Rio Jean Photography - Prosser, WA {Milbrandt Vineyards}

An impromptu visit to Milbrandt Vineyards (http://www.milbrandtvineyards.com/index.cfm?method=homepage.showpage).

This tasting room reminds me of tasting rooms in California, I think it's the overall look of the place, the curved arches and the tall bell tower. It definitely screams, "come visit during the warmer months!"  Not that you can't go during the colder months, but it has a cute little sitting area and I heard that during the summer months, there are bands that play at the other wineries and it's like a big block wine party.  Doesn't that sound nice, to sit in the summer air, with your glass of wine, listening to the sound of music in the distance?  I don't know about you, but I am definitely going to bring my husband down for a date night!  

Milbrandt's tasting room has been open for 7 years and it seems like a lot of the staff have been with Milbrandt since it's opening. Which is pretty cool, as I see it as an indication that Milbrandt Winery is a good company to work for.  Milbrandt is family owned and like a lot of other wineries in the area, the family started out as farmers.  The Milbrandts actually started growing wine grapes and sold them to other places that needed grapes.  It wasn't until 1997 that the Milbrandts decided to enter into the wine making industry.  The first bottling took place in 2005 and the tasting room was opened in 2008.

Milbrandt produces about 60,000 cases a year and is in 40 states. There are three labels(Milbrandt has some gorgeous labels and I love their branding!) that Milbrandt has, the Traditions line which features the blowing tree, the Estate line which is sourced primarily from Milbrandt estate vineyards and is produced in limited quantities. The Vineyard Series wines and Estate wines are 100% Milbrandt estate grown fruit and these wines are produced in limited quantities and are exclusively available online or at Milbrandt Vineyards Tasting Room in Prosser, WA.

I didn't see this in the tasting room but I saw the Sentinel series on the website and it is Milbrandt's exclusive and very limited wine sourced from one of their best vineyard sites, Northridge Vineyard. The vines are planted in the ancient Caliche soils above the glacial flood line and produce some of the nicest grapes on the Wahluke Slope.

Unfortunately this winery does not have a winery dog as they have a commercial kitchen in the tasting room, so they aren't able to have animals there.  But it's a win for you because you are able to have some food while you enjoy your wine!  I heard through the tasting room manager that Butch Milbrandt is a huge foodie, so he will cook some delicious meals in the kitchen.  AND I also heard wine club members are invited out to Butch's house in Mattawa where he will also cook for the members!  Doesn't that single perk make you want to join?  

Milbrandt has 2500 acres of estate grapes, the vineyards are located in one of the new AVA's, Ancient Lakes, at the Evergreen Vineyard and the Wahluke Slope. The Ancient Lakes sounds like a sought after place for growing as I *think* there are 5 wineries who own a vineyard there.

Anyways, if you are ever in Prosser, stop in and check out Milbrandt.  All of Milbrandt's epic wines can only be purchased at the winery or online. I have to say I purchased a bottle at the store and it was not a good representation of Milbrandt wines.

Sorry for the lack of pictures, I was having a really good time in this tasting room and was busy getting my chat box going . . . . so that means you really have to stop by and see this place for yourself!

Cheers!
Melanie

Rio Jean Photography - Prosser, WA {Airfield Estates}

Airfield Estates (http://www.airfieldwines.com/) has a very interesting history.  I will tell you briefly about it but definitely check out the website as it will have way more information.  The current owners are a brother and sister team, Marcus and Lori, and their family has been in the Yakima area as farmers for years!  In 1968 the family started to grow wine grapes and ever since then, the family has been into wine. 

Airfield started producing around 7,000 cases of wine and now they are producing 35,000 cases. Airfield has 28 different varietals (with a few clones) that span over 900 acres.  The vineyards are located in Rattlesnake Mountain and the production facility is located in Sunnyside. 

Airfield is known for their Chardonnay, Sauvingnon Blanc, Cabernet, Syrah, and Merlot. Airfield has their wines sold in 30 states and 5 foreign countries.

I had the chance to speak with Brad (see picture below) who is the national sales manager, he would like to focus more on Merlot as he thinks it is the next big wine for Washington.  I have spoken to some wine makers who would agree and think that Merlot is up and coming in Washington.  (Don't listen to Sideways by the way, Merlot is an AWESOME grape)

One of the things you will notice about Airfield Estate wines is that they don't use corks, they use screw caps! (Hogue definitely had some vision!)  I have to say, I love the screw caps!  You may think that wines that have screw caps on them aren't as good because there isn't a cork.  If so, you couldn't be further from the truth.  Do you know why the trend is moving towards screw caps? Well, it definitely isn't cheaper if that is what you are thinking.  Having a screw cap allows for consistency.  You don't ever have to worry about a wine being corked, there are no variations, and when you want to keep your bottle that is only half gone, you can rest easy that you screwed the cap on tight enough to preserve it.

The bottles and the labels are certainly beautiful!  I love the look and feel of the product and here is another winery who has done a fantastic job with branding.  You can definitely feel and see what the brand is when walk into their tasting room. Unfortunately I have no idea of what the wine tastes like as I wasn't offered a tasting...go figure right?

Airfield does have two winery dogs, they weren't present during my visit, but I hear Jax, a Black Russian Terrier, and Bella, a mix of it all, frequent the tasting room!  If you are there and see them, snap a picture and send it to me! 

I am very interested to try their wines, if you do visit, please let me know how your visit went and what you thought about their wines!

Cheers,
Melanie

Rio Jean Photography - Benton City, WA {Terra Blanca}

Can I sing praises to Terra Blanca, yet again?  YES!  I have to admit, it was a love, love love, HATE, now back in love relationship with Terra Blanca,(http://www.terrablanca.com/). What does that say about me and Terra Blanca? Well ... I admit I am hard core when it comes to customer service and rarely am I forgiving and rarely do I give a business a second chance.   That said, the only reason I gave Terra Blanca a second chance was because, well two reasons, I swallowed my stubbornness and realized that sometimes employees have bad days and the other reason?  Keith actually responded to my complaint and extended an offer for me to come visit so he could rectify the situation.

Um . . .that was a first for a winery.  And what does that tell you about Terra Blanca? Terra Blanca is the first winery to invite me back to make amends after a bad experience.  That gesture should tell you that Terra Blanca really does care about their customers and are serious about making sure everyone has a wonderful experience at their winery. How many businesses can you say that about?  Keith, ReNae, and Jordan were beyond amazing during my visit. So I am happy to say Terra Blanca has made it off the B List and will forever and always be in my good graces!

I have been visiting Terra Blanca for years! I remember visiting them when their current tasting room was being built, and before then, I remember when the tasting room was in the house. Terra Blanca has certainly come a long way.

 Keith and ReNae Pilgrim are the owners of Terra Blanca and let me tell you, their story of how they began the winery sounded intense!  It all started in 1992, when Keith eagle eyed the piece of land that would become Terra Blanca.  Keith and ReNae had only been married a short time when their vision started to come to fruition.  Both still had full time jobs and were commuting from Redmond to Benton City on a weekly basis. 


At first, the Pilgrims decided that they would take everything slow when it came to developing the land (famous last words!)  But things were so easy!  They were able to find a well weeks ahead of schedule, so they decided to plant some grapes and build some caves! (Terra Blanca has the first barrel caves for aging wine in Washington State)

Terra Blanca had its first crush in 1993 and in 1997, they had their first bottling of Merlot.  The tasting room opened in 1998 and the new tasting room/production facilities opened in 2006.

Terra Blanca started out producing  around 1900 cases and are now producing 35,000 cases.  Production is still increasing but Terra Blanca will most likely not produce more that 60,000 cases a year. (that is an insane amount of wine!)  But realistically, Terra Blanca sees most of the growth happening in the changing of their products.

I had the chance to see the beast of a machine that bottles the wine and I'm not kidding, it is a beast!  If you have read the post about Tucannon Cellars, you would have seen towards the end that they use a mobile bottler.  Since Terra Blanca produces way more wine, they have their own bottling and labeling machine. I'd be interested in seeing the whole bottling process.  Did you know Keith has a mad scientist lab?  I saw it and I need to see what kind of scientific stuff goes on there actually I'm not going to lie, I want to do some experiments (and of course help out with the bottling of the wine)... *cough* *cough* *nudge* *nudge Keith! *

 

So how did the Pilgrims decide on the name Terra Blanca?  Terra Blanca is Latin for “white earth”. The soil found on Terra Blanca's estate vineyard has high levels of calcium carbonate, the same material that makes up limestone and chalk. Soils all around the world that are rich in calcium carbonate are commonly found in the best wine grape growing regions. Since Keith has a background in geology,  he knew that growing grapes in calcium carbonate-rich soil would yield a remarkable fruit.  Terra Blanca's tagline is “White Earth. Blue Skies. Red Mountain”, as those are three of the key factors that makes Terra Blanca wine what it is.

If you buy a super sized bottle....guess what you receive with it!?  Keith's autograph!!!

You know me and winery dogs, guess which winery had a beautiful weimaraner named Kasey?  Terra Blanca!  Every time I visited the winery, I ALWAYS asked to see Kasey but I never had a chance to and I was hoping to finally meet him during my visit, but instead I received sad news that Kasey passed away two years ago. (ggaaaaahhh!)  Rest in peace Kasey, it sounds like you were loved very much in this life.


A couple things to look for when visiting Terra Blanca, a guest house, which Keith and ReNae used to live in, that is on the property.  I am assuming customers would be able to rent it for a day or two during their stay at Red Mountain? Chef Seminars will be coming back along with the wine experience which I am looking forward to attending someday!  

If you happen to do the reserve tasting, check out the chandelier that is hanging in that room!   Did you know that when you order a chandelier, it does not come assembled? You have to put it together, piece by piece....don't buy one...ever! Anyways, that chandelier is gorgeous!

Terra Blanca is also the perfect place to host your next event or wedding, they have the space and it's EPIC!  So, have I convinced you to go see Terra Blanca?  I hope so!  Go and grab yourself a bottle of their wine if you aren't able to make it to the winery.  If you happen to find yourself at the winery, check out the cave!!  The Pilgrims have definitely won me back as a customer and they certainly will win you over too!

Cheers,
Melanie

Rio Jean Photogarphy - Benton City, WA {Cooper Wine Company}

I stopped by Cooper Wine Company (http://www.cooperwinecompany.com/) on a whim and when I first walked in I was greeted by Bud, the 6 year old Chocolate lab, and he is so beautiful!  Sarah  (the tasting room manager who is fluent in French!) immediately poured me some wine which was totally awesome!  How often does that happen when you walk into a tasting room?

Cooper Wine Company is definitely a boisterous convivial tasting room and also appears to the party pulse of Red Mountain.  I had the chance to see the owner, Neil, in action he sure was in fine form.  If you are looking for a laid back and rustic atmosphere with a "bar mentality" then definitely stop in.  The wines are decent, not the best but not the worst (the winemaker, Neil, was trained under Charlie of Fidelitas Winery - I'll get into that another time!) and I would say the saving grace of this place is most definitely Sarah, Bud, and the other guests, beyond that I was really not impressed.

Honestly, my experience here was ok, I like the atmosphere but I really don't think I would return. Keep in mind that was my experience, you may have a totally different experience, so I do recommend you stop by and give Cooper a shot.

Cheers,
Melanie

Rio Jean Photography - Benton City, WA {Tucannon Cellars}

Phil and Danette Warren LOVE wine.   So much so, that they started producing wine out of their garage in 2010.  Eventually, Phil started to see the potential in his wine making and that is when the Warrens decided to open a winery, Tucannon Cellars (http://www.tucannoncellars.com/).  Tucannon Cellars did their first bottling of Syrah, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay in 2011 and opened their tasting room doors in July 2014.

Currently, Tucannon Cellars produces about 1200 cases a year and the Warrens hope that number will increase to 3,000 cases a year. Tucannon Cellars sources their grapes from Red Mountain, Burgis Vineyards, and they have estate vineyard as well.

Are you wondering where the name Tucannon came from?  Tucannon cellars is named after the Tucannon River which has a long and interesting history.  If you have a chance, read up on it, apparently there were two wars fought there! But that's not why the Warrens deiced to name their winery Tucannon. The Tucannon river is a place that really resonated with the winery's brand.

Tucannon Cellars has some amazing labels! The logo was designed by Phil's older son and the labels were drawn by an artist, Janet Waldron (http://www.janetwaldronfineart.com/commercial-pieces.html).  The winery is still new so Tucannon Cellars might be doing a branding change soon and I look forward to seeing what they come up with next.

Unfortunately I did not have the chance to meet Tyson, the winery dog.  But I saw his cute little face on FB and he is a one year old Boxer. ( I love Boxers! ) So I just have a picture of his empty bed :(

When you visit the tasting room, check out the wood on the bar and the wood that is on the ceiling.  Why?  Well, that wood is from old wine tanks that were cut from a Red Wood tree that was over 1,500 years old! Isn't that cool!  The wood is gorgeous too!

One fun idea the Warrens are tossing around is having guests help out with production. I don't know about you, but this sounds EPIC.  Will you work for wine?  You already know I will! Doesn't it sound like fun to help with harvesting the grapes, crushing them, and then bottling the wine?  I am really interested to see the mobile bottler, I hear it can do 120 cases in two hours!

Tucannon Cellars receives a rating of 5 in every aspect!  Beautiful tasting room, gorgeous grounds, delicious wines and of course excellent customer service.

Are you ready to visit this winery?  I would love to hear about your experience and of course, if you happen to snap a picture of Tyson, send  it my way!  One last thing, join this wine club because all of the wines that are sold to wine club members can only be found in the Tucannon Wine Club, you won't find them in any store in Washington State!

Cheers!
Melanie

Rio Jean Photography - Richland, WA { Goose Ridge Winery}

I was at this winery when the tasting room was nothing but a small little room filled with fruit flies, I distinctly remember watching the flies congregate on the windows while tasting my wine..it's weird that have a vivid memory of that!  Now Goose Ridge(http://gooseridge.com/index.php) has this gorgeous tasting room that was remodeled in 2008. I love seeing wineries in their beginnings and seeing how they grow and change over the years.  Goose Ridge is one of the wineries that still has excellent customer service and did a great job with chatting me up during my impromptu visit.

Goose Ridge was founded by the Monson Family in 1999 and produces single varietal wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Riesling. Their signature blends include g3, Vireo and Sol Duc.

I did not get the scoop on how they came up with the name "Goose Ridge" but I did receive some info on the labels.  The wine club members all receive bottles that feature art from local artists, and some of these labels are just gorgeous!  I like the Goose Ridge brand, it's very sleek and if I remember correctly, the capsules (see pictures below) are also very nice, none of that cheap stuff!  Goose Ridge, like Hightower, have paid close attention to their branding and I think they have done a good job with attention to detail.

One thing that was cool about Goose Ridge, they had an Essence Station where you can smell all of the different aromas of wine, its pretty neat. Goose Ridge is the perfect setting for a date night, intimate wedding, or maybe your next girl's night out.  So if you are in the area, this place is a definite must see!

Rio Jean Photography - Richland, WA {Kitzke Cellars}

Heading home from Goose Ridge, I spotted this sign for Kitzke Cellars( http://www.kitzkecellars.com/) and you know me, I love my impromptu stops!

Cute little tasting room, and very intimate, like 5 people can fit in here.  If you have visited Kitzke Cellars you no doubt have heard the story of the Kitzke's daughter, Janaina, who was adopted at 8 years of age from Brazil and now she has wine named after her!

Vicki and Paul, the owners of Kitzke Cellars, do a lot of philanthropy and are very involved in the community.  Out of all the wineries I have reviewed, this one is the most involved and I have to say I love it when local businesses give back to the communities that they are in.

The winemaker for Kitzke is Charlie..he's been a busy man... and I can't wait to visit Fidelitas and get the scoop from him.  Anyways, cute little place located on Candy Mountain, if you are there stop by and try some wine! Sorry for the brevity in this review but, it pretty much sums up Kitzke Cellars!  You will know what I mean when you visit, and I mean that in a good way!

Cheers!
Melanie