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I actually came into the field of wine, not because my parents were wine drinkers,
but, because I was actually given a microscope when I was 12 years old,
and I heard about these things called yeast - and I wanted to look at what they looked like under a microscope,
and they said, well if you want to look at yeast you have to start a fermentation.
So I picked some blackberries and fermented the wine, and took a sample, and brought out my microscope, and there they were - the little yeast,
and I have been having those yeast work for me ever since.
For me, it's not just about the wine, it's really about the experience in making connections with people
it's really a great feeling when people come in, and they want to have a good time
we can educate them and entertain them, and share our wine and our passion, and we get their stories as well.
We have so many options out here, we have world-class wines here in Washington -
that makes working with it along side food so much easier
because we don't have to go searching for a great quality product
I have been working with Brian Carter for almost 30 years.
It's really interesting and he actually buys these grapes here from me.
My first vineyard, I planted in 1980. At that time, there was about 10 wineries in the state.
Now there's something close to 800, so it has grown phenomenally.
It probably takes three to five years to understand the growing conditions of Washington.
They are very unique, they are grown in this dry and arid climate.
These soils are unique - there's more sunlight here - it's a shorter growing period, but it's very intense.
Brian has the knowledge of how to handle those grapes in that type of condition.
We actually have a dozen different vineyards. They are located in six different appellations within the state
so a pretty diverse climate area - some cooler - some warmer, and then within those different vineyards and appellations we actually bring in 20 different varieties.
It's fair to say that when you start working with a new variety you really have to figure out how it grows in the vineyard and how it develops in the winery,
and how it actually even develops once it is in the bottle.
It's a very exciting time of the year. For a winemaker it is kind of a culmination of all the work we have been putting in the vineyard.
And for me this is kind of the highest energy - the most spiritually energetic part of the vintage for me, is during the harvest.
What we're doing is we're processing the grapes - they're going into a large hopper.
It sends it down into what's called a crusher - de-stemer,
which is seperating the berries from the stems.
The berries then go up through a traveling conveyer
where our great crew works on separating what we like to call "M.O.G." - Material Other than Grapes.
and then the grapes are dropped into fermentation bins
where they'll start their magical process of being turned from grapes into wine.
Blending for me is certainly the most artistic part of the wine making process
and while a lot of the decision making, that I make
is based on a mixture of art and science - this one is very much a artistic endeavor.
Now that you have a blend
you can look to see - "I see that Cabernet character in there,"
and "Oh yeah, there's a little note of cherry that's coming from the Merlot,"
and there's that little herbaceous note that is coming from the Cabernet Franc.
So each one of those characteristics is contributing to the final wine
and as an educated consumer it is a lot of fun
to be able to see the complexity that comes out of that.
All of our wines have an inspiration, there European model -
we pay homage to that tradition.
European winemakers for centuries now have been doing European-style blends.
Typically I'm looking for wines that go well with food, and that's why I often bring in some food when I am blending.
This is really helpful because I think not only does it affect my subjective appraisal of the wine,
I am more likely to come up with a blend that is more favorable with food, but also keeps my pallet refreshed.
As a chef - blended style wines - they play really easily with foods.
You have a lot of things to work with - the different berries - the different flavors - the different grapes, and the balance - it's just amazing.
We do multi-course menu, and I pair each course with a wine.
Now I'm looking for a style that maybe a lot of wine makers aren't doing.
And I think Brian's wines - he is doing a lot of old world styles - wines that are an homage to some old world wines.
And just the balance he can create by blending all of those varietals together really helps me and makes my job a lot easier.
Each wine has a story of its own - more that just the wine itself. We've worked very hard
to delve deeper to really express the artistic nature of wine making - beyond just the wine.
Each bottle has a unique label and a unique name, and a story to tell.
Brian and I worked really hard and collaboratively with artist Steven Black,
to come up with all the concepts - all the names for the wines,
and Stephen took that inspiration and created unique and distinctive pieces of art for every one of our wines.
It is very important to us that when people want to buy a wonderful bottle a wine
that they should be able to share that with friends, family and celebrate life's great memories and moments - big and small.
It's really my passion, I enjoy the processing of making wine, so much
and really motivates me getting up in the morning.
I love to have people come and tell me - that they come to my tasting room - and taste the wine,
and they love the wines - and they all have their favorites of course.
Brian is a pioneer in our industry. It's an honor to work with him because he's done a lot of firsts in Washington
and we all learn from him.
It's very rewarding to make something that people can take home
and enjoy in their homes, and put in their wine cellars and enjoy for years to come.