A Bottle for the Road: Tour de Col Solare a la Red Mountain, Part 1

I woke up at 5:50 in the AM to go to Red Mountain. In the AM! I hardly function around 9 before two cups of coffee. Dark roast.

Arriving at the airport 12 minutes late (I HATE being late), I was still the first of five writers shipping out to Pasco from SeaTac courtesy of Ste. Michelle Estates to visit the Red Mountain AVA and Col Solare, one of the premium brands that falls into line with the Ste. Michelle Estates entourage. We flew into Pasco, home of the mighty Tri-Cities Airport, and shuttled out to the land of the vine. Passing familiar names along the way and many a’taco trucks we only left alone since it was 8:30, we pulled up the gravel way of Antinori Road, the route to the elusive sundial that is Col Solare Winery.

First to greet us in the 90+ degree heat before noon was winemaker Marcus Notaro, who looks strangely like four guys I’ve dated and gave us the low-down on the operation that is Col Solare.

The winery – or I should say wine, since they produce only one blend that is sold to the public – is a partnership between Tuscan wine powerhouse Marchesi Antinori and Chateau Ste. Michelle. Col Solare translation: “Shining Hill” – which is also the name of the side label that they only sell at the winery.

THE wine is a Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend, varying year by year, starting with the 1995 vintage and receiving outstanding 90+ scores every year from Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate and priced at 75 big ones.

The priority of our day was spent explaining the wine’s existence. I can easily say all of us learned a lil’ somin’ somin’ in viticulture that we soaked in through the sun, from the dirt on our feet, the purple stains on our pants and the wine in our bellies.

Col Solare sits on 40 acres of land, with the winery itself taking up just under 19,000 square feet and the growing three-year-old estate vineyard holding down 28 acres. Red Mountain AVA hits its limits around 4,000 acres and consists of many older vines than Col Solare’s estate (first planting in 1975 with John Williams of Kiona Vineyards and Jim Holmes of Ciel du Cheval Vineyards) including Klipsun Vineyard, where we spent some QT with the notoriously awesome Patricia “Trish” Gelles.

Trish, who was dubbed “Queen of the Mountain” from Seattle Weekly a few years back, rightly so earned her title. Tenacious, no holds barred and full of conviction, Trish is pink from her feet to her head, starting with her socks to her shirt to her lipstick and hair. She seemed to love every minute of it. British-born yet Red Mountain-made, Trish has owned Klipsun Vineyard with her husband, David, since their first plantings in 1984.

The lot was purchased and planted with the idea of producing similar fruit to the two high-ranking and delicious vineyards around her, Trish said. She planted her Cab grapes right next to Kiona’s Cab grapes because they were supposed to be the best.

Her fruit quickly rose to the same caliber with its own profile and reputation. Trish said her fruit is more masculine, structured, larger and tannic than a lot of the fruit that comes out of Red Mountain. Marcus later showed us that is credited to the icebergs and avalanches of many years ago that left the ground with a soil called “warden loam.” This rocky, gravely soil produces fruit and ultimately wines with the above mentioned qualities.

For Marcus’ vineyard selection, and specifically in reference to Klipsun, he said he looks for consistency and attention to detail, a characteristic he is envisioning for his young vineyard, only with an Italian spin. The estate vineyards were planted in an Antinori-specific style to produce the mainly Bordeaux varietal vineyard.

Soil to vine to grape to wine… Stay tuned for what’s in between and my failed attempts at “vlogging.”