WALLA WALLA - One of Washington's oldest and most successful wine producers hopes to catch lightning in a bottle again with the launch of a new winery and high-end cattle company.
Today the owners of Leonetti Cellar in Walla Walla, Wash., are announcing the launch of Figgins Family Wine Estates and Lostine Cattle Co.
"It's not a second label to Leonetti," said Chris Figgins, CEO and winemaker for Leonetti Cellar. "It's not even a sister winery. It's a stand-alone project."
As he stood above a 32-acre vineyard planted six years ago in the northeastern Walla Walla Valley, he said the goal is to produce wine that reflects the quality of a unique location. The grapes planted here - Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot - will be blended into a single wine under the name "Figgins." The first, from the 2008 vintage, will be released in fall 2011.
Figgins said the exact price has not been set, but he expects it to cost between $80 and $85, about the same as a bottle of Leonetti Cabernet Sauvignon. About 900 cases of the first vintage will be produced.
Leonetti Cellar was started in 1978 by Chris Figgins' parents, Gary and Nancy Figgins. The first release, a cabernet sauvignon, was hailed by a national magazine as one of the finest red wines in the U.S. and became highly prized. The wines eventually were sold primarily through a mailing list. Today, it takes five to eight years on a waiting list to get to purchase Leonetti wines.
Figgins said the intent is not to be exclusive. Initially the new wine will be available on a first-come, first-served basis through the winery Web site, www.figginswine.com.
The wines are being made at a separate facility because Figgins doesn't have room at Leonetti to make the new wines, plus he wants to make sure they have a separate identity. Eventually, a winemaking facility will be built at the vineyard. There are no plans for a public tasting room.
Also being announced today is the Lostine Cattle Co.
"Raising cattle has been a lifelong dream of mine," Figgins said.
Four years ago, Figgins and his father purchased a ranch in the Wallowa Valley and decided to raise Scottish Highland cattle. They have distinctively long hair that keeps them warm in winter. They also tend to be naturally leaner than other breeds. They are grass fed on certified organic pastures with no hormones and humanely harvested.
"The whole idea is contrary to modern beef production," Figgins said. "We're taking the estate winery model and applying it to beef."
Figgins even plans to feed the cattle pomace, which is the skin, pulp and other solid remains left after wine grapes are crushed.
Just like the wine, the Lostine beef will be sold directly to consumers through a mailing list. The first offerings will be available this fall. The Web site is www.lostinecattlecompany.com.
Northwest wines place in top 100 for Wine Spectator
If the Washington and Oregon wine industries were a political movement, they might be known as Occupy Wine Spectator.
On the annual list of the top wines from the world's largest wine periodical, Washington and Oregon are the 11 percent.
The list, which came out Monday, includes 11 wines from the Northwest. As a region, Washington and Oregon make about 5 percent of U.S. wine, and the United States produces about 7 percent of the wine in the world.
Charlie Hoppes finds it hard to believe next year will be his 25th vintage in Washington. Fans of his wines are just happy he has been around so long.
The owner of Fidelitas Wines on Red Mountain is never one to dawdle, and he continues to evolve his winemaking and marketing.
Hoppes' first winemaking job after college was in 1988 at Snoqualmie Winery. After a brief stint in Walla Walla, he was hired by Chateau Ste. Michelle, where he stayed until 1999, when he went back to Walla Walla to help launch Three Rivers Winery.
This autumn, David Forsyth will complete the 30th harvest of his professional winemaking career, the last 27 in Washington. The normally mellow Forsyth has seen it all and doesn't get too keyed up about much.
But the head winemaker for Mercer Estates in Prosser is downright giddy -- well, for him -- about a young estate vineyard on the Columbia River called Spice Cabinet. It was planted in 2005, so these 2008 wines are just the second releases from the 18-acre vineyard.
"I've seen a marked increase in quality from years one, two and three," Forsyth said. "And the wine in barrel right now is superior to the previous vintage."
U.S. approves Naches Heights, Washington's 12th wine region
As Washington's wine industry grows in size and stature, grape growers and winemakers continue to define the best places to plant vines. The newest federally recognized viticultural area is near Yakima.
On Wednesday, the U.S. government announced it has approved the Naches Heights American Viticultural Area, a region near the city of Yakima that encompasses 13,254 acres.
Just 37.3 acres of wine grapes are planted in the new AVA, making it the smallest planted wine region in Washington.
Ron Helbig is part of a small but growing trend of Oregon winemakers who reach into Washington for grapes.
Helbig is owner and winemaker for Barking Frog in Carlton, Ore., a winery he launched in 2005. The retired Clackamas Community College drafting and manufacturing instructor began making wine as a hobby in the early 1990s. For Barking Frog's first five years, Helbig made his wine in Newberg. Now at 1,200 cases, he outgrew his original space and moved his production and tasting room to Carlton.
While Helbig makes pinot noir from Oregon grapes, the majority of his fruit comes from Washington. Because his winery is more than 200 miles away from his vineyard sources, Helbig can't regularly check the fruit, so he must trust and rely on the grower to keep an eye on the grapes and let him know when he should harvest.
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