A Big Warm Thank You to Washington State Wine Commission

The Merlove Crew wants to send a big warm thank you to the Washington State Wine Commission. A special thanks to Robin Pollard, Madeline Dow, Ryan Pennington, & Shayn Bjornholm, MS. We felt as if we were welcomed with open arms. We were very impressed with the demeanor of everyone we met on this trip. It was quite humbling. We were embraced as visiting friends and treated as extended family.

The thing that stood out most on our trip to Washington State was that it's wine industry is very much like a family unit. We wondered if this is what Napa Valley use to be more like when they first started making wine. We went away with the knowledge that many people in the wine industry of WA state share equipment and cellar recommendations. They feel as if each individual succeeds, then they all succeed. This was a refreshing outlook. It was a "all for one and one for all" type of attitude, very much unlike some rock star wine makers that are just out for themselves to succeed and not necessarily care about what others do in their winemaking area. There is a definite strong "sense of place" for Washington State wine producers. They are not afraid to help their neighbor out, even if they are seen to the world as competitors. They are all still friends just the same. I think many can learn from their example. It is all about not being afraid to try something new, whatever it may be.....it can only lead to better things. In this case study = better wines, better Merlot. I must also say that WA state wine producers are also making some amazing Syrah and Riesling, but experiment with many unusual varietals.

While in Washington State we felt as if we were extended family. We were given the royal treatment. This was indeed a warm and fuzzy feeling inside of us. It made us not want to leave. We can't wait to visit again.


http://www.washingtonwine.org/

-Marisol

Merlove meets Rob Newsom & Family

June 7, 2008

This morning we left for our last interview. We were heading to Leavenworth, WA to meet with owner/winemaker Rob Newsom of Boudreaux Cellars. It was quite a drive, but an amazing experience. Let me tell you how it went. Well, first of all Leavenworth is like the Solvang of Washington State. It is a storybook town and Rob Newsom lives in that storybook log-cabin in the woods. His property and home actually exist in Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. Driving in this National Forest somewhat reminded me of a mini Yosemite. We were about 2000 feet above sea level and the mountains on both sides of us were about 7000 feet above sea level. The air here was so invigorating. We felt full of life with the vivacious nature that surrounded us. There were small flowing waterfalls here and there. Along Rob Newsom's home he has the Icicle Creek which flows year-round. He actually rigged up pipelines coming from the stream to his cabin home. He has some of the freshest water around and he doesn't even have to pay for it. How about that! We got to quench our thirst with some.

Lucky timing on our behalf, some of the Newsom family was in town. Not only did we get to meet Rob’s wife who lives in the forest with him, but we got to meet Rob’s mom and dad, as well as his daughter. We learned that Rob’s father Jimmy has been a musician his entire life. He started playing guitar and singing as a little boy and much of it was just from what he heard around him. We were privileged enough to have both Jimmy & Rob perform 3 songs for us in the cabin before we left. We have this on tape and it will definitely be in the movie. Just so everyone knows, Jimmy is in his mid 80s and his family refers to him as a "Human Jukebox." He has many songs in him. Rob has been playing with his dad for many years and he tells us it is always a surprise to hear what his father will sing/play next. Jimmy told us that Rob is always able to catch on and accompany him with another guitar. Somehow it is no problem at all...father and son have an obvious bond like no other. They flow like the water in Icicle Creek.

The Newsom Family is the epidemy of southern hospitality. They are all originally from Louisiana. I would say their kindness was as typical as what you hear about or even what you see in some movies, but we lived it. It was real life. Not only were we showered with kindness, they realizing we were hungry treated us to some warm Marionberry pie, brownies with walnuts, smoked ham freshly made from the night before, local bread with homemade dipping sauce (balsamic vinaigrette, olive oil, truffle oil, & herbs), and coffee. Rob even sent us home with a full case of wine. We thought all of this was more than generous.

We most definitely saved the best for last without even realizing it until we were there. It was like saving the cherry on top to enjoy last after you’ve enjoyed your ice-cream sundae. Maybe in this case a Rainer cherry (there are many Rainer cherry trees in Eastern WA).

Going to Boudreaux Cellars was like a beautiful dream. Overall, impressive experience from wines to location and hospitality. The whole shabang!

http://www.boudreauxcellars.com/

I found a website that has many short stories about the Southern Louisiana character Boudreaux and his friend Thibodeaux. It is this Boudreaux character that gave Rob the inspiration for his winery name. You should read some of them. They are quite hilarious.

http://www.southernthoughts.com/STBoudreaux.htm

We even left with the perfect song to end Merlove with. The name of the song is I Wanna Drink It Today and it is by Paul Gregutt, one of Rob’s good friends. Paul Gregutt is the author to “Insider’s Guide to Washington Wines,” he is a columnist for The Seattle Times Newspapers, and he is also a contributing editor to The Wine Enthusiast.

As we left, driving west closer to the coast there were more and more trees that started to be present. The desert was behind us now. There were many green glowing hills and meadows with vibrant wild flowers. After a while, then came the rain pushing through the thick gray clouds to be heard and seen. Even though, the sky was not completely saturated with gray. There were small bits of blue sky occasionally making a stand amongst the domineering clouds. As we drove through The Cascade Mountains on Hwy 2, we saw multiple mini waterfalls. There were ones that were solo and fell from very high and others that started low that spanned out into other small veins of falling water. We also saw many snow-capped mountains. It was like driving through a winter wonderland. The mystical mountains and all their glory gave way to their hidden magic as we drove through. The fog appeared to lift away like curtains alongside a movie screen for our car as we drove along. The beauty, the amazement, and wonder of the Cascades left us desiring for more time to explore. So until next time, such lusciousness will be an imprinted memory in our minds.

When we got back to Seattle we were to spend one more night at Hotel Vintage Park. Chris decided to part with us and meet up with some of his old friends from the area. Rudy & I decided to have one last nice dinner out on the town. We ended up going to The Kingfish Cafe on a friend's recommendation. We figured southern food would be an appropriate end to our day. It was excellent! Amazing flavors and huge portions. Their cornbread has whole pieces of sweet corn in it. Yum! We even shared a strawberry shortcake for dessert that probably stood about 12 inches high.

Next day we were to head home. We made sure we had some Pho first and then it was off to the airport.

-Marisol

Merlove meets Patricia & David Gelles

June 6, 2008

This afternoon we headed to Benton City to meet with vineyard growers/owners, Patricia & David Gelles of Klipsun Vineyards. Klipsun is the word for "beautiful sunset." It comes from the Chinook Native Americans. The Chinook people use to live along the embankments of the Columbia River spanning from BC, Canada to Eastern Washington.

We met Patricia a.k.a. as "Queen of the Mountain" and her husband at their vineyards located in the tiny area of Red Mountain which is within the Yakima Valley. This easternmost tip in Yakima Valley is known to have smaller clusters/crops, but makes for greatly concentrated wines.

It was a very gray and windy day of filming. We had to find a wind barrier, so the guys (Rudy & Chris) interviewed/filmed behind some white plastic grape bins. These bins were big and stacked high, so they really did help with breaking the wind barrier. Patricia's pink hair appeared to still dance all around in the wind as she answered our interview questions. This made for a most exciting day of filming and pictures. Her pink hair seemed to almost glow with radience as the intense gray clouds gave us an audience in the background. As the interview progressed, Patricia agreed with Rudy that if people started drinking wine instead of soda with their fast food they would well be on a beginning to getting healthier. After our interview we had a quick lunch with Patricia & David. They brought us an assortment of cheeses, some bread, and pears to eat. We also enjoyed some wine with our meal. It was not Merlot though, we actually enjoyed some Sauvignon Blanc from one of her clients. So, the grapes used for this wine were from Klipsun Vineyards. Patricia & David had to quickly be on their way for a big wine event that was going to occur in Walla Walla.

We were very excited to learn that Patricia loves The Triplets of Belleville, a common favorite movie with us.

http://www.klipsun.com/

After our time spent at Klipsun Vineyards we drove to a couple neighboring wineries just for tasting. Rudy, Chris, & I did some wine tasting at Fidelitas Winery. We wanted to film at Fidelitas, but unfortunately Charlie Hoppes the owner/winemaker had previous engagements. He may have been heading to the same event Patricia & David were going to. There were 2 very nice ladies that poured for us. One was named Jessica and unfortunately we didn't get the other's name. We also went to the beautiful Hedges Family Estate. Only Rudy & I tasted there. Chris just relaxed in the rental car. While there, Sabrina Greever took very good care of us. She tasted us through several older vintages of their wine to compare vintages. She even took us through their barrel room, fermentation room, and the Hedge Family's private wine cellar.

After tasting, we decided to check out were we would be staying that night. We were to drive back to Prosser at stay at the Prosser Precept Ranch. This ranch was strangely enough on Crow Road. In this area there were tons of cherry tree orchards and hops plants being trained to grow as a vine along angled ropes and wood stakes. When we finally figured out where the ranch was there was no one around. We checked to see if any doors were unlocked on the main building on property and found that the back door was, so we were able to bring our things in and relax. Eventually an older man named Bob (Gus Chiggins kind of character/SNL) came out to greet us with his 2 old dogs. Gus use to be the farmer who owned the property where the new Prosser Precept Ranch is. He asked us if we wanted the barn unlocked. We said "sure" and when he opened it, we came to realize that there a complete Party Barn on property. This barn was loaded with any type of liquor one could desire and all up for grabs at one's disposal. There were snacks and sodas and even a popcorn machine. There was a pool table, dart board, large screen tvs, video games, card table, etc. In the main house there were many multiple rooms both up and downstairs. The cabinets and refrigerator were filled with food.

A few hours after we got there a big group of Precept Brands distributors and retailers came to stay the weekend. They were a rowdy party group. It was a little bit of a weird vibe, but everyone was very nice. They ended up putting dinner together which include BBQ meats, rice, beans, tortillas, cheese, chips and salsa, etc. There was enough wine on the table to quench the thirst of a small country (j/k, but there were many open bottles). We even got to try several wines from Australia. Que Syrah-Syrah! The party crowd stayed up to the early hours of the morning and both Chris and Bob hung out with them. Rudy & I were somewhat party-poopers. We hung out for a little bit, but I think we were just mostly exhausted. It was a huge week of constant go-go-go. It was great though, well rewarding and worth it. I forgot to mention earlier in the night good ol' Gus Chiggins "Bob" helped us to start some quads that were available on property for us to use. We had a great time driving them all around the vineyard property. Chris road solo and Rudy drove us around in one. There were clouds of silt we produced as we drove around. We even drove through a Rainer cherry orchard. I picked a couple to eat. Sweet. Yum.

Merlove meets Marty Clubb

June 6, 2008

This morning we checked out of The Green Gables Inn. We headed on our way to Lowden where we were to meet with Marty Clubb, the winemaker & co-owner for L'Ecole No41. He was a cool Ned Flanders kind of character. He was even a good sport enough to let Rudy push him back and forth on a tall rolling ladder holding a magnum of wine in their tasting room. Chris filmed the entire event. We could hear the tasting room staff saying it was the most hilarious thing they had ever seen. It was quite humorous indeed! L'Ecole No41 is located in an old french schoolhouse. It is very cute! I couldn't help but ring the schoolhouse bell before we entered. On their bar they even have chalkboards to write on.

Marty was another complete wealth of knowledge. I found it very interesting how he explained himself pouring some of his Merlot at an international wine event and how he could tell the French winemakers attending were impressed with his wine. They didn't tell him they liked it, but he did notice that they kept telling their friends to come and try his Merlot. That said enough for him. He felt honored. These were top French Merlot producers enjoying his American Merlot.

http://www.lecole.com/

-Marisol

Merlove meets Rick Small

June 5, 2008

In the early evening we conducted our final interview of the day with Rick Small, the owner & winemaker for Woodward Canyon Winery. We met him at a Walla Walla wine shop called Vintage Cellars. Rick Small is a man full of energy, as well as good information about the wine industry in Washington State. He is a quick talker with lots of words, so you better listen closely because if you do you will learn a lot. He loves that the focus in Washington State wines are "quality for value." We found this to be most definitely true throughout the state. We didn't feel that we could purchase aNapa Valley wine on the same price of a Washington State wine and have the same quality. Again, you get more bang for your buck in Washington State wines.

Rick told us that if you go down into a wine maker's cellar that you can learn much of what to expect from their wine. Is it clean or dirty? Is it organized or scattered? etc.

Rick really doesn't want to see people give up Merlot, just because they don't have the confidence to order or drink it in front of their friends or family. In general, he explained that it is one of the easiest wines to enjoy. Merlot is much more accessible to drink than a Cabernet Sauvignon. You don't necessary have to age it as long, but if you do desire there are many Merlots that will age for some time. There is great acidity in Merlot that pairs well with food too.

http://www.woodwardcanyon.com/content.cfm?id=15

This evening we had another great meal. This time we ate dinner at Walla Walla restaurant 26brix. We decided to eat casually at their nice bar. Strangely enough we saw Merf's daughter once again. She was working there. Walla Walla is a small town and seeing one person randomly 3 times in 2 days is a great example of that.

-Marisol

Merlove meets John Freeman

June 5, 2008

Today we also briefly met with John Freeman, the winemaker of Waterbrook Winery & Vineyards (Precept Brands). We met John in downtown Walla Walla at the Waterbrook tasting room. John told us that he actually grew up in Napa, but has been living in Walla Walla the past few years. He told us that many Napa & also French folks have been recently moving to the area. He further explained that much of it has to do with more reasonably priced land and standard of living. This makes for a booming wine business area. Not only that, it is also a great place to raise a family. Walla Walla is a very safe and community based town.

http://www.waterbrook.com/

-Marisol

Merlove meets Jean-Francois Pellet

June 5, 2008

This afternoon we met a Swiss man named Jean-Francois Pellet. He is the winemaker and part owner of Pepper Bridge Winery in Walla Walla. We filmed him on his nice wood deck outside of his small tasting room. There was a great back drop of green vines.

I think something that stood out most in this interview was the notion of growing up in a culture where wine is surrounded and enjoyed by all in everyday life. This was the story for Jean-Francois in Switzerland where he grew up as a child. Jean-Francois was also very knowledgeable about sales of Merlot past-present-and possible future. He was a very nice, friendly down-to-earth kind of guy. He did not even get annoyed when Rudy accidentally called him Jean-Pierre.

http://www.pepperbridge.com/

-Marisol

Merlove meets Dave Merfeld

June 5, 2008

This morning we met with Dave Merfeld a.k.a. "Merf." He is the "Bono" of winemakers. Check out his yellow glasses in the pictures below. Merf's daughter referred to him as "Dado." Merf is the winemaker for Northstar Winery which is owned by Chateau Ste. Michelle. Northstar is their Merlot focused winery.

Merf told us that being filmed is not his favorite things to do, but he graciously did the interview anyway. I tried not to take too many pictures so he wouldn't feel that the paparazzi was in town. Filming this interview, it was obvious that Merf has a passion to produce magnificent wine. Merf stated that, "Wine evokes memories, just like music." Merf told us that one is at peace when listening to the music you love and this translates to the winemaker and then directly into the wine. Merf is a passionate winemaker who believes in putting all one's heart and soul into what he produces. He considers the people who will eventually be enjoying his wine. He wants them to have a good experience for a lasting memory for whatever the special occasion (e.g. Weddings, Anniversaries, Birthdays, Graduation Days, etc.).

Merf promised to send us some wine. (Received 2 of his club wines 6/23/08)

http://www.northstarmerlot.com/

-Marisol

Merlove meets Jamie Brown

June 4, 2008

We were supposed to meet with Rick Small, the winemaker for Woodward Canyon Winery at 3pm but that unfortunately did not happen. We were at Wallula Vineyards longer than expected. We were just taking it all in. Absolute beauty! We rescheduled a meeting with him Thursday instead.

Later this evening we met with Jamie Brown, winemaker of Water's Winery. Jamie picked us up at The Green Gables Inn located in Walla Walla. He first drove us all around Walla Walla to show us all the different growing areas for vineyards. He also told us of other such crops including onions, asparagus and peas in the area. Jamie described the Walla Walla AVA as being somewhat of a giant bowl which is located both in Washington State & Oregon combined. He talked about the Missoula Floods which molded the region. As we drove around the area, most of what could be seen were rolling green hills of vineyards and other crops with big hoovering gray clouds above. Through these clouds were piercing sunbeams that appeared to bolt down on the distant green hills. It was like splotches of sunburst energy speckled here and there, lightly like glitter shimmering. We filmed the entire duration we were being toured around.

Jamie told us about how Merlot is an important varietal is to Washington State. He also mentioned Syrah & Riesling as being great wines being produced from the area. We learned that there are many vintners experimenting with lots of exotic varietals in small productions. Some we had never even heard of. So it is clear that the vintners of Washington State are not afraid to try new things. Jamie also clued us in that all the winemakers drink beer, but even still they have a strong sense of place with an old world mentality when it comes to vineyard managing/wine making. Jamie let us know that Walla Walla is a quaint farming town that is not ostentatious. He did admit that it was starting to grow as a wine region, but added that the area is still much more spread out than Napa Valley. Many garage wine producers in the area are starting to have tasting rooms in the downtown area. Maybe Walla Walla is currently like what Napa Valley once was when it was first being recognized a great wine growing region?

For dinner we all had a fabulous meal at Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen in downtown Walla Walla. We randomly met Dave Merfeld's (winemaker of Northstar Winery) daughter at Saffron and later saw her again at a local bar, The Green Lantern. It was interesting to see townsfolk of all ages having a good time at the bar. We all had a shot of Patron, then Jamie got a pitcher of local beer with very strong local hops flavor. I'm not a beer person, so Jamie got me a Whiskey Sour instead. I was happy with that. At the bar we learned that people who live in Walla Walla refer to it as either "WW" or "Wallyland." Using the term "Hella" is quite common too, it's not just a Northern California expression. Today was indeed a big day that ended with a long evening, but well worth the information and memories.

FYI = Not only does Jamie make a great Merlot with a catchy label, he makes a phenomenal Syrah. It really is killer! I know from experiencing it. Yum.

Something else Jamie also told us was that he use to play guitar. Interesting little tidbit. I liked how his ideal Merlot woman is Lucinda Williams.

http://waterswinery.com/

-Marisol

Merlove meets Andy Den Hoed & Dan Nickolaus

June 4, 2008

Later in the afternoon after our interview with John Bookwalter..... we met with grape grower Andy Den Hoed & operations manager Dan Nickolaus of Wallula Vineyards, the first bio-dynamic vineyard in Washington State. These are 2 guys who are not afraid to admit that they are hicks, they said so themselves. Andy & Dan actually met us at J. Bookwalter Winery and had us follow them all the way out to the actual remote vineyard location. It was quite a drive. Driving up and down dips we heard constant pings from the bottom of our rental car as rocks spit up from the dirt road. Along the drive we could see tumbleweeds (dead sagebrush) stuck throughout the vineyards. It was hilarious! I actually felt as if we should have been listening to the song "Rawhide." From the fresh cloud of dirt, finally it became visible that this amazing property lies right along the Columbia River. The overlook was absolutely spectacular. This area is known as the Wallula Gap. It is the area between Washington State and Oregon. This is where the ancient Missoula Floods took place millions of years ago. This is where many top Washington State wine producers source their grapes. Even Randall Graham, owner and winemaker of Bonny-Doon Vineyards near Santa Cruz gets his Pacific Rim label grapes from this location. This vast area includes acres and acres of land, much of which is still undeveloped. There is much in the future of this area. Maybe one day a beautiful resort with its own small airport, who knows?

While at Wallula Vineyards we learned that bio-dynamic vineyard management combines both spirit and matter. The vineyard is treated as a living, breathing organism. It is a common place to see shepherds herding their sheep through the vineyards to help as a natural weed control and with suckering. The sheep simply eat the cover crop or any weeds that lay present in between each vineyard row. The grapevines are also trellised at a certain height that the sheep will not eat the coming grapes or important leaves for canopy.

http://www.lostriverwinery.com/vineyards/wallula.htm

http://www.thewineranch.com/?page_id=5

http://www.winepressnw.com/video/story/7906426p-7800046c.html

-Marisol

Merlove meets John Bookwalter

June 4, 2008

After an evening of exciting thunder, monstrous gray clouds, and dancing rain we all awoke to a beautiful fresh new morning. It was a night of crazy dreams for all 3 of us. Maybe it was partially because we had the local Mexican food in downtown Prosser for dinner, which wasn't of the best quality. Last night, we also dare stepped in and they quickly out of the local bar. A little scary. As we walked through the tiny downtown their was jazz music being blasted through large old speakers out to the empty dark street corners. It was surreal! We felt as if we were in a twilight zone episode. Before we left the Desert Wind for dinner that night there was one comforting thing for me. It was being able to see/hear a cargo train outside of our balcony. It reminded me of living in Santa Cruz off Hwy 1. I must say that even with our crazy dreams, the Desert Wind was a beautiful place to stay with a southwestern motif. There were beautiful pictures of vineyards in the hall area. We happened to be the only ones staying there at the time, which was a little strange. It is brand new place too. I must also mention that we were each given a complimentary bottle of wine, as well as a glass of port and chocolates. Classy & Yum!

In the morning as we drove away from our beautiful hotel we saw longhorn cattle grazing amongst luscious land. We decided for a familiar sense of place and headed into the local Starbuck's for a quick breakfast. After our quick breakfast it was off to Richland to meet with John Bookwalter of J. Bookwalter Winery.

John was obviously an entrepreneur. He knew much about the marketing aspect of wine, specifics of Washington State and of Merlot. He told us that he moved away for some time and when he came back once he smelled the sweet aroma of fresh cut alfalfa he knew that he was home again. Moving back to Columbia Valley, John decided to start his own winery. He appreciates the fact that you get more bang for your buck in Washington State when it comes to getting a high quality wine (e.g. Merlot) for a reasonable price. I was very impressed that John gives some of his hard earned money from his wines back to local literary programs. John also features local bands to perform in his tasting room, also of which are recorded for local radio listening.

http://www.bookwalterwines.com/bookwalter/index.jsp

-Marisol

Merlove meets Mike Sauer

June 3, 2008

It was our first wet, rainy morning in Seattle. It actually began to lightly sprinkle the evening before. Today we drove eastward to meet with Mike Sauer, grower of Red Willow Vineyards in the Yakima Valley. Before we got to our destination we stopped in the small town of Cle Elum "Heart of the Cascades" for some breakfast burritos and orange juice at Gunnar's Coffee Cabin.

As we drove into Yakima there was a greeting sign that stated "Welcome to Yakima, The Palm Springs of Washington." I unfortunately did not get a picture of it, but we thought it was funny.

When we arrived at Red Willow Vineyards we saw a tiny chapel in the distant vineyards. As we drove in we were greeted by Clean-up & Babe, Mike Sauer's vineyard dogs. As we began our interview, Mike Sauer explained to us that he farms some of the oldest vineyards in Washington State (planted in the early 70's). Mike gave us quite a bit of great information about Washington State's vineyard growing regions and growing cycles, etc. As we filmed, we looked outward to the sea of green vineyards which still hadn't flowered yet. There were multi-colored irises and other flowers surrounding us. The 2 old dogs lay sleepy on a small patch of glowing green grass. There was an chorus of birds chirping orchestrated in flying motions all around us. Also, on Mike's property Concord grapes were growing for eventual jam, jelly, & juice making.

It was very interesting to hear Mike explain the "Rainshadow Effect" that East Washington has, making it a true desert which has less than 7 inches of rain annually. Unbelievably less rainfall than Phoenix, AZ. Mike also explained that most growing days in the summer average a high of 90 degrees Fahrenheit and fall to 50 degrees Fahrenheit in the evening. With the dramatically cooler evenings combined with low humidity the grapes retain their natural acidity instead of respiration. Mike told us that this is key to why Washington State is a great wine growing region. It amazing enough, also happens to be on the same latitude as Bordeaux. Mike absolutely feels that Merlot is a serious wine in Washington State, in many cases with more tannin structure than Cabernet Sauvignon. Mike explained to us that more feminine style wines typically come from east slopes and more masculine from west slopes. Mike believes in something he refers to as "The Sweet Spot," this is the thought that there is a correct place to grow every type of grape. This can even further go into the notion of pairing the right type of foods with the right type of wines. He gave us the analogy of a tennis racket and finding just the right spot on the grid for the best hitting outcome.

When asked about the movie Sideways, Mike commented that he thought it was vulgar. He also thought that only in America could such a film have an effect as it did. Mike feels that Merlot is one of the easiest wines to like. Mike also told us that he thought wine critics should be used as reference points, but each person who enjoys or wants to learn more about wine should keep trying new wines. He also mentioned that wine publications try to bring the wines of the world together, but they can never completely be inclusive.

Mike was a soft spoken farmer, one of the kindest and warm-hearted men you'll ever meet. He gave me a sweet grandfatherly feel as we filmed him. He even told us the true story of a bear climbing over the mountain to eat as many of his Merlot grapes that it could.

http://www.redwillowvineyard.com/

We were originally going to film Gordy Hill & Butch Milbrandt of Milbrandt Vineyards, but they could not unfortunately meet with us because of an event. Before checking into the Desert Wind Winery/Hotel for the evening in Prosser we decided to stop by Willow Crest Winery for tasting. What do you know they were actually located on Merlot Drive. I bought a bottle of their Rhone blend 13.


-Marisol

Merlove meets Ted Baseler & Keith Love

June 2, 2008

After our wonderful lunch at Barking Frog we headed off for our quick drive to Chateau Ste. Michelle also located in Woodinville, WA. Chateau Ste. Michelle is the main Washington winery which really helped to put WA on the map for Merlot. They are still the largest wine producer in their state. We were fortuitous to meet both Ted Baseler the President and Keith Love the Vice President of their company. Ted Baseler was the only one of the two filmed for our interview. Keith Love did listen in and watch as the interview take place. Ted Baseler was a nice clean cut kind of guy. He is a great speaker and was able to give us a better understanding about the marketplace of Merlot past-present- and possibilities of the future. It was interesting to learn that in general Washington state did not notice a drop in Merlot sales after the movie Sideways. They actually had an increase in Merlot sales. Later on in the week we got the same response from all we interviewed, most of which were smaller productions. At the end of the interview, Keith kindly sent us off with 6 of their various wines. Before we left, he also led us to a private tasting room in order for us three (Rudy, Chris, & myself) to sample some of their other numerous wines that they produce.

It is important to mention that a few years back when there was a devastating frost that damaged many vineyards in Washington State, Chateau Ste. Michelle stood up and basically helped all of her friends/neighbors by allowing smaller Washington State wineries to buy some of their grapes for that particular harvest/vintage. This love for wine making shown has expressed a everlasting effect and has only made the Washington wine industry bond stronger. We were quite amazed to hear about such a large company going out of their way to help their fellow wine producers. This alone can give you an idea of what the Washington State wine industry is all about. Its about the care and concern of your neighbors and how they're doing too, not just about your own successions.

I also want to mention that Chateau Ste. Michelle is located on beautiful grounds that are obviously manicured. They are also lucky to have an outdoor stage where they hold concerts. Maybe in the near future we will have a screening of Merlove there? Chateau Ste. Michelle has also generously offered to sell the Merlove DVD when available.

http://www.ste-michelle.com/

Later this day Chris Jones-Marino (our cameraman) took us to a cupcake & coffee house located in Madrona. It was one of his favorite hang-outs when he lived in Seattle. For dinner that night, we met with a couple of his old friends at Presse, a French cuisine restaurant. It was a very hip and chill place to eat.

Much obliged,
Marisol

Merlove meets Bob Betz

June 2, 2008

Today we met Master of Wine Bob Betz, owner/winemaker of Betz Family Winery in Redmond, WA. Bob Betz worked for Chateau Ste. Michelle before he ventured into his own winery operation. Bob was a very kind, sweet, and honest man to interview. I got a fatherly feeling from him. It was quite warm and comforting. Bob being so down to earth made it easy to talk to, making for a smooth interview. Bob was a great wealth of knowledge. He even made us privy to several barrel samples, in order for us to smell/taste the differences in the different wine growing regions in Washington state. We found that it really did help us to sense the different characteristics from the different growing regions, keeping in mind the different micro-climates as well as the soils. Just smelling a barrel sample of '06 Merlot from Horse Heaven Hills reminded me of St. Emilion wines. Bob also graciously sampled us his bottled '04 & '05 Clos du Betz red wine. They were both great, but it was obvious that they both have much potential for their future. After our interview, Bob sent us on our way with the two left over bottles to enjoy with our lunch at Barking Frog in Woodinville, WA.

http://www.betzfamilywinery.com/

Cheers,
Marisol

Merlove meets Chris Camarda

June 1, 2008

Our first interview in Washington state was today with Chris Camarda, the winemaker/owner of Andrew Will Winery. We met and interviewed with Chris at the Pike Place Market Walkabout in Seattle, WA. We were lucky to meet such an informative character. If Andy Warhol was ever a winemaker, this is the man. At first sight that is who he reminded me of. Chris Camarda is someone to take seriously though even if his outward appearance is eccentric. He was indeed an interesting presence from his wrinkled sports coat, to his animated facial expressions and hand movements. Visually you could see that Chris was feeding off the energy/vibe of the busy marketplace. This made for a great interview. We received an entirely fresh perspective into the Merlot wine world of Washington state.

FYI = Wine & Spirits Fall 2004 magazine stated Chris Camarda as one of the 50 most influential winemakers in the world.

http://www.andrewwill.com/


-Marisol

Merlove in Washington State

June 2, 2008

Hello Everyone,

We got into Seattle yesterday and interviewed Chris Camarda, winemaker/owner of Andrew Will Winery. We interviewed him at the Pike Place Market. Today we interviewed Bob Betz of Betz Family Winery. We also interviewed Ted Baseler, the president of Chateau Ste. Michelle. We had a great lunch at Barking Frog. We have been staying at Hotel Vintage Park. Tomorrow we are heading over to Red Willow Vineyards to film Mike Sauer. We will be staying at Desert Wind Winery/Hotel for one night in Prosser. Next day, Wednesday we have a meeting with John Bookwalter of J. Bookwalter Winery, we will meet Andy DenHoed of Wallula Vineyard, and we will also meet the winemaker Rick Small of Woodward Canyon Winery. The final meeting of Wednesday will be with winemaker Jamie Brown of Water's Winery. We will spend two nights at Green Gables Inn in Walla Walla. On Thursday we will interview Jean-Francois Pellet the winemaker of Pepper Bridge Winery, Dave Merfeld of Northstar Winery, & John Frieman of Waterbrook Winery & Vineyards. Friday we will interview Marty Clubb the winemaker for L'Ecole No41 & then later have lunch and interview with Patricia Gelles of Klipsun Vineyards. Friday night we will spend the night at Prosser Precept Ranch. Saturday we will meet with Rob Newsom the winemaker/owner of Boudreaux Cellars. Afterwards we will head back to Seattle for our final night's stay back at Hotel Vintage Park. We leave back for home on Sunday.

So as you can see we are very, very busy! The WA state wine commission has really taken care of us. They set up our entire itinerary and have funded for us to film at all of these Washington state local Merlot producers. Even though we are going non-stop we are having a great time. We love Seattle! It is such a beautiful eclectic city amongst the evergreens. Absolute beauty and wonderful people and food surrounding us. It is all about diversity, just as in wine. Keep trying new things and you'll learn to appreciate so much more in life.

We can't wait to see the different terrain tomorrow and check out the desert area where all the grapes are growing. I never thought about WA state as having desert land. We were told that most people don't even realize that it does have such vast desert land. It is also interesting to think about their wine regions growing at the same latitude as Bordeaux, but they do have some different types of soil due to glacial breaking and melt downs, etc. We are learning quite a bit. And I must say the small amount of Merlot we've so far tried have been quite amazing. Lots of structure and complexity. Some of the aromatics made me reminiscent of St. Emilion.

Keep in tune with the Merlove website. Rudy has been Twittering and will continue leaving one liners about where we are and what we are doing. I will try to put some new blog postings with pictures soon too.


We hope everyone is well.

Best wishes as always,
Marisol Ramirez