gordon estate newsletters
TRANSCRIPT
Winemaker Update from Tyler Tennyson
SOME LIKE IT HOT…
… And all the better for you if you happen to be making wine in Washington State this year, because 2015 is shaping up to be Washington’s hottest growing season, with the earliest start date on record. In fact, the crew and I had brought in 60% of our fruit by September 11th… the same day we began harvest in 2014!
This season’s heat has gifted us with a low disease pressure year and fruit bursting with deeply layered, concentrated flavors and great textures. Our Chardonnay, Merlot, Syrah, and Tempranillo grapes are already fermented, pressed, and put to barrel, and now we are “rounding Second” as we start to house our Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah and Petite Verdot. In spite of our busy, fast-paced harvest, we’ve still managed to squeeze in a little fun. A couple of weeks ago, we had the privilege of being a part of the Washington Wine Road Trip, where we were one of 62 Washington wineries hosting trade members from around the country for tastings, dinners, and hands-on winery work. Industry professionals were able to visit the Gordon Estate Winery, meet the family, stomp Syrah grapes, and stir the lees on our 2015 Reserve Chardonnay. For those of you I had the pleasure of working with on this year’s Road Trip, it was an absolute pleasure! For those I didn’t, thank you for the great work you do as ambassadors for Washington Wine all year round. I hope to meet you and your customers at the next one! Cheers!
Tyler
IN THIS ISSUE: Winemaker Update Current Releases Meet the Family: Jeff & Vicki Sales Support
o OND Focus o New Trade Site o Scores and Awards
Additional Resources
CURRENT RELEASES:
Estate Reserves 2014 Gewürztraminer Ice Wine 2013 Reserve Chardonnay 2012 Block 3 Merlot 2010 Reserve Cab SIX 2010 Tradition
Estate
2014 Chardonnay 2014 Malbec Rosé 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 Merlot 2013 Malbec 2013 Tempranillo 2012 Syrah
Kamiak
2014 Unoaked Chardonnay 2014 Palouse River Rosé NV Windust White 2012 Rock Lake Red
Michelle Richards of St. John’s Restaurant and Meeting Place
(Chattanooga, TN) stomping Syrah
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O-N-D A THREE-LETTER WORD
O-N-D is here, and we know what a crazy, busy, PRODUCTIVE time it can be! We’ve sent out new
deals, and with new pricing in place, we trust that you’ll use the extra support to take advantage of this high-
volume time to increase depletions, revenue, and brand exposure. Please contact us for POS, incentive
programs, winemaker dinner requests, holiday deals, funny memes, massage gift certificates, and anything
else you might need to survive O-N-D and increase our mutual success in your markets through the end of 2015. Thank you for your focus, hard work, and partnership!
WE APPRECIATE YOU!
NEW TRADE AND MEDIA SITE IS LIVE!
Tech Sheets, Shelf Talkers, Label Shots, and other sales materials are now available on one convenient page:
www.gordonwines.com/trade. Please send us any feedback on how we can improve the
usability and content on this page for your use in the market to [email protected].
LATEST SCORES & AWARDS: 2013 CABERNET: Silver Medal – Great Northwest Wine 2012 MERLOT: Gold Medal – Craft Wine Fest 2013 MERLOT: Silver Medal – Pacific Rim Wine Comp 2013 SYRAH: Gold Medal – Decanter (1 of 4) 2013 RES. CHARD: 90 points – Wine Enthusiast Gold Medal – Seattle Wine Awards Bronze Medal – Pacific Rim Wine Comp 2012 TRADITION: 91 points – Wine Enthusiast Gold Medal – Seattle Wine Awards Gold Medal, "Best of Class” – Pacific Rim 2012 BLOCK 3: Gold Medal – Seattle Wine Awards 2010 SIX: Double Gold – Seattle Wine Awards Gold Medal – Decanter Silver Medal – San Francisco Chronicle
$ALES SUPPORT Notes from Crystal Elsey, National Sales Director
MEET THE FAMILY Jeff and Vicki Gordon, Founders & Owners
There are many things that make Gordon Estate Wines unique and fun to sell. We are the oldest estate winery in Washington State. We were one of the first wineries to pioneer red grape varietals in the Columbia Valley. We
consistently receive prominent accolades for our handcrafted wines. But one of the greatest things that makes us unique is our people. Gordon Estate has been owned and operated by Jeff and Vicki Gordon since they planted their first vines in 1980. Thirty-five years later, they are still behind the scenes and on the front lines growing the brand they’ve built. Jeff and Vicki met during summer vacation in 1961 at Hayden Lake in Idaho. They were friends for seven years before Jeff asked Vicki on their first date. In January 1971, Jeff and Vicki tied the knot, starting their married life with just $600 and a blue Chevy. The rest, as they say, is history. Ten years later, Jeff and Vicki sought the expert opinion of Walter Clore, the “Father of Washington Wine,” in regard to 200 acres of sagebrush-covered land on the Snake River that they wanted to use for both white and red grape varietals. Walt’s stamp of approval sealed the deal, and Jeff and Vicki bought the land that is now the Gordon Estate Winery, and built the house they still call home today. We want to express our appreciation to all of you— our distribution partners and sales teams—for the work you do for our brand nationwide. Thank you for joining our adventure and championing our dream… We love having you as part of the Gordon Family!
671 Levey Road, Pasco, WA 99301 (509) 412-2323
AT YOUR FINGERTIPS…Additional Resources and Information
The Washington Wine Commission has a great website dedicated to educating trade members and consumers on Washington wine. They even have a trade section with sales and presentation materials that outline vintages, growing conditions, the history of our soil, sales trends in the market, etc. This site is a great resource to help you sell our wine and our neighbors’! Check it out at www.washingtonwine.org.
The Recommendeuer, an app available on iTunes and Google Play, features comedian Greg Proops, and pairs humor with in-depth knowledge on Washington State Wine. Videos and articles showcase why wines from Washington State are rated as the best wines in the world by the most respected wine critics. Download the app to explore what makes our wines unique, industry reports, grape production data, AVA profiles, food and wine pairings, industry groundbreakers, award winners, and much more.
Like us, follow us, friend us on social media for an inside look and up-to-date information on Gordon Estate Winery! Our handle on all forums is @gordonwines, or simply click on the icons to the left.
Winemaker Update from Tyler Tennyson
BARE VINES, FULL BARRELS
Thanks to the hottest growing season on record, the 2015 grape harvest had the earliest start date and end date for us here at Gordon Estate. The weather during harvest was great, with mild temperatures and not a single drop of rain slowing us down. We finished picking fruit in mid-October and then began topping, racking, and blending the 2014 wines, which had been waiting
patiently while we brought the 2015 vintage into cellar.
Post-harvest, I had the pleasure of traveling to Nashville, TN to work the market with the fine folks at Athens Distributing. I had a blast hosting two fantastic wine dinners at JJ’s Wine Bar in Franklin and the Vine in East Nashville. Both were amazing! It was great meeting our Nashville reps, sharing our wine, telling our story, eating delicious food, and of course—doing a little honky tonk’n!
As it is now winter in Eastern Washington, the newly vinted 2015 wines have been put to barrel, topped off, and have begun their evolution toward world class wine. We are currently preparing the 2015 Rosé of Malbec for bottling, and are starting to taste through barrels of Chardonnay to plan the final blend that will ultimately become the 2015 Gordon Estate Chardonnay.
Now that the wines are barreled, I am excited for my first trip to Japan in a few weeks to work with our partners at Nakagawa Wines, and talk about the uniqueness of both Gordon Estate and Washington wines. Does anyone know how to say diurnal shift in Japanese?
Cheers! (乾杯)
Tyler
IN THIS ISSUE: Winemaker Update Current Vintages Founder’s Note Sales Support
o New Year, New Focuso Trade Siteo Scores & Awards
Meet the Family: Marc & Katie Additional Resources
CURRENT VINTAGES:(Click for tech sheet)
Estate Reserves 2014 Gewürztraminer Ice Wine 2013 Reserve Chardonnay 2012 Block 3 Merlot 2012 Tradition 2010 Reserve Cabernet SIX 2012 Reserve Cabernet
Estate 2014 Chardonnay 2014 Malbec Rosé 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 Merlot 2013 Malbec 2013 Tempranillo 2013 Syrah
Kamiak2014 Unoaked Chardonnay 2014 Palouse River Rosé 2014 Windust White 2012 Rock Lake Red
With the awesome team at the Vine in East Nashville, after our wine dinner in November!
NEW YEAR, NEW FOCUS I hope you all made it through OND 2015 relatively
unscathed, and found time over the holidays to relax and enjoy the company of loved ones. I am excited to jump into 2016 with you, and do everything I can to help fill shelves, wine lists, and your pocket$ from the continued
growth of the Gordon Estate brand. As you start working with accounts to reset shelves and adjust wine lists, I’d like
to ask you to keep our Estate Cab and Estate Chard in mind. We’ve got BIG goals on those two SKUs this year, and I need your help to make it happen! If you need an
extra push to help score a placement, don’t hesitate to ask your managers to contact me, and I will do what I can to
ensure our mutual success. Thank you for everything you do, and Happy New Year!
TRADE & MEDIA SITE Tech Sheets, Shelf Talkers, Label Shots, and sales materials are available in a one-stop shop at gordonwines.com/trade.
SCORES & AWARDS 2014 KAMIAK CHARD: Silver Medal – Seattle Wine Awards “Excellent” & “Best Buy” – Great NW Wine 2014 KAMIAK ROSÉ: Gold Medal – SIMI Rosé Competition 2014 MALBEC ROSÉ Silver Medal – SIMI Rosé Competition Bronze Medal – Seattle Wine Awards 2013 CABERNET: Silver Medal – Great Northwest Wine 2012 MERLOT: Gold Medal – Craft Wine Fest
2013 MERLOT: Silver Medal – Pacific Rim Wine Competition 2013 SYRAH: Gold Medal – Decanter (1 of only 4 awarded!)
Silver Medal – Great Northwest Wine
2012 SYRAH: 91 points – Wine Enthusiast
2013 RES. CHARD: 90 points – Wine Enthusiast Gold Medal – Seattle Wine Awards
Bronze Medal – Pacific Rim Wine Comp
2012 TRADITION: 91 points – Wine Enthusiast
Gold Medal – Seattle Wine Awards
Gold Medal, "Best of Class” – Pacific Rim 2012 BLOCK 3: Gold Medal – Seattle Wine Awards
2010 SIX: Double Gold – Seattle Wine Awards
Gold Medal – Decanter
Silver Medal, “100 Top Wines” – SF Chronicle 92 points – Wine Enthusiast
Notes from National Sales Director, Crystal Elsey
SALES SUPPORT Greetings from Founder, Jeff Gordon
THE ESTATE DIFFERENCE
Being an Estate Winery has some great benefits, and as we turn the page on 2015, we are very excited about the exceptional wines we will bottle this year. Growing our own grapes essentially gives us the advantage of being able to start making our wine as soon as we start pruning in the spring. As we continuously watch and care for our budding grapes, we are always keeping the final wines in the back of our minds. Growing under contract would mean that our job is finished at harvest, and our key focus would turn to maximizing profit, instead of maximizing the quality of wine our grapes will produce. At every step and throughout all aspects of our vineyard’s growing cycle, we maintain the continual thought process of “how will what we are doing in the vineyard affect our wine?” This a key difference in growing estate grapes, and one of the things that makes our brand unique. I tell people we harvest three times a year, but we only get to keep the third harvest. The first harvest happens at bloom the first of June. We do shoot thinning, cluster positioning, and leaf stripping. The second takes place the first of August. We do crop estimations before thinning and spacing the clusters, resulting in ideal tonnage and spacing along the vine. The third and final harvest is late September/October when we harvest for keeps. Harvest is my favorite time of year, because we can taste our fruit, foresee the wine, and take pride in finding that our hard work at every stage was worth it. Vintage to vintage, our fruit and our wines reflect the soil, climate, and practices of each growing season. It is a partnership between nature and craftsmanship, and we aim every year to produce wines that your customers will enjoy drinking, and that you will be proud to sell. Thanks for your hard work, and keep selling!
-Jeff
Katie was four years old when her parents, Jeff and Vicki Gordon, planted their first Chardonnay vines in their new vineyard. From a young age, Katie recalls her parents’ toils and triumphs as they worked on their new project, running the winery and tasting room from a repurposed shed in the driveway of their family home. Even Katie was put to work sorting cherries in her overalls and helping hand-label bottles for their first release.
When Katie was around 12, Jeff and Vicki brought home one of their first major recognitions—the “Best of Show” Award from the Enological Society of the Pacific Northwest—for their Merlot. “They were just so happy and excited,” Katie recalls. “That’s my first vivid memory of success, and realizing, ‘Okay, this is what we’re doing now. It’s not just a hobby.’”
A family tradition, Katie attended Washington State University, where she studied Agricultural Economics and met her husband, Marc. Marc grew up in Ephrata, WA, and his love for the outdoors led him to get a degree in Agricultural Technology and Management. Marc took Katie on their first date to an Alanis Morissette concert at the Gorge Theater in 1996, and the two were married three years later. After college, Marc went to work supervising quality assurance at Lamb Weston, and Katie managed bookkeeping for Flattop Ranch, then handled communications and government affairs at the WA State Potato Commission. After Jeff’s brother retired, Jeff and Vicki found themselves sprinting to keep up with the growth of what were then called “Gordon Brothers” wines, so Marc and Katie joined the family business in 2001. Marc now oversees all aspects of farm and vineyard operations, including pest management and fertilizing, budgeting, irrigation, harvesting, maintenance, crop sales, and certifications. Katie manages the bookkeeping for the farm and vineyards, as well as superintends the company’s marketing, branding, promotions, and winery-related events. Katie says she finds much gratification in being able to work with her parents and help continue the family legacy.
When not working, Marc enjoys hunting and coaching baseball, and Katie loves to travel. They love going to the movies, drinking Gordon Estate Syrah, watching their three sons, Isaac, 18, Max, 15, and Luke, 6, play sports, and attending WSU football games (Co Cougs!). They just celebrated the New Year and their 40th birthdays in Hawaii, where they snorkeled, kayaked, drank lots of mai-tais, and recharged for a busy, exciting 2016!
MEET THE FAMILY Marc & Katie (Gordon) Nelson
Vineyard Manager, Marketing Director
671 Levey Road, Pasco, WA 99301 (509) 412-2323
AT YOUR FINGERTIPS…Additional Resources and Information
The Washington Wine Commission has a great website dedicated to educating trade members and consumers on Washington wine. They even have a trade section with sales and presentation materials that outline vintages, growing conditions, the history of our soil, sales trends in the market, etc. This site is a great resource to help you sell our wine and our neighbors’! Check it out at www.washingtonwine.org.
The Recommendeuer, an app available on iTunes and Google Play, features comedian Greg Proops, and pairs humor with in-depth knowledge on Washington State Wine. Download the app to explore what makes our wines unique, industry reports, grape production data, AVA profiles, food and wine pairings, industry groundbreakers, award winners, and much more.
Like us, follow us, friend us on social media for an inside look and up-to-date information on Gordon Estate Winery! Our handle on all forums is @gordonwines, or just click on the icons to the left.
Miss the last newsletter? View it here:
New Winemaker Announcement
MEET HILLARY SJOLUND
veteran Washington winemaker. Sjolund has worked with Hoppes on several different notable Washington brands, and she also has her own label: Sonoris Wines. The Wine Boss team will work with Gordon’s existing cellar crew, including Norberto Canseco who has been with the winery for 20 years. His experience and knowledge will be essential to making this new partnership work. Until now, Wine Boss has done all their consulting work at their facility in Richland, WA. In this partnership, the wines will be made at Gordon Estate winery located at the vineyard near Pasco. Charlie and Hillary will visit the winery often to consult with Vineyard Manager Marc Nelson and guide the Gordon cellar team with key winemaking decisions. Sjolund, who will be the primary consultant in the agreement, has 17 years of experience in winemaking and her creativity and expertise are exactly what the Gordons are looking for to continue and build upon Gordon Estate brand’s success. “This is a new strategy for us and it may take a few weeks for everyone to settle into their roles,” says Jeff Gordon, founder and owner of Gordon Estate, “but we are really looking forward to working with Wine Boss and we hope to gain a fresh perspective. Charlie and Hillary have already come up with some great ideas regarding winemaking practices which will bring out the best in our vineyard and elevate our brand.” Jeff Gordon Hillary Sjolund [email protected] [email protected]
IN THIS ISSUE: New Winemaker Announcement Current Releases Scores & Awards 2016 WA Wine Guide Additional Resources
CURRENT RELEASES: (Click on a wine for the tech sheet)
Estate Reserves
2014 Gewurztraminer Ice Wine 2014 Reserve Chardonnay 2012 Block 3 Merlot 2012 Reserve Cabernet 2012 Tradition
Estate
2014 Chardonnay 2015 Rosé of Malbec 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 Merlot 2013 Malbec 2013 Petite Verdot 2013 Tempranillo 2012 Syrah
Kamiak
2014 Windust White 2012 Rock Lake Red
Gordon Estate Winery has made a move to begin partnering with some of the most successful winemaking consultants in Washington State: Charlie Hoppes and Hillary Sjolund (“SHOW-lund”) of Wine Boss in Richland, WA. Wine Boss is a winemaking consulting company founded in 2011
LIKE, FOLLOW, FRIEND US
@GORDONWINES:
2013 Estate Cabernet: 90 points from Wine & Spirits Magazine Silver Medal from Great Northwest Wine 2013 Estate Merlot: Silver Medal from Pacific Rim Wine Competition 2013 Estate Syrah: Gold Medal from Decanter (1 of only 4!) 2012 Tradition: 91 points from Wine Enthusiast Gold Medal from Seattle Wine Awards Gold Medal & “Best of Class” from Pacific Rim Wine Competition 2012 Block 3 Merlot: Gold Medal from Seattle Wine Awards
For press on previous vintages, visit http://www.gordonwines.com/trade.
671 Levey Road, Pasco, WA 99301 (509) 590-1815
CURRENT SCORES & AWARDS
WA STATE WINE ROAD TRIP
Each year, a select group of the nation’s most important trade come to learn about Washington State wine via focused seminars, group tastings, and small group exercises across the entire state during Washington State Wine Road Trip.
The Washington State Wine team is extremely proud of the quality and educational content of this program, and we invite you to nominate a candidate for this year’s trip. The ideal candidate is a key decision maker, educator, buyer or gatekeeper for their community.
Have someone in mind? Nominate them here.
2016 WA WINE GUIDE AVAILABLE
HERE:
NEW CONTACT NUMBER
National Sales Director, Crystal Elsey, has a new contact number:
(509) 590-1815
As of May 1, she will no longer receive calls at (509) 412-2323. Please make any necessary changes in your contact logs.
Winery News: August 25, 2016
HAPPY HARVEST!
Today was our first day of harvest! Winemaker Hillary Sjolund and Vineyard Manager Marc Nelson have been keeping a close eye on our grapes, roaming the vines to taste test our first grapes to ripen—the grapes that will become our 2016 Estate and Reserve Chardonnays. Today we harvested 15 tons of Chardonnay to be loaded onto the crush pad. Harvest
will continue for the next 5-6 weeks as the rest of our grapes continue to round out the veraison process and plump up into their purplish hues.
There are several factors taken into account when determining when to make the “pick call” for each varietal. We brought in the first round of Chardonnay two weeks ago to test the baselines (sugar, acid, and pH levels) of 15 different blocks. Once the baselines showed desirable readings, the grapes continued to be evaluated for their readiness in other areas: progression of ripeness, condition of seeds, and fortitude of skins.
IN THIS ISSUE: Winery News: Happy Harvest! Vintage Changes & Current Releases Puncheons: Elevating our Reserves Wine Dinners Scores & Awards Additional Resources
CURRENT RELEASES: (Click on a wine for the tech sheet)
Estate Reserves
2014 Gewurztraminer Ice Wine 2014 Reserve Chardonnay 2012 Block 3 Merlot 2012 Reserve Cabernet 2012 Tradition
Estate
2014 Chardonnay 2015 Rosé of Malbec 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 Merlot (Vintage change) 2013 Malbec 2013 Petite Verdot 2013 Tempranillo 2012 Syrah
Kamiak
2014 Windust White 2012 Rock Lake Red
Ripe and ready grapes will have a desirable balance of brix and acid, crunchy brown seeds that are not bitter or flaky (green seeds make green wines), and skins that have remained intact, uncracked, and undamaged by the sun. As we have few clusters in our vineyards that face west, we are easily able to protect the skins of our grapes—especially those delicate whites—from splitting and sunburn (yes, grapes can sunburn!), thereby ensuring minimal microbiological impact.
Cluster of our ripening Chardonnay grapes, taken 8/17/16
(Continued on next page)…
GIVE US A SHOUT OUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA @GORDONWINES: 2013 Estate Cabernet: 90 points from Wine & Spirits Magazine
Silver Medal from Great Northwest Wine 2013 Estate Merlot: Silver Medal from Pacific Rim Wine Competition 2012 Estate Syrah: Gold Medal from Decanter (1 of only 4!) 2012 Tradition: 91 points from Wine Enthusiast Gold Medal from Seattle Wine Awards Gold Medal & “Best of Class” from Pacific Rim Wine Competition 2012 Block 3 Merlot: Gold Medal from Seattle Wine Awards
For press on previous vintages, visit http://www.gordonwines.com/trade.
671 Levey Road, Pasco, WA 99301 (509) 590-1815
CURRENT SCORES & AWARDS
PUNCHEONS
Our winemaking team will be implementing a new fermentation technique for our 2016 Block 3 Merlot and Reserve Cabernet. They will be
converting ten 500-liter puncheons made from new French oak into red fermenters by attaching a small door and rollers, so the wine can be
turned 2x/day. Puncheons were first used in the Gordon Estate Winery for the fermentation of our 2015 Reserve Chardonnay, and the results were so
favorable, that the method will start being applied to our reserve reds.
This large format fermentation method allows for slower maturation without drying out the fruit, while also increasing body and enriching the
mouthfeel of the wines. It is our intention that this new practice will further elevate the quality and complexity of some of our most prestigious
products.
… Here Comes Harvest! (continued)
Our winemaker, Hillary Sjolund, is excited about the potential of the 2016 vintage. With a hot spring that propelled the ripening of the fruit, and a summer growing season nearly as hot as 2015’s, we estimate starting harvest around August 29th.
What will make this vintage different, according to Sjolund, will be the cooler nights the vineyards experienced during the growing season. With higher levels of acid than last year’s grapes, she anticipates slightly longer hang times that will allow us to pick grapes at moderate maturity, with more flavor at a lower brix level. The resulting wines should have quite a healthy and discernable amount of structure, complexity, food-friendly acidity, and layered flavors.
Questions for Hillary? [email protected]
BOOK WINE DINNERS NOW!
Our Winter schedule is now open for consumer wine dinners. Wine dinners are a great way to strengthen rapport with accounts, increase
consumer awareness, reward faithful business, and introduce your team to the people behind the wine. No market work is expected in Nov/Dec.
To schedule, email [email protected]