A handful of Washington’s longtime winemakers are veering away from marketing expectations that red wines should reach retail outlets by the time they’re about two years old.
Because the Northwest rather recently emerged as a major wine grape-growing region, grape growers and wineries already faced economic pressure to repay loans to cover costs of what’s typically a six-year payback cycle for red wines.
Ron Bunnell of The Bunnell Family Cellar in Prosser and Brian Carter of Brian Carter Cellars in Woodinville separately reached the decision they wanted to give their wines extra time to mature to be at their peak for their customers.
Bunnell, who became head red winemaker for Château Ste. Michelle in 1999 after working for California wineries such as Charles Krug, Beringer, Chateau Souverain and Kendall-Jackson, was part of the team at Ste. Michelle that would decide when to release its reds.
Larger wineries face a different set of pressures in the marketplace, Bunnell discovered during his years at major players. Routinely, there was robust discussion within each organization about release dates.
The marketing department wants to have new wines to release annually and “keep the pipeline filled” for distributors across the nation. Empty retail shelves are shelves that a rival winery’s bottles soon will fill, which means dedicated shelf space may be lost. Bunnell wanted to try a different model when he started his own winery.
“When I grow up, I’m going to keep proper bottle conditioning on my mind,” he promised himself.
That meant dedicating at least a year to allow newly bottled wine to settle into what it will become.
His opportunity came when he and his wife Susan founded The Bunnell Family Cellar in 2005. Four years later, those wines began to be showcased at their Wine O’Clock Wine Bar & Bistro that Susan operates in Prosser’s Vintners Village.
The bottling process — with wine pouring rapidly into bottles as they jostle along a fast-moving line and then being corked, labeled and boxed — often changes a wine.
“Especially in the first six months,” Ron says, “it makes a huge difference in the expression of the wine. It needs time to recover.”
It’s the in-winery equivalent to “bottle shock,” something many wine buyers have experienced when they haul wine home from a lengthy trip or have it shipped to their homes.
“At this point, I’ve been at it for 40 years,” he said. “I’ve found that after a year, those oscillations take care of themselves.”
As evidence that “bottle conditioning” works, older releases by The Bunnell Family Cellar continue to earn top awards at wine competitions across the country. Among the first came in 2006 when his then-new brand topped Wine Press Northwest’s judging of Syrah. It happened again in 2012, proving that the first award was no anomaly.
Ever since, his Syrah, Grenache and Rhône-style red blends have been winning awards regularly, often when they are six or more years beyond their vintage date. He credits savvy judges in the Northwest for recognizing the benefits of bottle time and rewarding those merits when they evaluate his wines.
Last fall, The Bunnell Family Cellar 2016 Discovery Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon merited a Double Platinum during the 23rd annual Platinum Awards, presented by Great Northwest Wine.
One of the twists of COVID-19 was that it bolstered his plans to build appropriate inventory because sales of wines costing $45 or more dipped in 2020, reducing pressure for him to release wines earlier.
‘Complexity’ before bottling is key for Brian Carter
Brian Carter’s tenure as a winemaker stretches back 43 years. He grew up in Corvallis, Ore., and obtained his bachelor’s degree in microbiology at Oregon State University, then headed to University of California-Davis for graduate work. After working at Mount Eden Vineyards and then Chateau Montelena Winery, he returned to the Northwest in 1980.
He spent two decades making wines for others. It wasn’t until 2002 when Carter had focused on his own brand. He has since crafted a name as a master of red wine blending and produces an array of superb red blends that can age for a decade or more.
At the 2022 Platinum Awards, the No. 2 red wine of the judging was the Brian Carter Cellars 2016 Le Coursier Bordeaux-style Red Wine Blend. His 2012 Le Coursier garnered 94 points from the judges on its way to a Platinum.
“My philosophy is to pack more into the wine from the beginning,” Carter said. “My reds, except for the Abracadabra, get a full 22 months in the barrel.”
He uses grapes with a little more acid and tannin, plus enough fruit to age while the tannins and acids abate; he subsequently ends up with a wine that’s a little softer but has all the components needed to age well.
“But the key is complexity. You just have to put enough in there,” he added.
His 40-plus years of learning Washington’s vineyards, the growers, soils and terroir play a key role. Grapes for many of his red blends are grown in the Yakima Valley.
At any time, the majority of Carter’s red wines listed for sale on his website are at least three years old. The current roster stretches back to 2013. The Bunnell website also lists a 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon. Early in 2023, Susan Bunnell noted the 2016 vintage headlines most of their current offerings.
Though some may “give you the fish-eye,” as Ron Bunnell says, for selling older wines, he and Carter agree: Done right, extra time and care create wines worth waiting for.
Wine Words: Vin du garde
Here’s the French term for wine that’s capable of significant improvement if allowed to age, according to The New Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia.
Literally, “wine to keep or safeguard” — a concept rather fitting for this column.
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