Tim Gamble and his wife, Teresa Spellman Gamble, owners of Tinte Cellars in Woodinville, Wash., announced Wednesday the acquisition of their second Red Mountain vineyard in as many years by adding E&E Shaw Vineyards.
The Gambles purchased the 12-acre planting from Ed and Eve Shaw last year. In 2020, Tinte Cellars bought Corvus Vineyard. The Shaws have been longtime friends of Spellman Gamble, whose father was the late John Spellman, the state’s 18th governor. E&E Shaw is flanked by acclaimed vineyards Ciel du Cheval, Kiona’s Heart of the Hill and Ambassador.
“It is an honor to be a modest part of Red Mountain’s world-class wine growers,” Spellman Gamble said in a news release. “We are thrilled to deliver even more outstanding Red Mountain-sourced and exclusive Washington-produced wines to our valued club members and consumers.”
E&E Shaw was planted in 1997 by Eve Shaw’s brother, the late Fred Artz, who spent two decades managing nearby Klipsun Vineyard, one of the Northwest’s most revered sites for Cabernet Sauvignon. E&E Shaw spotlights Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, and fruit grown in the first decade of the life of the vines was featured in the Shaws’s own Portrait Cellars brand.
Rising star viticulturist Andrew Schultz of Brothers in Farms will manage E&E Shaw along with the 5-acre Corvus planting, rebranded as Tinte Estates Vineyard. Schultz’s résumé includes highly decorated Elephant Mountain Vineyard in the Yakima Valley and consulting work for Aquilini Vineyards on Red Mountain. Only a portion of the grapes Schultz farms for the Gambles will make their way into Tinte Cellars wines.
No plans for Tinte tasting room on Red Mountain
Tinte Cellars has been a steady customer of Red Mountain growers, including Quintessence, Quinn Ranch and Shaw vineyards, all owned by Dick and Wendy Shaw. The 2018 inductees into the Legends of Washington Wine Hall of Fame are not related to Ed and Eve Shaw.
Tim Gamble said, “Vineyards don’t become available on Red Mountain very often, and with nearly 60 percent of the region now under vines, there is very little space or opportunity for future plantings. Vineyards on Red Mountain have been sold to companies based in British Columbia, Napa Valley and Chicago in recent years. Tinte Estates is proud to secure this remarkable vineyard for our Washington state community of partners and employees.”
Annual production for Tinte Cellars is approximately 4,000 cases, and the wines are poured in two Woodinville tasting rooms and at an event center/tasting gallery in a century-old building — most recently a scooter shop — the Gambles purchased and renovated along South Airport Way in Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood. The Gambles also operate Tinte Red Mountain Retreat, a short-term vacation rental property within the former Corvus vineyard near the southern tip of the American Viticultural Area.
The Gambles entered the wine industry in 2018 when they purchased Woodinville brands William Church and Cuillin Hills, placing them under the parent company that’s a mashup of the first two letters in their first names — Tinte.
With the winemaking of Noah Fox Reed in the Woodinville Warehouse District, the Gambles have continued much of the award-winning tradition established by William Church, particularly for work with Malbec and Viognier from Gamache Vineyard. Last year, their 2018 Malbec was named best of class at the Sunset International Wine Competition. In 2020, their 2019 Viognier and 2017 Malbec each achieved Double Platinum at Wine Press Northwest’s annual year-end judging of gold medal wines.
Since the launch of Tinte Cellars in 2018, the Gambles have contributed more than $725,000 to non-profit organizations on both sides of the Cascades. Last year, five percent of all retail sales and 10% of all wine club sales were awarded to Mary’s Place, Northwest Harvest, Seattle Children’s Behavioral Health Crisis Care Clinic and the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic.
Spellman Gamble said there are no plans to open a tasting room on Red Mountain, however there will be vineyard tastings.
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