WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.800 --> 00:00:04.719 Welcome to Wine Soundtrack USA. Listen to the passion with 2 00:00:04.759 --> 00:00:08.240 which producers narrate their winery and their world. Team thirty 3 00:00:08.279 --> 00:00:12.279 answers discover their stories, personalities and passions. 4 00:00:12.800 --> 00:00:15.359 Hello, friends and listeners of Wine Soundtrack. This is Alison 5 00:00:15.400 --> 00:00:17.600 Levine and today I'm in the Yakima Valley with Lee 6 00:00:17.679 --> 00:00:23.160 Fergustrom of Fortunity Sellers. Lee, welcome to Wine Soundtrack and 7 00:00:23.199 --> 00:00:24.440 tell us about Fortuity. 8 00:00:25.160 --> 00:00:28.160 Thanks great to be here. So Fortuity Sellers started in 9 00:00:28.160 --> 00:00:32.920 twenty seventeen and we're owned by Emily myself, husband and 10 00:00:32.920 --> 00:00:38.399 wife team, and we built our location here in the 11 00:00:38.479 --> 00:00:42.640 Yakma Valley. Emily grew up here and this is just 12 00:00:43.399 --> 00:00:45.280 We've got some family here and so we decided that 13 00:00:45.359 --> 00:00:46.840 this was the place we wanted to get started. 14 00:00:47.200 --> 00:00:49.039 And the name Fortuity comes from. 15 00:00:49.520 --> 00:00:52.960 Yeah. Fortuity means those chance moments in life that, as 16 00:00:53.560 --> 00:00:56.439 you know, opportunities are presented to you. If you do 17 00:00:56.520 --> 00:00:59.759 something and take advantage of those opportunity tunities, something cool, 18 00:01:00.320 --> 00:01:01.119 profound can happen. 19 00:01:01.600 --> 00:01:03.880 And is that how you guys met It is? 20 00:01:05.120 --> 00:01:08.959 Yeah, Emily and I were. We were just both getting 21 00:01:09.000 --> 00:01:11.840 back in the dating scene and just by a chance 22 00:01:11.879 --> 00:01:15.000 occurrence we found each other, ran into a little bar 23 00:01:15.040 --> 00:01:19.519 and grill, and and I was saving a seat for 24 00:01:19.560 --> 00:01:23.959 another date actually, and you know, time went by, it 25 00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:28.799 was like stuck in traffic, went to the wrong place, 26 00:01:28.840 --> 00:01:30.920 and I knew my date wasn't going to show up. 27 00:01:30.959 --> 00:01:32.799 But then Emily showed up and she walked around the 28 00:01:32.840 --> 00:01:34.959 bar looking for a seat. It was the only seat 29 00:01:35.000 --> 00:01:36.760 in the house, and she walked up and said, is 30 00:01:36.799 --> 00:01:39.560 this seat take? And I said absolutely not. So that's 31 00:01:39.599 --> 00:01:41.879 how we met. And it's, you know, one of those opportunities. 32 00:01:41.879 --> 00:01:45.760 And we could have just laughed and chatted and called 33 00:01:45.799 --> 00:01:49.079 that good. But yeah, so we ended up together and 34 00:01:49.159 --> 00:01:50.120 we ended up here. 35 00:01:50.480 --> 00:01:54.599 Oh so you ended up starting a winery together as 36 00:01:54.640 --> 00:01:57.760 a as a married couple. You didn't come from wine before, 37 00:01:57.840 --> 00:01:59.879 and I'm curious you're here now. You don't own any 38 00:02:00.319 --> 00:02:03.480 acres of vineyards you purchase fruit? Where are you purchasing 39 00:02:03.480 --> 00:02:05.280 fruit from? And what grapes are you working with? 40 00:02:05.560 --> 00:02:11.479 Yeah, so we focused primarily on Ronan Bordeaux varieties when 41 00:02:11.520 --> 00:02:15.360 we started, to your point, we didn't grow, so we 42 00:02:15.360 --> 00:02:18.759 don't have a farming background. And so I took a 43 00:02:18.800 --> 00:02:21.639 little bit more methodical look at it, and I did 44 00:02:21.680 --> 00:02:25.000 a little research and looked at the highest ranking wines 45 00:02:25.039 --> 00:02:27.280 that came out of Washington and which vineyards they came from. 46 00:02:27.520 --> 00:02:29.000 And we knew that that was going to be part 47 00:02:29.000 --> 00:02:31.560 of our m since we were going to grow. We 48 00:02:31.599 --> 00:02:34.520 have another special power, which is we can get the 49 00:02:34.520 --> 00:02:37.000 fruit from the very best places. Somebody else figured out 50 00:02:37.039 --> 00:02:38.960 what should grow where, and then we could work with 51 00:02:38.960 --> 00:02:42.199 the best courge we could get our relationships with. So 52 00:02:42.520 --> 00:02:44.280 that was our plan from the very beginning. And so 53 00:02:44.360 --> 00:02:46.840 then we just sought out the best of the best. 54 00:02:46.879 --> 00:02:49.199 And so we didn't know also that you probably shouldn't 55 00:02:49.240 --> 00:02:52.039 just call the best when you're small, But we were 56 00:02:52.120 --> 00:02:56.000 lucky enough. Again very fortuitous, but we made some pretty 57 00:02:56.000 --> 00:02:59.599 awesome connections. And so we get some fruit all across 58 00:02:59.639 --> 00:03:03.080 the Aqua Valley. So Yakima Valley spans pretty long distance, 59 00:03:03.120 --> 00:03:07.759 probably seventy h miles and kind of the backbone of 60 00:03:07.800 --> 00:03:10.400 it is Rattlesnake Hills and so we get a lot 61 00:03:10.400 --> 00:03:13.319 of our fruit from Rattlesnake Hills. That's a sub ava, Yeah, 62 00:03:13.400 --> 00:03:17.479 subava the Yakima Valley, and it's this cool ridge that 63 00:03:18.120 --> 00:03:21.800 it's not cool temperatu wized, just cool cool. So it 64 00:03:22.240 --> 00:03:24.719 goes east and west, so it has a south facing 65 00:03:24.840 --> 00:03:28.840 side and it's pretty warm out here, so it can 66 00:03:28.879 --> 00:03:30.840 really ripen some grapes. So our reds come up from 67 00:03:30.919 --> 00:03:33.800 up in the hills and we work with growers like 68 00:03:33.800 --> 00:03:36.159 the Williams family, which are the first a plant on 69 00:03:36.879 --> 00:03:41.360 Red Mountain. Also another subava of the Yakima Valley, the 70 00:03:41.439 --> 00:03:45.319 Dabrul family. Actually it's rules the State Vineyard, but it's 71 00:03:45.319 --> 00:03:47.680 owned by the Shields. And then Red Willow is another 72 00:03:47.680 --> 00:03:52.120 one of my marquee favorite vineyards, gorgeous, gorgeous vineyard owned 73 00:03:52.120 --> 00:03:53.439 by the Sour family, and we get a bunch of 74 00:03:53.439 --> 00:03:55.639 stuff from there, and then there's a few others here 75 00:03:55.680 --> 00:03:59.159 and there. Dick Bouchet for example, another Washingt wine pioneer 76 00:03:59.159 --> 00:04:01.360 that we get some prooved from. So so yeah, we 77 00:04:01.439 --> 00:04:03.360 try to get some of the good stuff and then 78 00:04:03.479 --> 00:04:04.120 not screwed up. 79 00:04:04.680 --> 00:04:06.199 It's your total case production. 80 00:04:06.400 --> 00:04:09.479 About twenty five hundred cases. Yeah, And is your. 81 00:04:09.360 --> 00:04:13.080 Wine exclusively direct to consumer in your tasting room? Are 82 00:04:13.159 --> 00:04:16.519 you distributed locally or in other markets? 83 00:04:16.959 --> 00:04:21.240 Yeah, so predominantly we are direct to consumer. Folks finding 84 00:04:21.319 --> 00:04:24.519 us at one of our two tasting rooms at the winery. 85 00:04:24.560 --> 00:04:28.160 Here is our primary production it's our one hundred percent 86 00:04:28.199 --> 00:04:31.000 production facility, but it's also our primary tasting room, and 87 00:04:31.040 --> 00:04:32.959 then we have a second tasting room a little bit 88 00:04:32.959 --> 00:04:37.480 down the road in Ellensburg, Washington. So that's the primary 89 00:04:37.480 --> 00:04:41.439 ways that people find us. And then we do a 90 00:04:41.480 --> 00:04:44.800 little distribution, but not through a distribution partner. We do 91 00:04:45.199 --> 00:04:47.279 self distribution. So we have about thirty accounts that we 92 00:04:47.319 --> 00:04:47.680 work with. 93 00:04:47.639 --> 00:04:50.480 Directly in Washington or outside in Washington. 94 00:04:50.800 --> 00:04:53.680 We've done a little in Oregon, but since we're a 95 00:04:53.680 --> 00:04:56.439 pretty small team, you know, we don't have enough to 96 00:04:56.639 --> 00:05:00.480 scale to make that happen very easily. Yeah, you know, 97 00:05:00.639 --> 00:05:01.519 plans for the future. 98 00:05:01.680 --> 00:05:07.199 So a little Washington gem here. I'm curious you grew 99 00:05:07.240 --> 00:05:10.000 up in Washington State, but you don't come from wine. 100 00:05:10.279 --> 00:05:13.120 What is your first memory relevant to wine? How old 101 00:05:13.160 --> 00:05:15.040 were you and what does that memory? 102 00:05:15.319 --> 00:05:22.240 Oh? Interesting, Wow, that's a good one. I mean I 103 00:05:22.279 --> 00:05:26.680 remember hanging out with my with my grandparents. My parents 104 00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:31.519 would drink from time to time, but not much. My 105 00:05:31.519 --> 00:05:36.319 my grandparents probably hanging out around Christmas time. It would 106 00:05:36.360 --> 00:05:43.399 probably be my first memory. And then post that I 107 00:05:43.519 --> 00:05:49.839 really discovered it later after probably my second job. There's 108 00:05:49.879 --> 00:05:51.800 a group of us that would would hang out and 109 00:05:51.800 --> 00:05:53.839 all of a sudden started getting, you know, more serious 110 00:05:53.839 --> 00:05:55.199 about what we were drinking. 111 00:05:55.399 --> 00:05:58.199 Yeah, And so as you got more serious about what 112 00:05:58.199 --> 00:06:01.199 you were drinking, obviously you started drinking some really good stuff. 113 00:06:01.240 --> 00:06:04.079 I'm curious, what do you like to drink? What we 114 00:06:04.160 --> 00:06:07.079 come into your home, we find your wine refrigerator, your cellar, 115 00:06:07.879 --> 00:06:10.079 in the closet, wherever you're hiding wine. What would we 116 00:06:10.120 --> 00:06:11.720 find in there? Is it a lot of your own wine, 117 00:06:11.759 --> 00:06:14.360 a lot of friends wines, or are there certain varieties 118 00:06:14.439 --> 00:06:16.319 or regions that you are drawn to. 119 00:06:16.680 --> 00:06:20.279 Yeah, so yeah, in my wine cellar, there's a lot 120 00:06:20.279 --> 00:06:23.439 of Washington and wine. What's cool about being in the 121 00:06:23.439 --> 00:06:26.680 wine industry is when you are popping up at events, 122 00:06:27.040 --> 00:06:30.639 there's a lot of bottles being shared, and so you 123 00:06:30.680 --> 00:06:32.199 do a little exchange at the end of night. So 124 00:06:32.240 --> 00:06:33.759 we have a bunch of stuff, which is a very 125 00:06:33.759 --> 00:06:37.879 cool thing. So all across Washington is probably predominantly what's 126 00:06:37.879 --> 00:06:41.160 in our in our cellar. And then we like to 127 00:06:41.199 --> 00:06:42.680 get out to other regions, and so we've got a 128 00:06:42.680 --> 00:06:47.639 bunch of stuff from California and France and Spain predominantly 129 00:06:47.759 --> 00:06:51.120 is probably what we have in the cellar. Style wise, 130 00:06:51.199 --> 00:06:55.360 and varietal. What got my interest initially was Malbeck. So 131 00:06:55.480 --> 00:07:01.360 Malbeck's still one of my all time faves and lighter, 132 00:07:01.360 --> 00:07:03.639 brighter style. I used to like some big angry reds, 133 00:07:04.079 --> 00:07:06.000 and so from time to time I'll do an angry red, 134 00:07:07.199 --> 00:07:10.519 like a big mean cap for example. But but we 135 00:07:11.279 --> 00:07:13.000 I think our palates are typically more kind of a 136 00:07:13.079 --> 00:07:18.160 nice balance. We'll do white wines, a complex vin blanc. 137 00:07:18.199 --> 00:07:22.839 We have one in this a white round blend. But otherwise, yeah, 138 00:07:22.959 --> 00:07:25.759 a nice balanced all back. 139 00:07:26.079 --> 00:07:28.480 Anything you opened recently that drank really well? 140 00:07:28.959 --> 00:07:40.600 Oh interesting? Yes, we we were just in France and 141 00:07:40.639 --> 00:07:45.439 we went through the Margo region and we're tasting through 142 00:07:45.480 --> 00:07:48.839 some wines there and we didn't go to Chateau Margo, 143 00:07:49.560 --> 00:07:51.399 but we did go to a chateau. 144 00:07:51.040 --> 00:07:53.439 In Margo, and I just got to add that for 145 00:07:53.439 --> 00:07:53.879 a position. 146 00:07:53.959 --> 00:07:59.439 Yeah, exactly, So folks that know, no, yeah, I'm not picky. Yeah, 147 00:07:59.680 --> 00:08:02.360 I'll I'll pretty much drink anything, but I typically like 148 00:08:02.920 --> 00:08:05.639 some stuff with a little more depth and complexity, super 149 00:08:05.639 --> 00:08:07.720 savory notes in there. It's kind of my jam as 150 00:08:07.759 --> 00:08:08.240 far as rights. 151 00:08:09.480 --> 00:08:13.120 So when you think back about the wines that you've drunk, 152 00:08:13.160 --> 00:08:15.199 is there a particular wine that was kind of an 153 00:08:15.240 --> 00:08:18.360 AHA moment for you, And if so, what was the 154 00:08:18.399 --> 00:08:21.240 wine and what was the occasion? What was the ahanness 155 00:08:21.279 --> 00:08:21.920 of that wine? 156 00:08:23.519 --> 00:08:26.360 Yeah, there's there's one. This one's very This is just 157 00:08:26.399 --> 00:08:29.839 a small little you know, red wine and chocolate. It's 158 00:08:29.839 --> 00:08:31.600 a thing. People go out to red wine and chocolate. 159 00:08:31.639 --> 00:08:34.159 And Emily and I were dating actually, and we went 160 00:08:34.200 --> 00:08:40.039 out to Woodenville in Washington and there's a it's called 161 00:08:40.039 --> 00:08:42.960 a Woodenville Wine Country. It's just a ton of wineries 162 00:08:42.960 --> 00:08:44.720 all packed in there, and they were doing red wine 163 00:08:44.720 --> 00:08:47.840 and chocolate. And so we went to one of the 164 00:08:47.840 --> 00:08:54.519 wineries and they paired a temporneo with a I believe 165 00:08:54.559 --> 00:08:58.039 it was like a red pepper flake chocolate or something 166 00:08:58.159 --> 00:09:00.919 like that, and it sounded to aggressive, but when I 167 00:09:00.960 --> 00:09:03.679 had the two together, it was blow your mind good. 168 00:09:04.759 --> 00:09:07.840 And that was the first moment I was like, Okay, 169 00:09:07.840 --> 00:09:10.440 if you nail a pairent, then something magical happens. And 170 00:09:10.519 --> 00:09:13.480 so that was for me. I was like, Okay, now 171 00:09:13.519 --> 00:09:15.480 I got to dig into this a bit more so, 172 00:09:15.639 --> 00:09:16.320 super entreating. 173 00:09:16.559 --> 00:09:19.000 So that was sort of the AHA moment of food 174 00:09:19.000 --> 00:09:22.000 and wine pairing or wine in general and its ability. 175 00:09:22.320 --> 00:09:26.120 So I'm curious how you approach food and wine pairing today, 176 00:09:26.159 --> 00:09:29.919 what are obviously you're probably because once you've had an 177 00:09:29.960 --> 00:09:33.000 aha moment, you're on a quest to constantly create those 178 00:09:33.039 --> 00:09:35.799 and they're not easy to find. But what do you 179 00:09:35.840 --> 00:09:38.639 look for when you're pairing food and wine? Are there 180 00:09:38.720 --> 00:09:42.200 rules you follow? Are there guidelines you recommend or do 181 00:09:42.240 --> 00:09:43.879 you have a coop attitude? 182 00:09:43.960 --> 00:09:47.840 Yeah, there is some basic structure, but then it's funner 183 00:09:47.840 --> 00:09:49.960 to get into the nuances. So the basic structure, at 184 00:09:50.039 --> 00:09:53.720 least for us, is, you know, white wines pair with 185 00:09:54.799 --> 00:09:56.360 you know, if you have a whitefish, or if you 186 00:09:56.440 --> 00:09:59.159 have a rose, maybe pair it with the salmon. So 187 00:10:00.360 --> 00:10:03.679 and then big mean steak, right, a big mean red. 188 00:10:04.440 --> 00:10:05.399 So those rules work. 189 00:10:05.480 --> 00:10:08.960 Those rules do work, and so that is a good baseline. 190 00:10:08.960 --> 00:10:10.399 And then the other fun thing to do is like 191 00:10:10.440 --> 00:10:15.000 those nuances. We've had chefs we do a grenache, for example, 192 00:10:15.120 --> 00:10:20.600 and it can have some casi savory and maybe some 193 00:10:20.639 --> 00:10:24.320 smoky notes. And so a chef did a bacon gudha 194 00:10:24.879 --> 00:10:30.279 with smoked gudha and that was pretty dynamite. So like 195 00:10:30.360 --> 00:10:35.480 pulling out you know, if there's a clove, maybe a 196 00:10:35.519 --> 00:10:37.919 dish with some fennel in it or something like that 197 00:10:38.000 --> 00:10:40.879 will help, you know, elevate both the food and. 198 00:10:40.840 --> 00:10:43.360 The wine, So taking out a note from the wine 199 00:10:43.879 --> 00:10:46.679 and then integrating that into the flavors of the dish. 200 00:10:46.799 --> 00:10:49.360 Yeah. So yeah, we worked with a number of chefs 201 00:10:49.360 --> 00:10:52.360 and this was, you know, the first couple of winemaker 202 00:10:52.399 --> 00:10:56.639 dinners we did. You know, you work with a chef 203 00:10:56.639 --> 00:10:58.559 and they tell you what you're gonna have for dinner, 204 00:10:58.600 --> 00:11:00.000 and you try to figure out which wine is spring 205 00:11:00.120 --> 00:11:02.159 the table. And then we met a chef that was like, no, 206 00:11:02.240 --> 00:11:04.159 you tell me what you want to bring and I'll 207 00:11:04.200 --> 00:11:06.759 match the food with it. And that was another eye 208 00:11:06.799 --> 00:11:09.039 opener moment where we were like, Okay, that's cool. So 209 00:11:10.399 --> 00:11:12.600 now that's kind of how we drive our winemaker dinners. 210 00:11:12.639 --> 00:11:15.120 And you know, when we have events. 211 00:11:15.600 --> 00:11:18.679 You're working with a number of varieties, both rown grapes 212 00:11:18.759 --> 00:11:21.159 and Bordeaux grapes, and you make a lot of single 213 00:11:21.240 --> 00:11:23.840 variety of wines, although you do some blends as well. 214 00:11:24.159 --> 00:11:26.480 Do you think there's a such thing as a perfect variety? 215 00:11:26.759 --> 00:11:30.960 Oh that's a good question. No, I don't. I think 216 00:11:31.039 --> 00:11:34.120 each variety has so many different things you can do 217 00:11:34.200 --> 00:11:35.840 with it. There's just so many different regions and so 218 00:11:35.879 --> 00:11:41.320 many different styles that I think perfect is in the 219 00:11:41.320 --> 00:11:45.519 eye of the beholder. But so yeah, no, I think 220 00:11:45.519 --> 00:11:46.720 there's just a lot to explore. 221 00:11:48.559 --> 00:11:52.039 So some people when they're exploring wine, like to turn 222 00:11:52.080 --> 00:11:54.879 to wine critics and scores. I'm not sure if that's 223 00:11:54.919 --> 00:11:57.639 how you guided your wine when you first got into wine. 224 00:11:57.879 --> 00:11:59.840 But what kind of a role do you think wine 225 00:12:00.639 --> 00:12:03.600 critics and scores play in wine today? And for a 226 00:12:03.600 --> 00:12:06.039 brand like yours, Yeah, so it's important. 227 00:12:06.039 --> 00:12:10.360 It's that you know third party certification, that you know 228 00:12:10.399 --> 00:12:13.799 you're doing something right. And so those we believe in 229 00:12:13.799 --> 00:12:19.840 those panels. You know, there's there's some folks that are 230 00:12:19.879 --> 00:12:22.960 skeptical of those and questioned whether or not they're valual 231 00:12:23.080 --> 00:12:26.600 or not. But for the super consumer, and not everybody 232 00:12:26.679 --> 00:12:29.720 says super wine connoisseur, but for those that are, they 233 00:12:29.720 --> 00:12:32.320 are reading those magazines and if your name pops up 234 00:12:32.360 --> 00:12:35.240 and in there, then you you win some some points. 235 00:12:36.840 --> 00:12:39.240 And so early on we definitely wanted to go down 236 00:12:39.320 --> 00:12:42.679 that track and submit our wines and get that feedback 237 00:12:42.679 --> 00:12:45.600 and hopefully they would score well. And we've been lucky 238 00:12:45.600 --> 00:12:48.519 that some have scored pretty well, so that's goodness. But 239 00:12:49.240 --> 00:12:52.639 that's not all wine consumers, not everybody is looking to 240 00:12:52.679 --> 00:12:57.600 those articles or making their decisions in a tasting room 241 00:12:58.000 --> 00:13:01.080 or you know, at a grocery store by looking for 242 00:13:01.120 --> 00:13:04.879 those reviews. It's really about preference. 243 00:13:05.200 --> 00:13:10.159 So, speaking of preference, and you mentioned a little bit 244 00:13:10.240 --> 00:13:13.600 kind of the styles of wines that you like. But 245 00:13:14.879 --> 00:13:17.759 if you had to red witer or rose, Oh. 246 00:13:18.440 --> 00:13:23.840 Probably red wine would be my pick. But rosees I 247 00:13:23.879 --> 00:13:29.320 think are interesting from a winemaker's standpoint because they're tricky 248 00:13:29.559 --> 00:13:34.159 to make and it's tricky to side to which consumer 249 00:13:34.200 --> 00:13:37.080 base you want to target it because you know, there's 250 00:13:37.120 --> 00:13:40.320 the beautiful color of the rose itself, and then there's 251 00:13:40.360 --> 00:13:42.840 so many different varieties that you can work with, and 252 00:13:42.879 --> 00:13:45.120 then different ways you can produce it, and then the 253 00:13:45.159 --> 00:13:47.960 final style that you deliver. So there's a lot going 254 00:13:48.000 --> 00:13:48.279 on there. 255 00:13:48.320 --> 00:13:52.960 So rose competes with your red wine. There still are sparkling. 256 00:13:53.600 --> 00:13:57.360 I like a little bit of both. We drink predominantly still, 257 00:13:57.399 --> 00:14:01.720 but you know there's something cool and celebratory about, you know, 258 00:14:01.840 --> 00:14:03.639 bringing out a sparkling absolutely. Yeah. 259 00:14:04.080 --> 00:14:06.240 So for somebody who hasn't had the pleasure to taste 260 00:14:06.279 --> 00:14:08.960 for tuity cellars wines yet, what do you think they're 261 00:14:09.000 --> 00:14:09.639 missing out on? 262 00:14:10.519 --> 00:14:15.120 Yeah? So we try to give our best signature of 263 00:14:15.120 --> 00:14:18.039 the Yakma Valley. So Yakma Valley. We're very blessed that 264 00:14:18.120 --> 00:14:22.600 in this area, we're in a very arid environment. It's 265 00:14:22.720 --> 00:14:26.759 very hot here, we have a water source, gets really 266 00:14:26.799 --> 00:14:29.799 cool at night, really warm during the day. Grapes can 267 00:14:29.840 --> 00:14:34.360 fully ripen, but we have a little bit brighter acid profile, 268 00:14:34.440 --> 00:14:36.840 so that the wines are nice and bright. White wines 269 00:14:36.879 --> 00:14:42.039 are crisp, refreshing. And we're pretty fortunate out in Washington 270 00:14:42.080 --> 00:14:45.759 and specifically where we're at Yakma Valley to grow some 271 00:14:45.879 --> 00:14:48.919 pretty stellar fruit and we have access to that. And 272 00:14:49.000 --> 00:14:52.120 so as a small producer, having access to some of 273 00:14:52.120 --> 00:14:56.279 the best grapes in the United States and then be 274 00:14:56.360 --> 00:14:58.759 able to put your own spin on it is pretty cool. 275 00:14:58.799 --> 00:15:03.399 So yeah, our wines very food focused, very bright, very approachable, 276 00:15:04.399 --> 00:15:09.679 very aromatic and should should keep you guessing, but very 277 00:15:09.919 --> 00:15:10.679 very enjoyable. 278 00:15:11.200 --> 00:15:13.360 And if space aliens were to come and land on 279 00:15:13.399 --> 00:15:16.320 your property right now, come knock on the door and 280 00:15:16.840 --> 00:15:18.720 you wanted to welcome them with a glass of wine, 281 00:15:18.759 --> 00:15:20.559 which of your wines would you want to present to 282 00:15:20.600 --> 00:15:23.519 them to say welcome to for tunity sellers. 283 00:15:23.960 --> 00:15:29.960 Probably this might shock people, but our vigne. Yeah really yeah, yeah. 284 00:15:30.159 --> 00:15:33.919 So And for a couple of reasons. One is when 285 00:15:33.960 --> 00:15:37.440 we first started trying to figure out our portfolio of wines, 286 00:15:37.960 --> 00:15:40.120 Emily and I were primarily red wine drinkers, and so 287 00:15:40.159 --> 00:15:41.799 we had to do our homework and we try it 288 00:15:41.799 --> 00:15:44.080 out a bunch of white wines, and we're trying to 289 00:15:44.080 --> 00:15:46.120 figure out again which brittles and which style we liked. 290 00:15:46.720 --> 00:15:49.960 And when we started talking to other other winery owners 291 00:15:49.960 --> 00:15:52.360 and wine makers and we said, hey, we're going to 292 00:15:52.399 --> 00:15:54.759 go after a vigne, they said, well, best of luck 293 00:15:54.759 --> 00:15:59.440 with that. But but we definitely put our own spin 294 00:15:59.519 --> 00:16:02.759 on it. Again, it's that more refreshing style. It's all 295 00:16:02.759 --> 00:16:05.879 stainless steel. It's not an oak, so it's very crisp 296 00:16:05.879 --> 00:16:06.480 and refreshing. 297 00:16:09.200 --> 00:16:11.039 So you took that and you made good luck out 298 00:16:11.039 --> 00:16:19.399 of ya. Exactly. I love it. Now. You don't own vineyards, obviously, 299 00:16:19.399 --> 00:16:21.960 you go into the vineyards and you spend time where 300 00:16:21.960 --> 00:16:25.320 you're sourcing your fruits. And you've been making wine for 301 00:16:26.799 --> 00:16:29.759 eight years. So in the eight years, we know every 302 00:16:29.840 --> 00:16:32.679 vintage tells a different story, But what have you experienced, 303 00:16:32.720 --> 00:16:34.120 I mean, do you find that there's a lot of 304 00:16:34.200 --> 00:16:36.919 variation from year to year, do you find more consistency 305 00:16:37.320 --> 00:16:40.240 and you know, is it vineyard dependent? Do you see 306 00:16:40.279 --> 00:16:42.759 consistency and vineyards or is it region as a whole. 307 00:16:43.000 --> 00:16:46.519 Yeah, so, yeah, so we source. And the good thing 308 00:16:46.559 --> 00:16:50.080 about sourcing, especially with the top vineyards, is your name's 309 00:16:50.080 --> 00:16:52.440 around the roads, and so if you drive up to 310 00:16:52.440 --> 00:16:56.080 the vineyards, you'll see fortunity, fortuity of fortuity, and so 311 00:16:56.320 --> 00:16:59.480 we get to know those sites very very well, and 312 00:16:59.519 --> 00:17:02.240 so we do get to kind of get the pattern 313 00:17:02.279 --> 00:17:04.839 of what happens up there. And then also the growers 314 00:17:05.000 --> 00:17:07.720 and so you have different crews at different sites, and 315 00:17:07.759 --> 00:17:11.640 they just farm differently, and you know, not ones better 316 00:17:11.720 --> 00:17:13.400 than the other, they're just different and so you have 317 00:17:13.480 --> 00:17:17.759 to kind of understand that, and there is a lot 318 00:17:17.799 --> 00:17:22.480 of differences we had. Eighteen was a dynamite year for 319 00:17:22.559 --> 00:17:24.720 Washington wine. Nineteen was as well, it was a little 320 00:17:24.720 --> 00:17:28.240 bit cooler in the fall, and then twenty was the 321 00:17:28.240 --> 00:17:30.680 hottest year on record, followed by twenty one, which was 322 00:17:30.720 --> 00:17:36.400 also the next hottest year on record, and then twenty 323 00:17:36.400 --> 00:17:40.240 two cool down a bit. So on cooler years typically 324 00:17:40.319 --> 00:17:45.079 bigger berries, a lot more fruit forward, and then in 325 00:17:45.200 --> 00:17:50.799 hotter years, smaller berries and just really a lot of concentration, dark, 326 00:17:51.039 --> 00:17:53.599 meaner stuff can come out of there, and so you 327 00:17:53.680 --> 00:17:55.720 kind of have to work to stay with your style. 328 00:17:55.759 --> 00:17:58.759 You could just let mother nature doer thing and then 329 00:17:58.799 --> 00:18:00.440 you just work with what you get. And so you 330 00:18:00.480 --> 00:18:03.000 do do that, but you still can put your spin 331 00:18:03.039 --> 00:18:05.160 on it when you get it in the cellar, and 332 00:18:05.160 --> 00:18:09.279 and so that's part of the fun. And some years 333 00:18:09.319 --> 00:18:10.200 you get some weird stuff. 334 00:18:10.960 --> 00:18:13.599 Are there any signs or predictors you look for that 335 00:18:13.240 --> 00:18:15.839 are that tell you what a vintage is going to be? 336 00:18:16.319 --> 00:18:22.640 Yeah, I like a happy vineyard. So a happy vineyard 337 00:18:22.680 --> 00:18:26.200 to me is you know those what you think of 338 00:18:26.240 --> 00:18:28.160 when you see a cluster of grapes is that everything 339 00:18:28.200 --> 00:18:30.400 colors up. It's an all nice and uniform. The berries 340 00:18:30.440 --> 00:18:34.359 are the same size, there's some good spacing, the clusters 341 00:18:34.359 --> 00:18:37.799 are not too heavy, and then the crop looad looks 342 00:18:37.839 --> 00:18:41.079 great and you have a good season growing wise, you 343 00:18:41.079 --> 00:18:43.759 know it's going to be a dynamite ear if the 344 00:18:43.759 --> 00:18:46.000 berries are all different sizes on the cluster and some 345 00:18:46.119 --> 00:18:49.200 are green and summer and never flipped to red, and 346 00:18:50.279 --> 00:18:52.039 you know, then you're like, Okay, this one's going to 347 00:18:52.079 --> 00:18:52.880 be a little more interesting. 348 00:18:53.319 --> 00:18:56.799 So do you spend time because you have your dedicated 349 00:18:56.880 --> 00:18:59.880 rose and they have your name on them. When you 350 00:18:59.880 --> 00:19:01.720 go in there, do you talk to your vines? Have 351 00:19:01.799 --> 00:19:05.359 you established as you've learned to understand them year after year? Now, 352 00:19:05.559 --> 00:19:09.000 as you were saying, what kind of communication do you have? 353 00:19:09.079 --> 00:19:10.480 Do you have to reprimand them or are they all 354 00:19:10.519 --> 00:19:11.079 happy vines? 355 00:19:12.920 --> 00:19:15.400 They're mostly happy, but every once in a while they'll 356 00:19:15.440 --> 00:19:18.400 get hounrey and so you know, this year we got 357 00:19:18.400 --> 00:19:21.640 a couple onre ones. But what's funny is we usually 358 00:19:21.720 --> 00:19:27.519 run up there and their Yachma valley is quite diverse, 359 00:19:27.759 --> 00:19:29.480 and so it takes us a minute to roll through 360 00:19:29.519 --> 00:19:36.039 the vineyards. And so early pre season harvest's you just 361 00:19:36.039 --> 00:19:37.839 take your sweet time and you just walk through the 362 00:19:37.880 --> 00:19:39.880 vineyards and you check it all out, and you know, 363 00:19:39.880 --> 00:19:42.720 it's early stages and you see how things develop, and 364 00:19:42.759 --> 00:19:45.359 that's a super fun time. And for some reason, you know, 365 00:19:45.680 --> 00:19:47.279 I guess it's just because you're not in the in 366 00:19:47.359 --> 00:19:51.119 the heat of harvest, but that's super enjoyable. And then 367 00:19:51.160 --> 00:19:53.359 once harvest comes, it's a little bit you put your 368 00:19:53.359 --> 00:19:55.839 game face on and you're you're moving through the vineyard 369 00:19:55.839 --> 00:19:59.279 pretty quick and we're grabbing samples we're tasting grapes off 370 00:19:59.279 --> 00:20:00.839 the vine and trying to figure out when things are 371 00:20:01.480 --> 00:20:05.240 ready to go, and so that is a little bit 372 00:20:05.279 --> 00:20:09.279 more purpose driven. And you know, you're once you get 373 00:20:09.279 --> 00:20:12.359 your notes, you're reaching back out to the growers if 374 00:20:12.359 --> 00:20:14.200 you need to make any adjustments and stuff like that. 375 00:20:14.319 --> 00:20:17.599 So so I think it starts off all. I mean 376 00:20:17.680 --> 00:20:19.680 I will do date night and just walk through the vineyards. 377 00:20:19.680 --> 00:20:21.799 Soon later it's like, who's going to roll out to 378 00:20:21.799 --> 00:20:23.640 whatever vineyard and grab some samples. 379 00:20:23.279 --> 00:20:24.759 And would you say date night? 380 00:20:24.920 --> 00:20:25.200 Yeah? 381 00:20:25.279 --> 00:20:27.400 I like that date night with the vines. 382 00:20:27.480 --> 00:20:31.440 Date night with the vines. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sometimes we 383 00:20:31.519 --> 00:20:35.319 have again more harvest we'll do. We have to drop 384 00:20:35.319 --> 00:20:37.279 our bins out into the vineyards and so we'll have 385 00:20:37.680 --> 00:20:41.799 late night bin drops and stuff. We're here, yeah, exactly. Yeah. 386 00:20:41.920 --> 00:20:43.920 When you when you bring the vine the grapes in 387 00:20:43.960 --> 00:20:45.640 and you crush them, and you know, I know, your 388 00:20:45.680 --> 00:20:48.680 tasting room is in your winery. So being in there, 389 00:20:48.720 --> 00:20:51.400 it was surrounded by your tanks and some barrels and 390 00:20:51.440 --> 00:20:54.440 then your your once cement tank and there was music 391 00:20:54.440 --> 00:20:58.000 playing overhead. Do you play that music for the guests 392 00:20:58.079 --> 00:20:59.759 or are you playing the music for the wine? And 393 00:20:59.799 --> 00:21:01.519 do you talk to the wine when it's in the barrel. 394 00:21:01.599 --> 00:21:04.640 Yeah, yeah, yeah, So we first of while, we always 395 00:21:04.640 --> 00:21:07.599 have music plane all the time. It doesn't matter what 396 00:21:07.599 --> 00:21:09.920 we're doing, there's always music plane and we try to 397 00:21:10.000 --> 00:21:11.559 change it up. And that's part of a fun thing 398 00:21:11.599 --> 00:21:14.000 with the team is who's who can pick the greatest 399 00:21:14.000 --> 00:21:17.079 playlist for the day. And so yeah, we'll end up 400 00:21:17.079 --> 00:21:20.640 with our mantra for the for the harvest, and there's 401 00:21:20.680 --> 00:21:23.440