W a s h i n g t o n t a s t i n g R o o M . c o M 39

tasting RooM vineyard

writer Kori S. Voorhees

ne Would never guess by talking to dick Boushey

that he ranks among the most respected growers

in Washington state. his Boushey Vineyards in the Yakima Valley have been producing much sought after fruit for 30 years, yet he remains remarkably humble about his success.

“i first planted grapes around my house, and then ventured out from there, looking at sites that would fit wine grapes,” explains Boushey without any airs.

Boushey Vineyards is comprised of seven smaller vineyards, called blocks, all in close proximity to Boushey’s home north of grandview, Washington, at the base of the Rattlesnake hills. Boushey planted his first experimental block with ten different varieties in 1977. in 1980, he planted his first commercial block.

today, Boushey grows an impressive 23 grape varieties on 125 acres, including syrah, cabernet sauvignon, Merlot, sangiovese, tempranillo, grenache, cabernet Franc, sauvignon

Blanc, semillon, Marsanne, and Roussanne. currently, about 30 producers purchase Boushey grapes (see sidebar for complete list). Boushey refers to them as partners rather than customers. “i want to sell to a lot of people,” he says, adding, “it spreads the risk out.” speaking of diversification, Boushey also grows concord grapes, apples, and cherries in addition to wine grapes.

Boushey grew up in sumner, Washington, never dreaming he would end up farming. after college, he worked as a banker but decided it wasn’t the career for him. his father bought an orchard in eastern Washington and asked dick to take care of it for him until he retired and could move there. about the same time, the wine industry in Washington state was just beginning to emerge and Boushey spent a lot of time at the Washington state university irrigated agriculture Research and extension center in Prosser trying to learn as much as he could about farming. it was there he met dr. Walter clore, considered the father of

A tour of Boushey VineyArds with

renowned grape grower Dick Boushey, who makes the tough task of growing

world-class grapes appear effortless

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Veteran grape grower Dick Boushey amidst his famous Syrah vines at one of the highest vineyard elevations in the Yakima Valley.

40 W a s h i n g t o n t a s t i n g R o o M . c o M

TRY a taSte of BouSheY VineYaRdsBoushey grapes are prized by winemakers for their complex flavors, deep aromas, rich luscious mouthfeel, and ability to age well. Used in dozens of top-notch wines every year, Boushey fruit is either blended with grapes from other vineyards or used to make single-vineyard designate wines. To taste the purest expression of this vineyard, look for "Boushey Vineyards" on the front or back of the wine bottle, which means that 100% of the grapes were sourced from this vineyard. On the next page, we feature seven outstanding Boushey Vineyard designate wines. ❭❭

àMaurice Cellarswww.amaurice.com

Barrage Cellarswww.barragecellars.com

Betz family Winerywww.betzfamilywinery.com

Brian Carter Cellarswww.briancartercellars.com

Bunnell family Cellarwww.bunnellfamilycellar.com

Capstone Cellarswww.capstonecellars.com

Cavatappi Winerywww.cavatappi.com

Chinookwww.chinookwines.com

Coeur d’alene Cellarswww.cdacellars.com

Covington Cellarswww.covingtoncellars.com

Darby Winerywww.darbywinery.com

DeLille Cellarswww.delillecellars.com

efeStewww.efeste.com

fall Line Winerywww.falllinewinery.com

fidelitaswww.fidelitaswines.com

forgeron Cellarswww.forgeroncellars.com

hestia Cellarswww.hestiacellars.com

JM Cellarswww.jmcellars.com

Kestrel Vintnerswww.kestrelwines.com

Laurelhurst Cellarswww.laurelhurstcellars.com

Long Shadows (Sequel and Saggi)www.longshadows.com

Maison Bleue Winerywww.mbwinery.com

McCrea Cellarswww.mccreacellars.com

olympic Cellarswww.olympiccellars.com

o’Shea Scarborough Winerywww.osheascarboroughwines.com

Robert Ramsay Cellarswww.robertramsaycellars.com

Ross andrew Winerywww.rossandrewwinery.com

Red Sky Winerywww.redskywinery.com

Sparkman Cellarswww.sparkmancellars.com

trio Vintnerswww.triovintners.com

Walter Daconwww.walterdaconwines.com

boushey vineyard grApe usersWineries that buy grapes from Boushey Vineyards:

Washington wine, and the relationship sparked his interest in the industry.

GROWeR and WineMaKeRone of the things that makes dick

Boushey an exceptional grower is that he understands the needs and wants of winemakers and the importance of growing the wine in the vineyard. he’s been a home winemaker himself for 25 years, which helps him to understand the process and talk to the winemakers who buy his grapes.

“i wouldn’t consider myself a winemaker, but i probably have more experience than a lot of people starting wineries,” says Boushey. “i’m always a little dubious of winemakers who don’t have a good background in enology. there’s going to be awkward years. You need to make good wine every year, and good winemakers do.”

THe GiFT OF sYRaHthe variety most often associated

with Boushey is syrah. syrah ripens late in the cooler climate of the Yakima Valley, which allows it to retain good natural acidity without the alcohol getting too high. Boushey grows syrah on several different vineyard sites including McPherson Vineyard, county line Road Vineyard, grand côte Vineyard, and golden View Vineyard. While all four vineyards are within walking distance of Boushey’s house, they do have some variability when it comes to the slope and the depth of the soil.

When asked to characterize the overriding traits of syrah made from Boushey fruit, winemakers frequently mention the concentration of color, texture, and integrated tannins.

Marie-eve gilla, winemaker for Forgeron cellars says, “the main thing for me about the Boushey fruit is that it’s got a texture to it. it’s very precise. When you get it into the winery, you don’t need to fight with it. You can let the fruit do what it wants to do and then get it right into the bottle. it’s a gift, beautiful from the beginning to the end.”

chris sparkman of sparkman cellars agrees, “texturally, i think it is unique.

We’ve messed around with trying to blend it; at least we did in the first couple of years, with other vineyards from other sites. But it’s so singular and so special texturally that we just can’t mess with it. When the Boushey comes into the winery, there is sort of a celebration and a ‘here it comes’ because we’re so excited about it’s unique characters.”

Bob Betz of Betz Family Winery produces his la serenne syrah each year with fruit solely from Boushey’s county line Road Vineyard. “We’ve been farming the same rows with the county line Vineyard since 2000. We farm eight blocks total of syrah from Red Mountain to Red Willow. We receive the smallest berry size and the smallest cluster weight from Boushey’s county line. We typically get this lush, characterful suppleness of tannins that come out of there. We are looking for pigment, concentration, tannins, and yet vitality and vibrancy. i contend that’s what we get from this county line syrah.”

eVeRYTHinG in MOdeRaTiOnspeaking about his farming practices,

Boushey says, “My approach is minimalistic. i don’t like the word stress or deficit irrigation, but it’s moderation. i try to keep a small canopy—small clusters, small berries—and i think that’s one of the attributes that helps the wines have good color and good uniform ripening.” he doesn’t employ a by the book approach and uses technology sparingly. For Boushey, it’s all about experience, learning what makes each row in his vineyards tick to perfection.

Boushey’s good-natured personality makes him immediately likable and actually helps him promote his fruit and the wines made with it. even after three decades, he considers himself new to the business. “i’m still trying to figure out the best way to do this. i’m still learning. i’ll probably be doing this for another 20 years.”

the fruit already speaks for itself, but with dick Boushey’s dogged determination and unpretentious attitude, look for Boushey Vineyards to stay ahead of the pack as the vines and grower continue to mature together.

tasting RooM vineyard

When the

Boushey comes

into the winery,

there is sort of a

celebration and

a ‘here it comes’

because we’re so

excited about it’s

unique characters.— cHRis spaRKMan

sparkman cellars

Syrah is the variety most often associated with Boushey Vineyards, producing a deep concentration of color, texture and highly complex tannins.

42 W a s h i n g t o n t a s t i n g R o o M . c o M W a s h i n g t o n t a s t i n g R o o M . c o M 43

2008 Betz family Winery Syrah “La Serenne” www.betzfamilywinery.com

The Betz Family has sourced syrah from literally the same rows at Boushey Vineyards for ten years. deep dark purple in color, this dense, yet supple wine shows an amazing depth of flavors and aromas. Blackberry and black cherry are accented by anise, rocks, spice and leather. $55

2007 fidelitas Red Winewww.fidelitaswines.com

Fidelitas is Latin for faithful, loyal and true, and these principals are reflected in winemaker charlie Hoppes' handcrafted Bordeaux-style wines like this blend of Merlot, cabernet sauvignon, and cabernet Franc, all from Boushey Vineyards. complex flavors of rich fruit, coffee and hints of white pepper with balanced tannins. $50

2006 McCrea Cellars Syrah www.mccreacellars.com

This food friendly syrah was fermented with yeast strains isolated in the Rhône Valley and spent 17 months in French oak barrels. notes of earthiness, leather, cedar mingled with violets, cassis and blueberry lead to flavors of cherry, plum, licorice, smoked meats, pencil lead, toasted nuts and truffle. $36

2008 Ross andrew Winery Syrah www.rossandrewwinery.com

Ross andrew Mickel spent 9 years as assistant winemaker for Betz Family Winery before launching his own winery. He consistently produces stellar wines. This Boushey syrah has aromas of rich, dark and penetrating black fruits, with hints of smoke and earth, with a silky mouthfeel. $34

2008 Sparkman Cellars Darkness Syrahwww.sparkmancellars.com

From the highest elevations of Boushey Vineyards, nicknamed 'birdhouse block' by owner/winemaker chris sparkman comes this syrah named for its inky dark color. silky, powerful with monstrous dark fruit flavors, licorice, smoked meat, black truffle, pencil lead and toasted nut. $56

2007 Bunnell family Cellar vin de l’endroit McPherson Syrahwww.bunnellfamilycellar.com

Ron Bunnell crafts a series called vin de l'endroit (wines of a place), like this syrah from Boushey-Mcpherson Vineyard. soft, silky entry with aromas of clove and cinnamon. Raspberry, and chocolate flavors; a bit earthy, with hints of pepper and elder flower. $44

2009 Maison Bleue family Winery Petite Joie Marsanne www.mbwinery.com

Maison Bleue's Jon Martinez stands out with this 100% Marsanne made with Boushey grapes. aromas of crushed fresh almonds, honeydew melon, quince and crème fraiche lead to flavors of apricot and peach, marzipan, toasted hazelnuts with balanced minerality. $32

Grilled meat, wood-fired pizza, some cheeses, or smoky, grilled salmon.

GReaT WiTH...

Braised lamb chops, grilled steak, or try with a bacon and white cheddar pizza

GReaT WiTH...

Lobster, pork, chicken, mildly spicy foods, smoked trout, or hard aged cheeses.

GReaT WiTH...

Roasted lamb with herbs, grilled tuna, or hearty dishes with mushrooms.

GReaT WiTH...

slow-cooked meat dishes of veal, beef, pork, lamb, or even dried fruits.

GReaT WiTH...

BBQ chops, crispy pork belly with a hoisin sauce, or dry-aged steak.

GReaT WiTH...

Try with roasted red meats, stews, sausage, robust cheeses or hearty pizza.

GReaT WiTH...

tasting RooM PicKs

Boushey100%Vineyards

at a time when syrah was relatively unknown in the pacific northwest, dick Boushey was among the first to plant this untested variety. Today, a number of wines made from his syrah regularly receive worldwide acclaim. Boushey is also growing lesser known varieties such as Marsanne, Roussanne, cinsault and picpoul with excellent success. What makes grapes from this vineyard special? a rare duo of his Yakima Valley vineyard site combined with Boushey's sixth sense for growing remarkably small, dense berries loaded with complex flavors (without being overly ripe). Here are seven recommended Boushey designate wines.

writer John Vitale