Old Vine Cabernet from This Block of Gnarly Old Vines, Planted at Upland Vineyard in 1979 Photo: Alphonse De Klerk
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WASHINGT ON SPRING 2016 TASTING® The magazine for people who love ROOM wine tasting OOLDLD VVINESINES WHERE ROOTS & PASSIONS RUN DEEP Page 32 Tri-Cities TROLLEY WINE ADVENTURE Page 42 Display until May 31, 2016 WIN! CAVE B 2016 GETAWAY Changes afoot at Spring Page 49 COL SOLARE Page 54 • • $6.95 US PLUS: 121 AMAZING WINE EVENTS COWBOY GLAMPING 37 WINE REVIEWS WASHINGTON TASTING ROOM.COM 0 TASTING ROOM special report OOLDLD VVINESINES ofof WASHINGTON: Where Roots and Passions Run Deep WRITER John Vitale PICTURED Rolling Bay Winery produces Old Vine Cabernet from this block of gnarly old vines, planted at Upland Vineyard in 1979 Photo: Alphonse de Klerk 0 WASHINGTON TASTING ROOM.COM WASHINGTON TASTING ROOM.COM 0 TASTING ROOM special report MUCH LIKE muSIC PLAYED ON AN OLD VIOLIN, THE FLavoR INES made from guidelines set forth by the Alcohol and NOTES ARE DEEPER, RICHER AND moRE NUANCED THAN Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, there well-established are no such parameters for “old vine.” WINE FRom YOUNGER VINEYARDS. W “It almost comes down to a thing vineyards, known as “old of honesty and integrity of what — ALPHONSE DE KLERK, Rolling Bay Winery constitutes old vines, because there vines,” are on the uptick. isn’t a definition,” says Rick Small, founder of Woodward Canyon. He has We turn to the pros been producing an Old Vine Cabernet farming Red Willow Vineyard in the Prized Commodity Sauvignon since 1995, working with Yakima Valley for the past 45 years. Prior to 1968, there were roughly in our quest to better some of the elder premium vines in the “I think that the relative age of our 200 acres of premium wine grapes in state. His initial interest was sparked Washington wine industry to older Washington. That number escalated understand the mystical after comparing some really young wine regions tends to influence our nearly six fold to 1,155 acres by 1972, fruit to vines nearly a quarter century view of old vines,” he says. “It’s like the pivotal year when the industry significance surrounding old at that time. “If you compared the teenager thinking that 40 is old, and really began to get underway. the young grapes with Cabernet that the 60-year-old thinking you’re not old Mike Sauer planted Cabernet vines these notable wines. had been planted in ’72 at Sagemoor until 80.” the following year, and fruit from or Champoux, those wines were in a Norm McKibben of Pepper JJ Williams of Kiona Vineyards, this prized block has been coveted for Bridge in Walla Walla There’s a storied romance behind completely different zone, with regards whose family members were pioneers decades. “In today’s wine industry old vines and their place in history. to concentration and expression of fruit, of Red Mountain, stretches the theory there is a tendency to remove and A YOUNG VINE IS Walla Walla’s vineyard mogul Norm and expression of place,” he says. of relativity a bit further. “I’m not sure replant blocks because of economics, McKibben says, “I tasted some very nice about putting a number on old vines. disease, new clones, different varieties JJ Williams of Kiona Vineyards points LIKE A TEENAGER; wine from 135-year-old Syrah vines in Theory of Relativity The oldest planting of Grenache in and many other reasons,” says Sauer. to a block of Cabernet planted in 1975 the North of the Barossa while chasing Tasting Room Magazine surveyed a Washington is between 10 to 15 years “Perhaps I will be wrong, but I think YOU NEVER KNow harvest in Australia.” Pepper Bridge’s dozen and a half respected viticulturists old, so who’s to say the oldest planted that vineyards older than 30 years will and vintners in Washington and found Grenache wouldn’t be [designated] winemaker, Jean-Francois Pellet, grew still be rare and considered special.” STR AW Poll: QUITE WHAT THEY up in Switzerland where he worked that 82% indicated that old vines should old vine?” he rationalizes. “If you’re At Upland Vineyard in the Snipes with his father on a vineyard that had be a minimum of 25-30 years old in talking a ten-year-old Cabernet and Mountain AVA, grower Todd At what age is a vine ARE GOING TO DO. been planted by the Pope in Avignon, order to be labeled as such. a ten-year-old Grenache, there are Newhouse still harvests Muscat of considered to be shortly before sending his monks on the “A few years back a group of us probably some differences there, Alexandria every year from original —NORM MCKIBBEN, First Crusade in 1096. old timers got together to discuss between legitimately claiming an old vines planted in 1917. With more labeled as “Old Vine?” Pepper Bridge & Amavi Cellars “The old vine discussion has been what qualified as ‘old vines’ in vine status.” than 50,000 acres of vineyards in one that I have sought to get more Washington State,” says Dr. Wade Winemaker Paul Golitzin of Washington today, a vineyard of this 47% clarity as I have travelled around the Wolfe of Thurston Wolfe. “After some Quilceda Creek is reluctant to pin it age is the extreme rarity. wine world,” says Rob Mercer of discussion, we decided anything 25 on age. “Old vine designation is a Sean Tudor of Otis Vineyard, located Mercer Wine Estates. “The interesting years or older would qualify. This was tough one to answer,” he says. “Vine in the Yakima Valley, feels privileged to thing is that in Europe and California, in part based on the relative youth of age doesn’t necessarily translate to high manage the oldest surviving commercial where they have phylloxera, it doesn’t the industry. Since that discussion was quality. Only great terroirs make great blocks of Cabernet in the state, planted 35% really seem like they have much in about ten years ago, I might suggest wines, no matter what the age of the in 1957, making them 59 years old. the way of old vines, as most vineyard that the qualifying age might now vines.” Golitzin’s notion that age alone “These vines are pretty amazing to see, vines need to be replanted in about that be extended out to 30 or 35 years, or does not necessarily merit old vine some of them resembling apple tree time period. I consider old vines to anything planted before about 1985.” status is an aspect his peers agree on to trunks,” says Tudor. “We also have a be 30-plus years, slightly longer than Alphonse de Klerk of Rolling Bay varying degrees. Cabernet block planted in 1960 and a generation, so that the vine most Winery has been working with old Rick Small’s response is, “Old vines one planted in 1986. Various blocks of 18% likely has been passed from parents to vines for many years and shares a similar for me—to follow up on Paul’s point—I Merlot were planted in the early-80’s children.” view. “I think a Washington State have tasted wines that were better, and 90’s.” Washington’s wine industry has vine is mature at 25 years and can be that tasted really fabulous from young It’s worth noting that Cabernet, its fair share of mature vineyards, yet labeled Old Vine at 30-plus years,” he fruit (I’ve made some myself). But Merlot, Chardonnay and Riesling Todd Newhouse of Upland finding a locally produced “old vine” says. “I’m grading on a curve here: an what I’ve found in young vines is they appear to represent the lion’s share Vineyard manages numerous wine isn’t always a simple task— old vine should be old, and if the oldest are more likely to be up and down in of the oldest varietals found across Not sure At least 30 years old vine blocks, including 1917 vineyard in Washington is say, 40-plus their quality, whereas older vines are 25 years old or plantings of Muscat of Alexandria unless you know what you’re looking the state, most likely because those for. Bottling’s are still rather scarce years, then a 25 year old vineyard is just typically much more consistent. I’d still represented the largest plantings and old greater and are not always labeled as such. past middle age.” rather always have the plants be older if have enjoyed widespread continued Source: Based on a survey response of 18 industry Unlike wines labeled “organic” under Grower Mike Sauer has been I could.” popularity in the marketplace. Other veteran viticulturists and vintners from Washington. 34 WASHINGTON TASTING ROOM.COM WASHINGTON TASTING ROOM.COM 35 TASTING ROOM special report THE WORD “eLEGANT” ComES TO MIND WHEN TASTING WINE FRom THESE VINES, LIKE A SmooTH AGED WHISKEY. What distinguishes “Old Vine” wines? — SEan TUDOR, Otis Vineyard & Tudor Hills Winery We asked winegrape growers and winemakers to tell us how grapes from “Old Vines” differ from younger vines: old varietals include Cabernet Franc, about the great quality of wine made “More subtle and complex aromas, and depending on Syrah, Lemberger, Muscat Canelli, from old vines,” remarks Jim Holmes of how they are handled in the winery, softer tannins with Gewürtraminer, Sauvignon blanc, and Ciel du Cheval. “Perhaps some of this moderate color and lower alcohol.” perhaps a few others. is attributable to uncertainty in actual — Dr. Wade Wolfe, Thurston Wolfe Winery varietal content of some old vineyards.” Better With Age This theory is echoed among growers “There is a definite character in old vines that is While consumers may seek out old who know that a majority of vines noticeable in the grapes and wines.