to Washington state to embrace the agricultural region he had come to love growing up. Before starting Fidelitas, Hoppes was recruited as winemaker for a handful of Washington wineries, including his last stint with Chateau Ste. Michelle, who produces upwards of 2,000,000 cases a year and who has, yet again for the 20th year, been named as one of the top 100 wineries in the world for the by Wine & Spirits Magazine. Hoppes is not without his own recognition as well. In 2013, he was named Winemaker of the Year by Seattle Magazine’s Washington Wine Awards. After deciding to step out on his own, he was quickly called upon to make wines for other young Washington wineries who knew of his successful history making award winning wines. Fortunately, for Eagleson and his Trellis Gate label, he’s still in the business of helping others achieve their winemaking dreams. Charlie Hoppes has grown his Fidelitas brand and distribution while continuing to hone his winemaking skills. Today, Fidelitas has two beautiful tasting rooms in Washington--the original on Red Mountain in Eastern Washington and the second in Woodinville, Washington just a few miles up the road from Kona Bay Fabrics. His estate vineyard is producing fruit and plans are being made for planting additional acreage he has acquired.
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The Fidelitas mission statement sums it up— Fidelitas is Faithful to bordeaux grape varieties, Loyal to modern craft winemaking techniques, and True to Washington’s Red Mountain terroir. Fidelitas and wines for several other wineries are all crafted at the winemaking facility Hoppes has established in the nearby Tri-Cities community of Richland. Hoppes, without a doubt, has perfected the recipe for delectable wines but he has also assembled an amazing team of people that each bring special talents to the winemaking table. Trellis Gate, we’re proud to announce, is the newest bottle of Red Mountain Cabernet on the table. Naturally, the first folks Eagleson has decided to share news as exciting as this with are the people that have made Kona Bay Fabrics a success—people like you. The first Trellis Gate label features a painting from the Nobu Fujiyama Limited Edition Crane Dynasty fabric collection many of you will recognize. The back label notes the collection name and the association with Kona Bay Fabrics. The wine is set to be available for the upcoming holiday season. If you’d like to be notified when it’s available, send us an email at douglas@winefromwashington. com. Put “Trellis Gate” in the subject line. It’s an exciting new path and we’d love to have you join us on the journey.