Goose Ridge
NEWS S E A S O N A L N E W S L E T T E R • M AY 2 0 2 1
A Climate of Excellence
Family owned. Estate grown.
Letter from the Monson Family
Greetings from Goose Ridge,
Spring is in bloom at Goose Ridge. Talk about a reawakening. Farmers at heart, we probably don’t need to tell you how much we love this time of year. Everything wakes up and comes to life, teasing what’s to come for cherry, grape and apple harvest later this fall. You can’t help but feel the anticipation as spring reveals new growth and opportunity. It’s not lost on us we’re all feeling this way to some degree. 2020 was tough, but the new growth, plantings and baby calves remind us this time of year is all about rebirth and renewal. In this newsletter, we’ll tell you about new apple plantings at our Burbank Farm. Our winemaker, Andrew Wilson, will catch you up on what’s happening in the vineyard and cellar. We’re also celebrating the incredible women of Goose Ridge who are paving the way for our growth every day. Moving beyond the ranch, we’ve got a lot of great news to share about our g3 wine and VIDO Vodka. Both brands are expanding into new markets and receiving terrific accolades from the media. The 2019 Truth Be Told, a new wine brand made in partnership with Napa Valley’s Roots Run Deep, will be launching soon. We’re looking forward to sharing more details soon as winemakers Andrew Wilson, Peter Devison and Macario Montoya from Roots Run Deep put finishing touches on the 2020 vintage. Finally, we’re very happy to announce our four tasting rooms are open to guests without restrictions. We hope to see you in for a tasting and some good conversation soon. It’s time to catch up and reconnect. Cheers! The Monson Family Valerie Monson | Bill Monson | Molly Monson Stutesman
From the Ranch
Meet the Women of Goose Ridge Estate Vineyard & Winery At Goose Ridge, honoring our team of inspiring women isn’t limited to just one month a year. Coming out of International Women’s Month, we realized our shout outs to our incredible team on the Goose Ridge Instagram page just weren’t enough, so we’re taking a moment here to introduce you to the women we raise a glass to every day of the year. From four generations of Monsons to wine techs, winemakers, business operations and viticulturalists, these women are building the Goose Ridge story every day, and it’s hard not to brag about the leadership they instill in all of us.
New Plantings at Burbank Farm It’s spring on the ranch, which is an exciting time of year for any farmer. At Goose Ridge our cherry trees finished blossoming in May and we’re looking forward to their peak season later this summer. Our vineyards are well past bud break and flowering nicely as we anticipate fruit to set sometime in July. Over at our Burbank Farm, Blake Monson, son of Bill Monson, is managing our apple tree plantings, focusing on Cosmic Crisp and Honey Crisp apple trees. This orchard is named for Luther Burbank and located just east of Pasco and Kennewick adjacent to the Snake and Columbia Rivers. As manager of this orchard, Blake is building off of what his dad started when he purchased this property in the nineties. “Our family started farming in this area because my dad saw what could grow. We’re building off of that with an aggressive plan to really expand our plantings, adding to the additional 380 acres of apples planted in 2020 and the 100 acres we’re planting next year.”
Suzanne Monson, Founder Mol ly Monson-Stutesman, Partner and Vice President of Sales and Marketing Valerie Monson, Vice President, Operations Taylor Monson, Director, National Sales & Marketing Allison Stutesman, Packing Coordinator Sydney Anderson, Viticulturist and Safety Director Deisy Barajas, Lab Tech Casey Cobble, Assistant Winemaker Maria Lopez, Micro Team Lead Maurine Johnson, Macro Cellar Winemaker Tania Macouzet, Cellar Lead Yesenia Rincón, Micro and Bottling crew member Tiffany Stetson, GM Direct to Consumer Sales Cor inne Haley, HR and Payroll Manager, and 26-year Goose Ridge veteran
Blake Monson overseeing the expansion of Monson’s Burbank Farm with new apple tree plantings.
From the Cellar
The dictionary defines spring as “a time or season of growth or development.” Simple enough and never truer than at a winery. All of us on the winemaking team have been busy with many projects both in the vineyard and in the cellar. The 2021 growing season is officially underway with bud break starting mid-April. We had a few cold nights in late March and early April, which led to some sleepless nights, but we avoided any significant cold damage in the vineyards. We’re in the clear now with warm days on the horizon. May is a beautiful month at the ranch with temperatures reaching into the 70s during the day and only dipping into the low 50s at night. After finishing the 2020 harvest and stewarding the wines through their malolactic fermentations, the wines are starting to show their personality. We’ve just started our preliminary evaluations of the wines, and, so far, the 2020 vintage is extremely exciting! With our 2020 Riesling, Pinot Gris, and Rosé wines in the bottle, we’re finalizing the Goose Ridge 2019 red blends and returning the wines to barrels for a few months to marry before bottling this summer. We’re hard at work with the new releases of G3 and Truth Be Told as well. Macario Montoya, head winemaker at Roots Run Deep in Napa Valley and winemaking partner for Truth Be Told, joined Peter and me to put the finishing touches on the 2019 vintage. We’re really pleased with what’s in the bottle and can’t wait for you to give this new wine a try. On the canned wine front, we’ve got another release of Cascadian Outfitters in the works with canning happening this spring as well.
Prelim evaluations of the 2020 Goose Ridge line up have us extremely excited!
Spring busting out on the Goose Ridge Estate Vineyard
Peter Tellez, Head of Irrigation and Water Management for Goose Ridge checks out the vineyard. Tellez has worked for the Monson family for over 35 years.
Wind in Our Sales Continuing Celebration of Diversity & Inclusion
We’re thrilled to continue Cascadian Outfitters support of the Greater Seattle Business Association (GBSA) Scholarship Fund with its limited-edition rainbow design can. The GSBA gives students the gift of education and works towards a future of equality. To learn more, go to www.thegsba.org/scholarship-home and make sure to catch the Cascadian Rosé Bubbles starting in June and rolling through this summer!
Two Family Wineries, One Truth Be Told – Promotion at Kroger’s QFC We are celebrating the much anticipated release of Truth Be Told, our new Columbia Valley partnership with Napa Valley’s Roots Run Deep, with a feature display at Washington-based QFC. Truth Be Told sits proudly in the middle with Goose Ridge G3 Cabernet Sauvignon and Educated Guess Napa Cabernet Sauvignon on either side. The promotion runs through July. Truth be told, you better get your hands on a bottle fast.
Kroger’s QFC banner will be featuring the Cascadian Rose’ Bubbles Rainbow Can in June, celebrating Pride month.
Cabs for Dads AND Grads June is all about Dad and very special Grads! We’re celebrating dads and grads with the release of our 2019 g3 Cabernet Sauvignon. Find it at select retailers near you and share at your family celebrations this summer.
VIDO Vodka Featured at Popular Texas BBQ Joint, 1886 Humble Backyard
Located in the Houston area, this local favorite offers barbecue classics and classes, craft workshops, cook-offs, comedy nights and even live band performances. Well known for barbeque, their 1886 Bloody Mary is also a huge hit. This not so traditional Bloody Mary features bacon, shrimp, pickles, olives, a hamburger slider and now VIDO Vodka! Available both Saturday and Sunday, the VIDO Vodka Bloody Mary is a weekend must that will run through summer of 2021! If you’re in the area, stop in and experience this brunch time favorite.
Sasquatch siting! Cascadian Outfitters Cans are hot! Check out the recent display execution on our Estate Wine Cans, which are 100% Columbia Valley and from our estate vineyard.
Tasting Room News
Goose Ridge Tasting Rooms Open! Good news! Starting May 1st all four of our tasting rooms will be open without restrictions and just in time for the beautiful spring weather. In our Richland tasting room, we just added five new gazebos for friends and family to gather and visit outside, and all of our tasting rooms are anticipating the release of our 2016 Goose Ridge Reserve Malbec. Always a favorite with our guests and club members, the 2016 vintage offers flavors of dark cherry, blackberry and cassis with a velvety mouthfeel and long finish. But with only 150 cases left, you’ll want to hurry in for a taste soon. We can’t wait to welcome you in!
VIDO Vodka Coming to Goose Ridge Tasting Rooms Soon! We’re thrilled to announce we’re in the final stages to bring our VIDO Vodka into our tasting rooms for guests to enjoy. As we roll out our vodka to markets nationwide, we’re holding some back to share with our neighbors, club members and guests. For more information, visit us at www.gooseridge.com.
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In Conversation with Mixologist, Jesse Cyr How did you get started as a mixologist? I lived in Los Angeles for several years working in the entertainment industry. Like a lot of people in a similar position, I did some side work with a catering company. A friend of mine at the time mentioned that I should try to learn how to bartend. It sounded like it could be fun, so I just started reading books, watching YouTube videos, anything I could get my hands on. Eventually, I started my own small business bartending private events like birthdays, art gallery openings, weddings, etc. After moving to Seattle, I began working in actual bars and have been on this path for 10 years now. How does grape-based vodka compare to other vodkas on the market? Grapes in general have more of a luxury quality about them. When you think about grapes in the liquor world, I’m guessing you might think about wine and brandy. They are already synonymous with high end products, so using them in a vodka is a great way to stand out from the crowd. The fruit gives a little more rounded texture to the spirit on your palate when compared to vodka from grains or potatoes. Jesse started working in hospitality after he stopped his acting career in Los Angeles and moved to Seattle. Since that fateful decision he’s established a thriving career as working with internationally acclaimed and award-winning bars and restaurants, including Rob Roy, Navy Strength, The Charter Hotel’s rooftop bar, Fog Room. Jesse also created the cocktail menus for the company’s Argentinian restaurant, Patagon. His resume also includes working at James Beard nominated French restaurant L’Oursin and the infamous cocktail bar, Foreign National. Working alongside the VIDO team creating unique, on brand cocktails, Jesse has also worked as a mixologist with well-known brands like Beam/Suntory, Campari America, Lucas Bols, and Torani Coffee, to name a few. Today, Jesse is the lead bartender at Seattle’s premier roof top bar, mbar, in South Lake Union.
What do you love about VIDO Vodka? VIDO Vodka is great because of the quality ingredients. The team doesn’t cut corners. VIDO uses premium grapes in their distillation from their well-known and respected estate vineyard. That’s a big plus for me. Also, it has a great body to it. It’s not thin or flabby like some other vodkas might be. There’s a little bit of character and weight to it. And that really helps make it shine in a cocktail such as a martini. What are the must have tools for your home bar? I’m very specific with my tools while I’m at work, but at home I’m way more laid back. As long as I have a pair of shaker tins, a jigger, and some nice glassware, I’ll be fine. I usually don’t make a lot of cocktails at home and opt to drink wine or spirits neat. So, having proper glassware is a big deal for me.
If cocktails are art and vodka is your canvas, what is your favorite creation? It’s funny that you ask that, because I’ve always thought of vodka as a blank canvas that you get to paint on. Vodka in itself is supposed to be relatively neutral in flavor, so when I add ingredients to a cocktail, the vodka is there to take on all the flavors that I’ve chosen to create a beautiful, final product. I usually like to go subtle with most of my cocktail creations, but with vodka I go for big flavors. Fruits always play well with vodka. Throw in some passionfruit and lime, maybe a tea flavored simple syrup, and you’re well on your way to something really tasty. It doesn’t hurt to top it all off with some sparkling wine, either. Free from the pandemic, what will be your first hangout spot with friends? My apartment, most likely. I know that doesn’t sound really exciting but working in a bar requires a lot of energy and talking to many people. When I want to hang out with friends, I’d much rather do it in a more controlled environment like my home and just be in the moment with them. I really enjoy hosting dinners. Bringing everyone together and cooking food for them makes me happy. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that I’ve got quite a liquor selection and I don’t mind sharing. What industry trends have your attention right now? Sustainability. Being more conscientious about sustainability is a trend that is really starting to be a big focus for many large liquor brands and bars across the world. How can we still provide great drinks while also making sure we take care of the planet? It’s a question being tossed around a lot right now. Bars are incredibly wasteful from all the plastic and glass bottles to the cases of limes and lemons we juice. It’s very important that these issues can be addressed if we want to continue doing what we do. I think this ‘green movement,’ if you will, is definitely worth getting behind.
Straight up or on the rocks? I’d say 90% of the time I’m a straight up kind of guy. Who would you like to have a cocktail with? This is a really tough question. I’ve got a long list of people, dead and alive, who I’d love to sit down with and enjoy a drink. I’d say Viggo Mortensen is high on my list. I respect him greatly as an actor and he seems like a genuinely nice guy within an industry that’s flooded with bad apples. I come from a theatre acting background, so being able to talk with him about his roles would be pretty amazing.
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Tasting Room at Richland, WA 16304 N Dallas Rd Richland, WA 99352 509.628.3880 info@gooseridge.com
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