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VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze

By Richard Duval on December 7, 2019

The final week of Great Northwest Wine photojournalist Richard Duval’s 2019 harvest trek throughout the Great Northwest wine community took him to the Walla Walla Valley, the Columbia Valley, the Yakima Valley and Woodinville.

Sudden and dramatic weather changes added to long days for winemakers and growers alike as the pace quickened to get grapes off the vine and into the wineries ahead of seasonal shifts.

10 08 19 5611 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — Abigail Klender, cellar crew, steams barrels on a chilly afternoon on Oct. 8, 2019 at Rasa Vineyards in Walla Walla, Wash. (Richard Duval Images)

10 08 19 5749 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — Rich Koby, cellar master, and Chris Dukelow, harvest crew, check the press Oct. 8, 2019 at Rasa Vineyards in Walla Walla, Wash. (Richard Duval Images)

10 09 19 7541 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — Sorting grapes Oct. 8, 2019 at Rasa Vineyards in Walla Walla, Wash. (Richard Duval Images)

10 09 19 7719 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — Owner/winemaker Billo Naravane, MW, checks progress of the day’s sorting Oct. 9, 2019 at Rasa Vineyards in Walla Walla, Wash. (Richard Duval Images)

10 08 19 5522 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — A picking crew fills a bin with Cabernet Sauvignon on Oct. 8, 2019 at Eleanor Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley. (Richard Duval Images)

10 08 19 5984 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — A full crush pad awaits winemaker Tommy Glase. on Oct. 8, 2019 at Balboa-Beresan Winery in the Walla Walla Valley. (Richard Duval Images)

10 09 19 6185 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — With the last of the season’s pick in, winemaker Marie-Eve Gilla prepares for pump-over. Though this is her first harvest as winemaker for Valdemar Estates, it marks nearly three decades of wine grape harvests – “and it’s still fun,” she says. (Richard Duval Images)

10 09 19 6251 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — With the last of the season’s pick in, winemaker Marie-Eve Gilla prepares for pump-over. Though this is her first harvest as winemaker for Valdemar Estates, it marks nearly three decades of wine grape harvests – “and it’s still fun,” she says. (Richard Duval Images)

10 09 19 6285 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — With the last of the season’s pick in, winemaker Marie-Eve Gilla prepares for pump-over. Though this is her first harvest as winemaker for Valdemar Estates, it marks nearly three decades of wine grape harvests – “and it’s still fun,” she says. (Richard Duval Images)

10 09 19 6408 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — With the last of the season’s pick in, winemaker Marie-Eve Gilla prepares for pump-over. Though this is her first harvest as winemaker for Valdemar Estates, it marks nearly three decades of wine grape harvests – “and it’s still fun,” she says. (Richard Duval Images)

10 09 19 6636 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — Owner/winemaker Rich Funk of Saviah Cellars gives the Syrah pick critical scrutiny on Oct. 9, 2019. (Richard Duval Images)

10 09 19 6727 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — Saviah Cellars begins to transform Syrah grapes into wine on Oct. 9, 2019. (Richard Duval Images)

10 09 19 6798 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — The harvest of Cabernet Sauvignon for Leonetti Cellar takes place under the watchful eye of viticulturist Jason Magnaghi on Oct. 9, 2019. (Richard Duval Images)

10 09 19 6834 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — Harvest of Cabernet Sauvignon for Leonetti Cellar at its estate Loess Vineyard arrives Oct. 9, 2019. (Richard Duval Images)

10 09 19 7052 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — A full day’s crush is in full swing at Dunham Cellars in Walla Walla, Wash. (Richard Duval Images)

10 09 19 7086 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — A harvest worker stems bins at Dunham Cellars in Walla Walla, Wash. (Richard Duval Images)

10 09 19 7190 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — Head winemaker Rob Campisi samples the day’s pick on Oct. 9, 2019 at Dunham Cellars in Walla Walla, Wash. (Richard Duval Images)

10 09 19 7348 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — Ashley Trout and her team at Brook & Bull in Walla Walla, Wash., work the sorting table Oct. 9, 2019. (Richard Duval Images)

10 09 19 7469 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — Ashley Trout, winemaker for Brook & Bull in Walla Walla, Wash., samples juice on Oct. 9, 2019. (Richard Duval Images)

10 09 19 7399 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — Dusted Valley Vintners in the Walla Walla Valley offers one of the best views from any crush pad in the Pacific Northwest. (Richard Duval Images)

10 09 19 8533 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — The next generation makes it mark at Dusted Valley Vintners with Sam and Noah Braunel, sons of owners Corey and Cindy Braunel. (Richard Duval Images)

10 10 19 8917 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — Lacey Lybeck, vineyard manager at Sagemoor Vineyard inspects the morning’s harvest of Cabernet Sauvignon on Oct. 10, 2019. (Richard Duval Images)

10 10 19 9168 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — The final pick of Riesling at Sagemoor Vineyard north of Pasco, Wash., comes in on Oct. 10, 2019. (Richard Duval Images)

darel allwine 10 10 19 9507 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — Darel Allwine, winemaker for Col Solare on Red Mountain, oversees a delivery of estate fruit on Oct. 10, 2019. (Richard Duval Images)

10 11 19 0045 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — Merlot at Longwind Vineyard on Red Mountain is moments away from harvest on Oct. 11, 2019. (Richard Duval Images)

10 11 19 0296 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — Javier Alfonso, owner/winemaker of Pomum Cellars, oversees an afternoon Cabernet Sauvignon pick at Konnowac Vineyard, the winery’s estate vineyard near Wapato, Wash. (Richard Duval Images)

10 10 19 9730 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — Amy Johnson, co-owner of Muret-Gaston Winery and Purple Star Wines, sorts grapes into the de-stemmer on Oct. 10, 2019 in Benton City, Wash. (Richard Duval Images)

10 10 19 9671 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — Hand-sorting grapes is a tedious task yet Gina Adams-Royer, co-owner of Wit Cellars, remains joyful at Purple Star Winery’s production facility in Benton City, Wash. (Richard Duval Images)

10 15 19 1429 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — The winemaking team at DeLille Cellars puts its new Hollywood Station facility – a former home of Red Hook Brewery – through its first harvest on Oct. 15, 2019 in Woodinville, Wash. (Richard Duval Images)

10 15 19 1540 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — The winemaking team at DeLille Cellars puts its new facility through its first harvest on Oct. 15, 2019 in Woodinville, Wash. (Richard Duval Images)

10 17 19 1803 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — Jason Gorski, head winemaker at DeLille Cellars, finishes the morning punch downs on Oct. 17, 2019 in Woodinville, Wash. (Richard Duval Images)

10 19 19 1924 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — The last few tons of grapes at JM Cellars are sorted Oct. 19, 2019, by harvest intern Annie Martz and Michael Wimer, the longest-serving member of John Bigelow’s team in Woodinville, Wash. (Richard Duval Images)

10 19 19 2062 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — Rod Simmons, Juli Anderson, Bill Denman and Beth Sheffer sort Malbec on Oct. 19, 2019, from Margaret’s Vineyard, an estate planting in the Walla Walla Valley for JM Cellars. (Richard Duval Images)

10 19 19 2081 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — Owner/winemaker John Bigelow and Michael Wimer empty the final bin of the season for JM Cellars on Oct. 19, 2019. (Richard Duval Images)

10 22 19 2289 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — Owner/winemaker Mari Womack celebrates the last lot of grapes from the 2019 harvest for Damsel Cellars on Oct. 22, 2019 in Woodinville, Wash. (Richard Duval Images)

10 22 19 2292 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — Owner/winemaker Mari Womack celebrates the last lot of grapes from the 2019 harvest for Damsel Cellars on Oct. 22, 2019 in Woodinville, Wash. (Richard Duval Images)

10 10 19 9359 - VineLines Dispatch captures late scramble amid early freeze — Fall colors at Sagemoor Vineyard on Oct. 10, 2019, signal the end of vintage. Now begins the countdown to bud break 2020. (Richard Duval Images)

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About Richard Duval

Wine photographer Richard Duval captures vivid wine imagery for Great Northwest Wine and other regional and national wine media such as Wine Spectator and Wine Business Monthly, wine marketing organizations and an ever-growing number of wineries in the Pacific Northwest. Chateau Ste. Michelle selected his image of its iconic chateau for the cover of its commemorative 50th anniversary book. Signature Wines and Wineries of Washington chose his image of Sagemoor Vineyard for its cover. His images are used extensively in marketing guides for Walla Walla, Woodinville, Yakima Valley, Cascade Valley and Red Mountain wine regions as well as the annual Washington Wine Guide. From his studio in Woodinville, Richard creates bottle shots and captures portraits of wine personalities. He also markets his wine work via WinePix, a line of personal greeting cards, and his “Art from the Vine” fine art exhibit which he stages in wine venues around Washington. View more of his work at http://www.winepix.net.