![]() “I want you to feel the texture of the tannins and some graininess, but I don’t want it to be bitter and sticking out.” Doug Frost, MS, MW, of Echoland / Photo by Andrea Johnson Doug Frost, MS, MW Echolands Winery ![]() “I want there to be tension in the wines,” he says. In the winery, Savage uses a lot of whole berry and whole-cluster fermentation, with no new oak in aging. Even adding yeast seemed like you’re putting an imprint on the wine.” ![]() I wanted to take an absolutely pure approach. “It never felt honest, and I didn’t think the wines represented the vintage correctly. “Adjusting wines never felt right to me,” he says. “But I was against manipulation.” Many wineries pick at higher ripeness levels, but some add water, acid or both to balance flavors with the rest of the wine. “I didn’t really start out saying I wanted to make lower-alcohol wine,” says Savage. They’re also known for being released early. Savage Grace reds are notable for being up to 3% lower in alcohol than many Washington peers. Can you smell the vineyard in both of those wines? That’s a question I think is interesting.” “I liked having that same sparkling wine become the red wine. “I liked the idea of showing a vineyard in different stages and showing different winemaking approaches,” he says. ![]() There’s also a carbonic maceration offering, a “Blanc Franc” (Cabernet Franc made as a white wine) and a Cabernet Franc pét-nat. Savage Grace makes four vineyard-designated Cabernet Francs as red wines. “You could compare one producer to another, and one vineyard to another, and feel like you’re in a whole different world, but a world that’s connected via the grape,” Savage says of Loire wines. Michael Savage Savage Grace WinesĪ love of Loire Valley Cabernet Franc inspired Savage’s approach at Savage Grace Wines, located in the Columbia Gorge. In doing so, they are redefining not just what Washington is, but also what it can be. They craft unique wines that focus on vineyard designates, with fruit picked earlier and low-intervention winemaking methods. Recently, some winemakers have begun to chart a different path. They’re delicious, yes, and distinctly Washington but not necessarily distinctive from each other or showing a very specific sense of place. The wine group is also keeping an eye out for “premium properties in Napa” to expand its interests there.Thank You! We've received your email address, and soon you will start getting exclusive offers and news from Wine Enthusiast. “We could take more fruit right away but because of a recent rollercoaster of vintages, finding growers we can partner with who are willing to make the investment to plant is challenging,” he said. Michelle is looking to add more acreage in Oregon. The wine group’s internal research found that Oregon currently has a “higher baseline of existing awareness than Washington” but Pennington says that international investment is helping, with wineries including Duckhorn, Jackson Family Wines, Rioja producer Valdemar and Tuscany’s Antinori family, all snapping up Washington vineyards in recent years. “We are just starting down this road but because of our increased footprint in Oregon, we are now the leader in the Pacific North-West so we have every reason in the world to promote the Pacific North-West collectively.” “Now, combined, we represent more than 30% of production in Oregon and 50%-60% of production in Washington,” said Pennington. It owns more than 12,140 hectares of vineyards in Washington. Michelle is a major player across both states, having acquired Erath Winery in Oregon’s Wilamette Valley in 2007. Once we introduce people to the idea of the Pacific North-West then we can start to break it down and explain the typicities of different states.” “We think there is real opportunity to promote the Pacific North-West collectively,” he said.”When you think of the American wine landscape, it’s predominantly California. This discrepancy in tourism spend is one reason why Pennington sees great value in promoting the “Pacific North-West” region as a whole. “We’re advocating for a dramatic increase in funding,” said Pennington, who said that in the absence of a lucrative tourism machine the Washington Wine Commission “does a great job of promoting the region”.
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