“Outstanding” Start To Washington’s 2008 Wine Grape Harvest

Woodinville, Wash.

A “perfect” ripening season, full crop yields, and restrained sugar levels should lead to outstanding wines from Washington State’s top viticultural areas in 2008, according to winemaking and viticultural experts at Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, the Northwest's oldest and most acclaimed producer of premium wines.

“We are starting off with a bang, not a whimper, and everything looks great,” said Doug Gore, Senior Vice President of Winemaking and Vineyards at Ste. Michelle, which began harvesting Chardonnay from the Columbia Crest estate vineyard on September 10th. “Although we started picking about 10 days later than past vintages, we are quickly ramping up and the fruit is ripening with great flavors. If the weather holds, it’s a harbinger for a really great year, especially for red varietals.”

Delayed slightly by cool spring weather and a moderate summer, the 2008 growing season capped off with hot weather in August that provided ideal ripening conditions for grapes across varieties, said Ste. Michelle’s Director of Vineyard Operations Kevin Corliss. Corliss compared what he has seen so far in 2008 to the solid vintage of 1999, which also featured a cool spring, moderate to large crop yields, and a warm and dry late summer that led to perfectly ripened fruit across varietals.

“The early fruit at the warmer sites is already looking and tasting great,” said Corliss. “I am particularly excited about Merlot this year, and we should also see some outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon within the next week or so.” Corliss singled out Wahluke Slope, Horse Heaven Hills, and Red Mountain as top sites for these varietals.

Red Mountain is home of Col Solare, Ste. Michelle’s joint venture winery with Marchesi Antinori of Italy. 2008 marks the first harvest at the 28-acre Col Solare estate vineyard, planted in 2007. An inaugural half ton of Merlot was picked on September 16th, to be followed by limited quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Syrah, and Petit Verdot. The vineyard is scheduled to come into full production in 2010.

“To see great fruit coming from Col Solare and our other new vineyard sites are really exciting because it means that as good as we are now, we’ll be even better in the future,” said Gore. “We’re applying the knowledge we’ve gained over more than 30 years in Washington to plant the right varietals in the right spots around the state. Our commitment to innovation and research ensure outstanding quality now and in the future.”

Some of those innovations can be seen in Ste. Michelle’s organic vineyard blocks, which at 300 acres comprise the largest certified organic vineyard acreage in the state and provide fruit for Snoqualmie’s Naked line of organically produced Chardonnay, Riesling, Merlot, and Gewürztraminer. “We have learned a lot from our management of the organic blocks, from pest management to canopy growth, and these learnings have made us better at managing all of our vineyards,” said Gore, noting that all of Ste. Michelle’s 3,500 acres of vineyard holdings in Washington are farmed and managed sustainably.

Following a hot weekend in Eastern Washington, white varietals including Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling began coming in this week. An early block of Merlot from the Canoe Ridge Estate was picked on September 11th, and Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and other red varietals from warmer sites should be ready to harvest by late September.

Ste. Michelle Wine Estates is among the Top 10 U.S. wine companies. Based in Washington State, the company also has vineyard and winery holdings in Oregon’s Willamette Valley and in Napa Valley, California. Ste. Michelle has pioneered the Washington wine industry since it was established in 1934, and today the company’s portfolio includes Chateau Ste. Michelle, Columbia Crest, Domaine Ste. Michelle, Snoqualmie, Northstar, Col Solare, and Spring Valley Vineyard in Washington; Erath in Oregon; and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Conn Creek, and Villa Mt. Eden in Napa. Ste. Michelle Wine Estates is also the exclusive importer of Antinori wines in the United States.

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For further information:
Grace Doyle
425-415-3359