Goose Ridge
NEWS SEASONAL NEWSLETTER • JULY 2020
A Climate of Excellence Family owned. Estate grown.
Letter from the Monson Family Greetings from Goose Ridge, To say a lot has transpired in our nation since our last newsletter is an understatement. From our family to yours, we hope this finds you safe and well as we all social distance our way through a new normal. When we last connected, we were welcoming you to our new quarterly newsletter designed to bring you product news and updates from our estate vineyard and Diversified Agriculture Divisions. In the last three months, all of us in the wine industry have been tossed a curveball. COVID-19 closed our tasting rooms and we’ve all had to respond quickly with creative new ways to reach our customers. At Goose Ridge, our hopes of welcoming in club members for tastings became virtual events very quickly, and we think they’re here to stay. Who could have predicted that!
cherries and monitor our grapes ahead of veraison in the vineyards and apples in the orchards. In the meantime, we have lots of great news on the winemaking front to share, including new partnerships, wine releases and even the creation of a new company to help us streamline distribution of our brands to the market. It’s been a busy quarter at Goose Ridge Winery & Vineyard. While none of us are sure what the next several months will bring, we’re up for the challenge and are grateful for our team, colleagues in the industry, family and friends who are dedicated to pushing onward. Cheers! The Monson Family Valerie Monson | Bill Monson | Molly Monson Stutesman
The challenges of COVID-19 presented us with an opportunity to quickly pivot away from launching our VIDO Vodka to provide frontline healthcare workers, military and customers with much needed hand sanitizer. As we go to press, the good news is our tasting rooms are beginning to re-open and VIDO Vodka is back on track. Our Columbia Valley weather can be a distraction, and this spring was no different. At times, it felt a bit more like winter. We’re happy to see the sun as we harvest our
From the Ranch
Weather on the ranch is exciting at times and can be tricky when managing three separate harvests throughout the year, including grapes, cherries and apples. This spring was cold and wet but so far our cherries are winning the battle. We’re packing and shipping our cherries across the country as we release this newsletter, and we’re happy to say we’ve got a beautiful crop on our hands. We grow three different cherry varieties here at Goose Ridge Vineyards and Estate Winery: Chelan, Benton and Lapin. We harvest the Chelan variety first. Because they ripen earlier than the others, they were the most effected by the rain. But we were able to manage an average crop. We are currently harvesting the Benton cherries with the Lapins not far behind and are seeing a full harvest with great size and color. A cooler spring lets us pick at a slower rate and with the same crew from beginning to end, which means more ripe cherries to the consumers. Personally, I’m excited about the Lapin cherries this year. Sweet and juicy, they’re perfect on their own or – my favorite – in a cherry pie.
From the Cellar
Andrew Wilson, Winemaker While cherry harvest is well underway, it is still very early in the growing season to talk about grapes, but we think the 2020 vintage is off to a great start. We had bud break in mid-April, which is right on the money for us – not too early and not too late. Now the vines are racing towards bloom. We’ll begin watching for veraison in July, as we anticipate a slightly larger fruit intake compared to last year. More to come in our next newsletter as we turn to harvest 2020. We’re getting ready for harvest with some key improvements in our cellars. In our boutique cellar we have added several smaller-sized fermenters which will add quite a bit of flexibility during fermentations and will allow us to experiment with some different techniques. We are also in the process of adding some significant infrastructure improvements to our main cellar, which will increase efficiency and give us more precise control over fermentations for G3, Stonecap, and Tall Sage wines. Speaking of G3, we’ve got the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon in the bottle already and the 2018 G3 Merlot and Red Blend will be bottling this month.
Robert Rivera , Vineyard Manager
All in all, we think 2018 has turned out to be a wonderful vintage for reds – full of power and structure. I’m also impressed by 2019, which has produced some fantastic white wines. Being a cooler year, the Riesling and Chardonnay have a fruit intensity we haven’t seen in some of the previous warmer vintages. I’m looking forward to enjoying those soon.
This is How We Blend With summer coming on, we are reminded that harvest is looming closer every day and there is a lot of work to be done before the grapes come rolling in again. The winemaking team has recently been focused on blending the 2018 red wines and the 2019 white wines. The whites are bright and juicy, a style that Goose Ridge excels at and that I personally enjoy drinking. The 2018 reds are intense, yet balanced, giving us abundant varietal character and making these wines a joy to blend. The blending process is quite a bit more than just blending one variety with another. Once wine is put into a barrel, the cellar crew goes to painstaking lengths to make sure that wine will stay in that barrel until it is blended and bottled. This essentially makes each barrel its own independent wine, differing from all others– even those from the same grapes. It allows us to blend not only varieties, but vineyard blocks and sometimes specific parcels within a block, as well as barrel factors like coopers, barrel sizes, forests and toasts. Different yeast strains and other special treatments give us even more options with which to blend. It’s like being able to paint with many different shades of the same color to create a more complete picture; each shade contributing something specific to the final wine. In our blending sessions, we taste every barrel separately, determining its individual character. Then we craft each
Casey Cobble Assistant Winemaker
blend, barrel by barrel, adding different layers to the flavors, aromas and mouthfeel until we arrive at the best wine we can possibly make. It’s a tedious and exacting process, but it ensures that we are creating a wine that we think is worthy of wearing a Goose Ridge label!
“Every spring we look forward to bringing our mother cows and their calves up from California to summer here at Goose Ridge. Be sure to keep an eye for them the next time you drive by the ranch!” — Bill Monson
Wind in our Sales
With the recent opening of GR Distillery, we are excited to announce the launch of VIDO Vodka. Our grapebased premium vodka is launching in Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona & Alaska, with plans to expand nationally later this year. VIDO Vodka honors our father, Arvid Monson, who was affectionately known by family and friends as “Vido.” While his visionary talents included planting our estate vineyard, he also dreamed of producing a premium vodka made from the estate grapes. Our Goose Ridge Estate wine grapes for VIDO Vodka are fermented before pumped into the still and distilled 24 times. Following distillation, the vodka rests for five days before it is blended with pure water and freezefiltered. The result is a premium vodka with a silkysmooth finish. My father was known for putting a hand on your shoulder and encouraging you to follow your passion. Our goal with VIDO Vodka is to showcase his continual support and bring his dream of making a premium vodka to life.
Bill Monson, Goose Ridge Vineyards and Winery President with his father, Arvid ‘Vido’ Monson
“There is so much excitement and anticipation in launching VIDO,” said Will Wright, Destination Brands Vice President. “Consumers are looking for new premium vodka offerings with a true story and sense of place. VIDO Vodka offers that and so much more. We look forward to sharing Arvid ‘Vido’ Monson’s dream with all of you.”
For more information reach out to Will Wright at will@destinationbrands.com or visit www.DrinkVIDO.com
Wind in our Sales
“Goose Ridge Estate is home to the largest continuous vineyard in Washington state. Its 2,200 acres play an important role in the Washington wine industry providing fruit to many regional brands. This incredible property and future home of a new AVA, Goose Gap, is also home to our own collection of brands, each with its own story and opportunity for growth. Our Destination Brands sales and marketing team looks forward to bringing these incredible brands and stories to life for our partners and consumers.� says Will Wright, Destination Brands Vice President.
In other news, the Monson Family is excited to announce Destination Brands, a new sales and marketing company under Goose Ridge Vineyards and Winery. With the goal of leveraging key national relationships along with a renewed national focus, Destination Brands becomes the home for VIDO Vodka, g3, Tall Sage, StoneCap and Cascadian, our canned wine offering. Goose Ridge Winery offerings, tasting rooms and hospitality stay under Goose Ridge Vineyards and Winery operations enabling focused momentum and growth for our products. Watch for more news and collaborations within Destination Brands coming soon. Will, Molly and Taylor. Destination Brands Leadership Team
Tasting Room News
Let’s pop a cork and celebrate! We’re on the path to slowly and safely reopening our tasting rooms and we can’t wait to welcome you in! Because the schedule for reopening our tasting rooms varies from county to county, we invite you to reach out to us at info@ gooseridge.com for updates. In the meantime, our status at press time is below. Because of the limited seating we are encouraging guests to call our tasting rooms ahead of time for reservations. In addition, we’re setting up a new reservation system on our website at www.gooseridge.com. We look forward to raising a glass with you soon.
Still need hand sanitizer? We’ve got you covered. With the arrival of COVID-19 we quickly developed hand sanitizer, delivering the first 20,000 gallons directly to the state of Washington to support government essential workers and the U.S. military. Along the way we donated to regional area healthcare facilities, first responders, police and fire departments as well as Meals on Wheels, and now we’ve made it available via retail and wholesale. If you’re running short, swing by and pick up a bottle. You’ll find it at our tasting rooms in Woodinville, Leavenworth and Richland, as well as online at www.gooseridge.com
Goose Ridge Winery Tasting Room Updates Goose Ridge Tasting Rooms reopened.
Now Available Richland & Woodinville Tasting Rooms. 7 days a week 11am to 6pm
Woodinville Tasting Room: King County Phase 2.0 limited seating (50% inside and 50% outside) 425-488-0200 Leavenworth Tasting Room: Chelan County Phase 1.5 limited seating (25% inside and 50% outside) 509-470-8676 Richland Tasting Room: Benton County phase 1.5 limited seating (50% outside) 509-628-3880. Our tasting room in Walla Walla still remains closed. Please check back often for updates.
Winemakers in Conversation: Andrew Wilson with Peter Devison 1. W hat gets you the most excited about working with us at Goose Ridge Estate Vineyards & Winery? Most of all, working in a team environment again is exciting to me. I think there is an unlimited potential here and I’m enjoying tapping into it and hope that I can add/enhance it going forward.
2. W hat are you working on right now? So far, my emphasis has been on learning the personality of the vineyard and contribution of each block via blending the 2018s with you and the team, tasting the previous vintages and establishing relationships with the vineyard crew and the winemaking team. 3. W hat’s your favorite wine to make? To make, I absolutely love shaping Rhone inspired reds, but I get the most satisfaction out of nailing a great Cabernet Sauvignon/Left Bank blend. Cab is king, and there is a reason for that.
But, being respected and appreciated for such creations within the winemaking community is an equal driver for me. 9. F rench or American oak? Not a question, really… French – always. 10. W hat do you love most about making wines from Washington? As an enthusiast that was brought up in the wine world at a very young age and found my experiences always teetering towards the old world, I’ve come to appreciate (and in fact, crave) the brilliant, primary and sweet, almost nectarous quality of Washington fruit. There is a juicy, piercing quality that resonates with me when I think of Washington wines. And we are just getting started as an industry. 11. B eer or Bourbon? Easy. Beer in summer, bourbon in the winter.
4. W hat is your ultimate wine and food pairing? Depends on the season… In late spring and summer, I really enjoy grilled King Salmon and Willamette Pinot Noir, but come winter time it’s more like leg of lamb and Barolo. 5. W hat would those close to you be surprised to know about you? If I didn’t cut it as a winemaker I was going to go to Italy to learn how to make handmade leather shoes. 6. W ith a few months at Goose Ridge under your belt, what have you learned? I think the most exciting thing I’ve learned is that this vineyard is unique, it has a voice. There is a story it wants to tell and the family will do anything and everything it takes to share it with the wine world. 7. W hat is your favorite part of harvest? Equally, the first ferment smells of the season, and the last press load going to barrel. Having said that, I absolutely love knowing I nailed a pick decision. In such a fast paced, dynamic process, getting it right is extremely rewarding. 8. W hat motivates you as a winemaker? At the risk of sounding redundant, I think wine like any art form - is driven by the thirst to create.
Provide photo of Andrew and Peter, please.
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Wine, Dine, and Quarantine
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www.gooseridge.com
Tasting Room at Richland, WA 16304 N Dallas Rd Richland, WA 99352 509.628.3880 info@gooseridge.com
Tasting Room at Woodinville, WA 14450 Woodinville Redmond Rd NE Suite #108 Woodinville, WA 98072 425.488.0200 info@gooseridge.com
Tasting Room at Leavenworth, WA 920 Front Street B3 Leavenworth, WA 98826 509.470.8676 info@gooseridge.com
Tasting Room at Walla Walla, WA 9 North Second Ave Walla Walla, WA 99362 509.876.4046 info@gooseridge.com
Production & Corporate Office 63615 East Jacobs Road Benton City, WA 99320 509.627.6249 info@gooseridge.com