MikeL's Guide to WA Wineries
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Production: (1995) 200 cases, (1997) 400 cases
Vineyards: None; grapes purchased from Ciel du Cheval, Mercer Ranch, Charbonneau
Distribution: winery and limited Seattle area wine shops
History:
David Larsen got the wine bug on a vacation in Europe. From that first exposure, he became sufficiently interested in winemaking to try his hand at it by making wine from the inexhaustible supply of Washington blackberries. In college days, David and Cecile shared a bottle of his first blackberry wine on their first date! For their honeymoon, they toured Napa Valley, and the dream of starting their own winery took hold.
David started with Cabernet Sauvignon grapes while working with the Boeing Employees Winemaking Club. Here also, he met Brian Carter, who was the winemaker at Paul Thomas at the time. David continued to hone his skills for several years with the club, then contacted Brian for help in starting his own winery. The timing was perfect, as Brian was just starting his own business as a consulting enologist at the time!
The first release of 107 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon, was made in the family home's garage. In 1994, they completed their new home with space dedicated for the winery. David has done extensive reading of winemaking techniques, and taken UCDavis short courses, and many classes from California and Bordeaux winemakers.
As the winery was financed with limited personal capital, they've relied heavily on family, friends, and other wineries for help. As an example, the Soos Creek label was designed by Terry Heckler of Heckler Associates, who graciously accepted wine in exchange for his services. French Creek Cellars, Paul Thomas Winery, Washington Hills Cellars, E. B. Foote Winery, and DeLille Cellars have all helped in procuring grapes, and lending equipment to the Larsens. Family and friends are still involved at peak periods like crush and bottling. David plans to grow to 1k cases/year capacity.
The Wines: Current releases (Fall 1999)
Reds:
- 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon
Winemakers:
David Larsen
David Larsen 1989-present
Of special note:
David says:
We specialize in Cabernet Sauvignon. As the winemaker, I believe we can make a better wine by making the type and style of wine we most enjoy drinking. By concentrating on one wine, we can devote more time to learning which winemaking techniques work best on the grapes from each of the vineyards. Our winemaking is very labor intensive and is best described as traditional. We use small open top fermenters, a small basket press and only French oak barrels. Our goal is to produce a wine which is dark, concentrated and rich with a good depth and that also balances the fruit with the tannins for a full body.
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