his myriad businesses and a growth strategy for Caprio, thanks in large part to the culture he’s created for Kiefer, her team and the kitchen.

In honor of the uniqueness surrounding Caprio Cellars, this Match Maker assignment focuses on a young estate expression of white Bordeaux varieties — the State, where he’s served on the board of 2022 Estate White Wine — and a 2012 estate governors. There’s also MindUp for Life, an Cab from the Caprio library. The vibrant education-based program for school children blend of Sauvignon Blanc/Sémillon shines founded and overseen by a friend — Oscarbrightly among the kaleidoscope of locally winning actress Goldie Hawn. Her famous grown flavors in the Caprio Gazpacho that partner, Kurt Russell, played for Walla Walla features heirloom tomatoes, yellow peaches, during the 1972 Northwest League season, cucumber and iconic Walla Walla sweet batting .325 as a second baseman. A rotator onions. cuff injury he suffered the next season pushed And to complement the graceful 2012 him into acting for good.

Cabernet Sauvignon, his culinary team “Goldie was here this summer, and I took delivered one of the family-inspired Italianher to Borleske Stadium,” Murphy says. “She themed small plates Caprio Cellars is best gets on FaceTime with Kurt, who said, ‘It known for — Prawn & Sausage with houselooks exactly the same,’ which is true. It’s made orecchiette pasta, house-made tomato been here since 1926.” ragu and grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

The advocacy program that Murphy “It’s always fun to watch them make the might take the most pride in is First Story pasta,” Kiefer says. “And we top it with fresh

by Hayden Homes, which provides a path to basil and olive oil we get from D’Olivia right homeownership for deserving families. here in Walla Walla. We love the oils and “First Story began in 2000, and what we vinegars they carry.” do is provide a no-interest loan for between At the core of the culinary program are five and 10 families a year,” Murphy says. farm-fresh ingredients from the Walla Walla PHOTO COURTESY OF CAPRIO CELLARS Valley. Daniel and Cruz work with Birch “You pay the principal for 30 years, and the

FEATURE l Match Maker

Prawn and Sausage Orecchiette continued For the tomato sauce Ingredients

½ sweet onion, diced 1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 teaspoon dried oregano ½ cup dry white wine 2 quarts plum tomatoes, hand torn Method 1. In a saucepan, add 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, onion, garlic and dry herbs.

2. Once translucent, deglaze with white wine, reduce by half and add plum tomatoes.

3. Cook on medium-low for 10 minutes.

4. Season to taste with salt and pepper

Kyle Daniel, left, and Angel Cruz lead the culinary team at Caprio Cellars.

Sausage and prawns Ingredients

Creek Farms, Castoldi’s, organic tree fruit from Frog Hollow Farm, Moonlight Melons, horsepowered Hayshaker Farm and A.R. Teal’s Produce in College Place and D’Olivo on Main Street in Walla Walla.

And at the bottom of the menu card for those food and wine pairings is a segment titled “Every Sip Changes Lives.” It points out that with each bottle sold, a portion of proceeds are directed to Big Brothers, Big Sisters as well as First Story.

Those ideas align within a couple of the concepts Murphy has long lived by.

“Give as you go” is one of them.

“And my grandmother Eleanor wouldn’t understand why I would invite someone for a glass of wine and not offer them food,” Murphy says.

Caprio Cellars, 1603 Whiteley Road, Walla Walla, WA 99362, CaprioCellars.com,

1 cup uncooked Italian sausage 6 prawns, diced 1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced 1 tablespoon shallots, minced

For garnish Ingredients

Parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, fresh basil Method

Prawn and Sausage Orecchiette

1. Cook the sausage at 350 Fahrenheit on a sheet tray for 10 minutes or until fully cooked.

2. Let cool and crumble by hand.

3. In a sauté pan, sear the prawns.

4. Remove the prawns from the pan.

Add 3⁄4 of a cup of the Italian sausage, 1 tablespoon of fresh minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of minced shallots. Cook until garlic and shallots are fragrant.

5. Deglaze with 2 ounces of white wine, add 8 ounces of the tomato sauce.

6. Return prawns to pan and simmer for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, add in orecchiette until fully warm.

7. Serve and top with fresh-grated Parmesan cheese, fresh parsley and basil.

8. Optional — drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil.

Fall 2023 • Great Northwest Wine | 49

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5%

Discount new customers only

THE EDUCATED CIGAR Located inside the Joker’s & Atomic Bowl Entertainment Complex 624 Wellsian Way, Richland, WA

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Traveling “Cigar Bar” suitable for largescale public events and private events such as weddings. Twenty years experience; past events include Watershed at the Gorge, Route 91 on the Las Vegas Strip, Seattle International Beer Festival, Winthrop Blues Festival, Prosser Beer & Whiskey Festival, Moxee Hops Festival, Spring Barrel Tasting, Cool Desert Nights, and hundreds more.

Open Mon- Sat 10am to 5pm. www.educatedcigar.com email: educatedcigar@msn.com voice/text: 509-205-2876.

We accept all major credit/debit cards. Family owned and operated since 1998.

Fall 2023 • Great Northwest Wine | 51 We also ship where permitted by law. GOOGLE rating of 4.9/5.0 with over 200 reviews.

SHOWCASING THE RICH

AND DIVERSE FLAVORS OF WASHINGTON STATE WINE

WITH PASSION, PATIENCE AND BALANCE

2022

ALL-TIME PLATINUM LEADER 103 PLATINUM AWARDS

F

52 | greatnorthwestwine.com

2022 “MVP”

MOST VALUABLE PRODUCER