Goose Ridge
NEWS SEASONAL NEWSLETTER • JUNE 2022
A Climate of Excellence
Family owned. Estate grown.
Letter from the Monson Family Greetings from Goose Ridge, It may be summer where you are, but the weather at Goose Ridge Vineyard and Winery has been cold and wet. In the vineyard we were slow to bud break and are even forecasting a late harvest. Winemaker Andrew Wilson shares his point of view on the cooler temperatures as the cellar heats up, preparing our 2020 reds for bottling. While we’re off to a cool start in the vineyard, our cherries on the ranch are right on time and we’re in the thick of harvesting across our cherry orchards. It is Rosé season and we’re celebrating summer in style with our collection of four offerings from Goose Ridge to Revelation and Cascadian canned Rosé and Sparkling Rosé. Last quarter we teased our Revelation Rosé. The bottle features a gorgeous label, produced by a local Washington-based artist, which compliments the delicate pink hue of the wine itself. The response has been tremendous and we’ve even sold out on our website. You can still get it while it lasts in store, as it continues to make quite a statement in key markets. While it’s going fast, we’re already planning for the 2022 vintage and promise we’ll make more. With new wines in market, a new spirits brand on the horizon and a busy cellar crew, we have lots of updates for you and a few surprises. We hope to see you over the summer months at any of our four tasting rooms. In the meantime, be sure to check us out on Instagram @gooseridgewines. Cheers! The Monson Family
Valerie Monson | Bill Monson | Molly Monson Stutesman
From the Ranch Lexy Hibbs
Ranch Views
This month we’re highlighting Lexy Hibbs, our Viticulturist and Safety Director. Lexy started as a harvest intern in 2020 and graduated from Washington State University in 2021 with her bachelor’s degree in Viticulture and Enology. Lexy puts her degree to work overseeing the day-to-day operations on the farm, managing crop estimations in the vineyard, as well as Global Gap and Organic Certifications for our orchards. Here’s a fun fact! Lexy also serves as Miss Rodeo Washington 2022. In that role she travels the country promoting agriculture and western heritage. Right now, Lexy is focused on another great growing season at Goose Ridge.
Spring on the ranch had a cold and wet start with lots of rain and even a late snow in in April – very unusual for Eastern Washington. Our wind machines came in handy during periods of frost, protecting our orchards and vineyards, and we’re grateful for our fulltime crew members who stayed on constant watch to make sure everything pulled through. Bud break finally kicked off at the end of April in the vineyard, and bloom in the apple and cherry orchards hit about the same time, putting our bees to work, pollinating the orchards and ensuring quality fruit for our 2022 harvest. Our cherries are set to be harvested right on time in the beginning of June and are coming along nicely. As we look to the early summer, our crews will begin thinning the apples and grapes, to ensure only the best fruit is picked.
From the Ranch
From the Cellar
Vineyard Musings from Andrew Wilson
As we write this newsletter, we’re busy getting the new 2020 vintage of G3 Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Red Blend into bottle. We’ve just finished those blends and will be bottling this month in time for a fall release. We also have our Stonecap Chardonnay going into bottle. It’s a favorite around here because it’s a great, accessible expression of our estate Chardonnay.
So far, 2022 is showing every sign of being a cooler vintage. That is both exciting and nerve-wracking for me and my winemaking team. Cooler vintages typically show terroir and intense fruit characteristics, but they can bring stress at harvest when we’re under pressure to get everything in during a more compressed timeframe. Of course, it’s only June and there’s a lot of time left in the growing season. We’re expecting warm days to come, which can always shift the outcome. And that’s ok! That’s what keeps us on our toes.
What We’re Tasting Now Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Riesling are all showing so much intensity and brightness right now, but also have tremendous texture, richness and mouthfeel. We had our spring release of new reserve wines recently, so Andrew has been going back and enjoying last year’s Artist Series releases, checking in on how they are developing. As he says, the boldness of the 2018 red wines is something to love, but we have great anticipation for the verve and liveliness of the 2019s and 2020s to come.
Everything’s Coming Up Rosé Both the 2021 Goose Ridge Rosé and our new Revelation Rosé have released in our tasting rooms and across the country, and both are tasting fantastic. With the cooler temperatures we’ve been experiencing lately, there’s actually more summer happening in those two wines than in our vineyard! We are also doing another round of Cascadian Rosé and Sparkling Rosé this year, featuring intense and expressive characteristics on the palate. Even though it has been an uncharacteristically cool and wet Spring with snow in April, we are loving the new rosé releases as we try to trick ourselves into believing its nicer than it’s been. We hope your summer plans include our selection of Rosé wines.
Wind in Our Sales Among The Giants Our newest addition to our portfolio celebrates our estate vineyard and newly designated AVA Goose Gap, where “X” marks the spot. The perfect elevation and soils intersect to produce these delicious wines. When the family decided to plant grapes on this sun-drenched hill adjacent to Red Mountain, they did so under the guidance of Dr. Walter Clore, considered by many to be the “father” of the Washington wine industry. Dr. Clore was impressed by the site’s gentle, southfacing slope and the growing area’s warm temperatures. He encouraged us to plant vineyard rows north-to-south to maximize sun exposure, and he also advised us to plant the site in small blocks to facilitate estate-grown wines managed for low yields through careful pruning and thinning practices. As a result of the vineyard’s attention to detail, grapes ripen evenly and the wines are consistently ripe, rich, and fruit-forward. Our Among the Giants Chardonnay and Merlot from the Goose Gap appellation are shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the best in Washington. They are Among the Giants. Available now.
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Wind in Our Sales Revelation Rosé Here’s a revelation! Our newest rosé offering is a smash hit. Released in March, our popular Revelation Rosé is rooted in three generations of strong, confident women with deep experience in vineyards, wine and grape growing. A female force has impacted this wine at every step of the process from the vineyards and the cellar to the design, marketing and sales, and it shows! The wine is newly authorized and displayed in Washington stores throughout the state including QFC (Kroger) Safeway/Albertsons, Yokes and Rosauers Supermarkets. Get it while it’s still available. If you miss it, don’t worry. The 2022 vintage of Revelation Rosé promises to be even bigger.
90 POINTS
VIDO Vodka The hits just keep coming for our VIDO Vodka. We’re proud to announce our VIDO Vodka was just awarded a 91-point score at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge 2022!
’91 Excellent, Highly Recommended. An intensely aromatic vodka featuring pronounced notes of green tea, lavender, chamomile, stone fruit and tropical mango. The vodka, made from wine grapes, pour crystal clear with an exciting and flavorful rich palate with a lasting finish.’
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Wind in Our Sales Shout Out to our Retail Partners! Thank you to our amazing retail partners and the great work you do to keep our Destination Brands front and center. We couldn’t do it without you!
Safeway/Albertsons – Revelation Rose’ Display QFC/Kroger – Vido Vodka Kraken Ltd Edition Display QFC/Kroger – Revelation Rose’ Display Alaska – Brown Jug – Revelation Rose’ Display Gold Rush Liquor – G3, Revelation and Vido Vodka Kraken Display
Tasting Room News The Goose Ridge Artist Series
It’s with great excitement we announce the release of our latest Artist Series featuring eight different wines with beautiful watercolor renderings of our national parks. The first four in the series are available now on our website and in our tasting rooms. The artist, Emma Vande Voort, is a Washington native born and raised in the city of Lynden in the Pacific Northwest. An incredible talent and the youngest artist we’ve commissioned to date, Emma is a student-athlete at Dordt University in Sioux Center, Iowa where she plays volleyball and majors in biology. Upon graduation, Emma plans to pursue a career in biological research and scientific illustration. When Emma isn’t working on watercolor and drawing commissions, you can find her hiking in the Pacific Northwest, traveling, and spending time with her family, her dogs and sheep.
Fun Collabs Bringing Friends and Family Together Our tasting rooms are celebrating gatherings of all kinds this summer. It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to connect in person, so we’ve packaged up lots of fun collaborations as gifts or activities for you and your friends. Whether it’s giving you inspiration
in the kitchen with fun cake and scone mixes paired with our wines, or a comfy Revelation Rosé hoodie for hanging out on the weekend, there’s something for everyone. Stop in and sample our Theo’s Chocolates Salted Toffee paired with our Mixed Berry and Rosé cider. We also have Theo’s delicious confections paired with our Goose Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon. Don’t worry if you can’t stop by one of our tasting rooms. We’re offering our unique pairings online as well at www.gooseridge.com
2018 Vireo Named Editor’s Choice Happily introducing our newest release of 2018 Vireo – a perfectly balanced red blend distinctive enough to enjoy alone but complex enough to stand with a smokey BBQ profile. This new release was awarded 91 points and named an Editor’s Choice by Wine Enthusiast. One of our most highlyanticipated releases every year, the 2018 Vireo wowed Sean P. Sullivan of Wine Enthusiast. “This wine is a blend of 38% Syrah, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot. The aromas suggest notes of anise, dark cherry, plum and spice. Bountiful dark-fruit flavors follow, with the tannins giving a gentle squeeze. It gives the bounty of fruit and acid that 2018 offers.”
Tasting Room News
Try This Recipe To Kick Off Your Summer Smoked Pork Shoulder is a diverse option to serve for a backyard BBQ. Pile it high between a fluffy Hawaiian roll with coleslaw and a drizzle of sauce, sprinkle over tortilla chips with pickled onion, cilantro and Cotija cheese, even mix it in a decadent mac and cheese. However you serve this smoked pork– it’s best paired with a structured Cabernetblend. We’ve got you covered!
3. Cover the roast with yellow mustard.
Ingredients
6. T his process can take anywhere between 8-20 hours, depending on the size of roast and personal preference.
One 8-10 pound bone-in pork shoulder roast 2-3 Tablespoons yellow mustard ¼ cup rub of your choice
Instructions 1. Preheat the smoker to 225F. 2. Remove your roast from packaging and pat dry.
4. Liberally season your roast with the rub. 5. P lace the seasoned roast on the smoker fat side up, preferably in the middle of the grate avoiding any direct hot spots. Close the lid and smoke the pork until it reaches an internal temperature of at least 195 degrees F.
7. R emove the pork shoulder from the smoker and wrap tightly in foil, allowing to rest prior to shredding. 8. Shred, serve, and enjoy with one of our wines!
Tasting Room News VIDO VICTORY PUNCH Perfect for Summer BBQ Gatherings! INGREDIENTS 1 bottle VIDO vodka 1 blood orange sliced 1 lime sliced 1 lemon sliced 1 cup raspberries 1 cup black berries 1 cup chopped strawberries 5 oz roses lime juice 5 oz simple syrup 5 oz Grand Marnier 2, 12 oz cans of lemon lime soda 2 cups cranberry juice
PREPARATION Layer lemon slice, lime slices, raspberries, blackberries, chopped strawberries and ice into a punch pitcher. Combine VIDO vodka, roses lime juice, simple syrup, Grand Mariner, lemon lime soda and cranberry juice and pour over ice and fruit. Add more ice if there is room to keep nice and cold.
SERVED Over new ice
DRINKWARE Drink dispenser
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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