Bottleology – Nodland Cellars with Tim and Tracy Nodland

Please pay attention—I have a discovery to announce.  Immersed in the wine business as a Sommelier and Wine Writer, I’m always on the hunt for inspiring greatness. In particular, I look for those that are genuine, and I seek wines that are unique and apart from the main stream.  My intention is to also be the first to discover that special something.  On this day, I’d like to make it official that Tim and Tracy Nodland of Nodland Cellars in Spokane, Washington offer me just that.  Here’s the Bottleology look-behind-the-bottle.

T-N-T: On an immediate “cool note,” Tim is a musician who put himself through college as a guitarist touring nightclubs throughout the western United States. Later, he got a job booking bands with a talent agency.

“I worked with ‘hair’ bands in the late 1980s and at one time had eighteen metal bands on the road all over the country. I still play guitar, but now I usually play jazz and my performances are a little more laid back than what I was doing with music in my early career,” Tim said.

Tracy–a stunning woman with Sicilian looks and charm–loves to oil paint.  Her murals can be found on the winery walls, with titles like, “I Love My Job” and “Submerged In My Work.” Tim says, “She can also take anything and arrange it to make it look beautiful.”

Together they collaborate and channel their creativity into making wine.

Bottleology – Tasawik Winery: “Dedication From Vine To Wine”

Yet another transplant to good ‘ole Washington wine country, Norwegian winemaker Erik Dahle and partner SaraBroetje together make up Tasawik winery.  I took a little time to sit down with Erik and get a sense of the whats and whys of Tasawik.

Grocery List: Milk, Sugar, Shampoo, Pop Tarts, Bread Yeast, Eggs, Tooth Paste…20 lbs. of partially rotten grapes: Erik at 17, made his first batch of wine, and fortunately his worst–using over-the-counter ingredients from mom’s grocery list. Erik said, “I had no idea what I was doing, but it was so much fun and I just loved the process of it.”

AMERICA, are you serious? A hop, skip and a jump later, in an effort to finish up college, Erik moved from Norway to  Seattle—that was in 1992. He began tasting some California and Washington wines and realized he was close to some really good wine country and started toying with the idea of his own vineyard.

Johnny Apple Seed: Erik’s “real job,” as he puts it, is working for one of the biggest apple orchards in the world, located in Eastern Washington. Inspired one day, Erik decided to buy a little land, hoe a bit of earth and sow some seeds there.  Instead of apple trees, Erik planted grape vines.  Instead of an orchard, Erik has a vineyard. He now brings new meaning to “Red Delicious,” by fermenting Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Merlot.

Bottleology – Larry Lehmbecker of Vin Du Lac, has the “Lac-down” on Lake Chelan

I Learned It From Watching You: Larry is from the Seattle area–Renton actually–and grew up in a household of home winemaking. His parents were his role models, who both had a fond appreciation for the fermented juice.  His winery, Vin Du Lac, puts their “home brew” to shame with an annual production of 10,000 cases [gulp, gulp, gulp].

For Some It’s East Jabip—For Larry It’s Home: Several decades ago Larry “discovered” Chelan, WA. At that time he was just a teenager and he always found himself there due to his love for the outdoors (maybe it was because of a broken compass). Regardless, Larry ultimately spent ten years looking for a place to call home in that area. Finally, in 2002 he signed on a property set on a hilltop, 200 feet above Lake Chelan, with orchards and now seven acres of vineyard.  Larry is now what you’d call, “a happy camper.”

Larry Says: “It’s certainly the most creative thing I’ve ever done.  I can’t sing, I can’t dance, I can’t draw.  I don’t have any of those creative talents, but by god I can make wine.”

The TA-DA!: In 2005 the Vin Du Lac 2003 Cabernet Franc was released and made it into a tasting competition held by some other wine magazine called, Wine Press Northwest, [PRE-WINO!]. This magazine holds an annual “Platinum” competition, where they take all the wines from that year that they’ve awarded gold medals too and re-taste them to pick the Platinum winners.  That year Larry’s wine was picked as THE Top Wine in the Northwest.

Excuse me, WAITER: Larry’s a smart guy. He has his own Law practice, prides himself on being able to make sense of large amounts of information and is a self-taught wine maker. As smart as that makes him, the guy knows when to call on the advice of a Sommelier or restaurant server when selecting wines outside of Washington State while dining out. Coming from a professional server [yours truly], I respect that. Larry, equally a salesman, added: “honestly, I end up drinking a lot of my own stuff.  If I go to a restaurant and everything looks pretty sketchy, if I see some Vin Du Lac on there [the wine list], I’m going to order the Vin Du Lac because I know it’s good.”

Bottleology – She moved from California to Washington to make wine. Hillary Sjolund of Di Stefano Winery, is obviously a smart woman!

Hillary Sjolund grew up in the heart of Anderson Valley on the Mendocino coast in Northern California, but that wasn’t where she found her love affair with wine—it was while attending UC Davis as a Pre Med student. Hillary said, “I had no clue whatsoever that it was a wine making school and that wine making was a degreed program,” so she took wine making as an elective.  The course, instructed by Carole Meredith of Lagier Meredith Winery, was one that enthralled Hillary and captured the culture and history of wine.  It was in that class, “I figured out what I wanted to do,” she said.

Her start: Her first job in the wine business was at Pine Ridge Winery in Napa Valley as a lab tech, where she said “I became the intern that never went away,” that is until she headed south to make wine for a stint in the Colchagua Valley of Chile.

Heads up: Mark Newton of Di Stefano Winery in Woodenville, Washington, had been growing the winery and it got to the point that he needed help from a wine making diva. Mark decided to hire a head hunter [obviously a good one].   Hillary clearly made the right choice and left California fro Washington State!

This is why I’m hot: In California there is a lot of competition, and working on your own projects as a winemaker is much more expensive.  So, here in Washington, Hillary has more freedom to buy the highest quality grapes and more of them—some girls would call that shopping. “Washington is still a very young industry here, it’s very collaborative and I’ve had a lot of fun working with the growers and other winemakers—it’s been a good time,” she said.

Psssssst: Look for a release coming soon from her own personal label—she’s big on Cabernet Sauvignon.

Mama Mia: Hillary looks to soon incorporate Italian varietals into the Di Stefano portfolio to the winery’s program to better brand its Italian heritage.

Bottleology – Gifford Hirlinger wines may appear on your next billing statement… and that’s OK

Idaho to Italy: Mike Berghan is from Sandpoint, Idaho–population 8,216. I can tell you, if you don’t already know it, the place is beautiful—but then there’s Florence Italy. Mike’s junior year in college was spent in Italy and it was where, as the Italians call it, “The Magic Happened.” During his work-study there he met his best friend, whose family just so happened to own Caymus Vineyards in the Napa Valley.

Subliminal Message:V  I  S  I  T  G  I  F  F  O  R  D  H  I  R  L  I  N  G  E  R W  I  N  E  R  Y

What Did You Drink While In Italy Mike?: “I was drinking a lot of just local stuff. There was this little restaurant called La Spata—we became friends with the owner. They made this little house wine, it was just a couple of brothers who made it with locally grown grapes. So we drank a lot of that, and to be honest we drank a lot of boxed wine called Tavernella [at the time it was just $.60/L]. We just called it Buzz in a Box!”

3, 2, 1, CONTACT: Mike had just completed a degree in International Finance and shortly thereafter was “shuffling papers around” at Solomon Smith Barney—he lost interest quick and said, “screw it!”  Mike had a contact and friend who was managing a Pinot [Noir] vineyard in Sonoma Valley and asked him if he knew of anyone looking for help.  He was given two names, and the first guy he called gave him a job working for a vineyard management company.  He then noted, “I was the only Gringo out in the vineyards down there and I just had a blast doin’ it.” Mike added, “I learned a lot of dirty Spanish in the three years I was there.”

Bottleology – Bob Delf of Northwest Cellars: “Wine. Now it gets personal.™”

The man, the myth, the legend: Bob Delf of Northwest Cellars started learning about wine when he was 20 years old—his parents are in the wine importing business.  His education is heavy in computer math and computer science. In addition Bob has a business degree. He’s been head honcho at several software companies and the Canadian loves the idea of building companies.

His head scratching, AH HA moment: “About five or six years ago someone had  given me a private labeled bottle of wine. First of all, the label was kind of cheesy looking. Well I opened it and it was just terrible, I mean just pour down the sink—you wouldn’t even cook with it, it was that bad (Bob sends his apologies to the gift giver). I then thought, there must be a wine market for quality wine that people would actually enjoy drinking.  So that’s what I’ve been going after for the past 5 years.”

Here’s the deal: Northwest Cellars is a custom labeling facility that cherry picks an endless array of already made wine from all over the state, from wineries that have more wine than they know what to do with.  Bob doesn’t make the wine, he does only the blending and selection work, with the occasional tweak. Bob buys, bottles and sells this wine under custom labels created by customers for; special events, restaurants, hotels, corporate and personal gifts, private clubs, non–profit fundraisers, and regional or community–based projects, as well as special occasions such as weddings, anniversaries, birthdays and grand openings. In addition this wine is also bottled under the Northwest Cellars label and sold in a retail fashion.

Making the cut: 95% of the wine that people send Bob as samples don’t make the cut. He note’s “there’s a lot of bad wine out there.”

Bottleology – Frank “The Tank” Roth of Tagaris Winery

Where It All Started: Shooting birds in Preston Vineyard when he was ten years old.  “Old Man” Bill Preston, as Frank used to call him, paid him 10¢ a bird which he said equated to about 30¢ per day. Then when Frank was twelve, he started working for Rob Griffin [of Barnard Griffin], hired to do small chores around the winery—“I was a big kid for my age” he noted.  After high school he worked on a mobile bottling line in British Columbia, Canada. After that, he helped out in their vineyards and the crush. This led Frank into the winery where he learned about cellar work.

Work In The Interim: Washing dishes in a restaurant and working as a grill cook.

His Big Break: Working for Barnard and Griffin. When he started in 1997, they were producing 20,000 cases annually. Upon leaving in 2005, when he started with Tagaris, Barnard Griffin were producing 75,000 cases.

Motive: “I’m a dad. I have two kids, two boys actually. So really, just the responsibility of taking care of my kids is all the motivation that I need. On the other hand, there is the personal pride thing…just wanting to be the best at everything…and the competitive aspect of it all.”

Bottleology – A Pennsylvania Winery: Naylor

A lone Seattle to Baltimore red-eye flight was a surprisingly pleasant trip coast-to-coast, and one aided by late night rest.  A 9 a.m. rental car was my chariot (a Toyota Matrix), and the weather, a constant drizzle capped in thunder.  To my side was my alibi and lovely lady Danielle. I soon, and happily so, became her chauffeur, her chaperon and tour guide as we began our adventure into the southern Pennsylvania landscape. Our final destination was my northern Lancaster County home, but first our scheduled pit stop at Naylor Winery, to cure some curiosity and talk with their resident WINO, Ted Potter.

Edward “Ted” Potter is a winemaker. Ted, [his friends call him] is a graduate of the CIA (Culinary Institute of America), and served in the U.S. Navy during Vietnam. He also taught at the Western Montgomery County Area Vocational and Technical School in Limerick, PA.  While teaching there he was the Resident Resource Person for Temple University for ten years and credits his wine making career to his unique background and eternal love of food. His path began with a winemaking kit back in the mid-70s making cooking-wine from a grape called Marechal Foch. In 1985 he became the winemaker and partner of Naylor Winery in Stewartstown, PA.

I am certain that Ted Potter is doing much of the legwork for your United States wine-consuming population, making a staggering 37 different wines, on 80 acres, producing 8,300 cases. Ted uses many French-American (his favorite Chambourcin) and Classic European Vinifera grapes to due so.   Through this process, admittedly tedious, he’s trying to find the grapes most appropriate for the land in which he works. Ted comments, “Winemaking is about taking what the good lord gives you and turning it into what it was intended to be.” Ted also makes six different fruit wines (Apple, Cherry, Peach, Raspberry, Plum and Strawberry).

Bottleology – Darby Winery with Darby English

Darby English, a Seattle native and former professional golfer, has just left the pharmaceutical and medical field to pursue another passion: wine.  Darby stands behind his creation with pride and equal promise, which makes it only fitting that he chose to name his business Darby Winery—launched commercially in 2005.

Before it all started, Darby’s wine knowledge spanned not much further than the dinner table. While attending college in Oregon, he found enjoyment in the local Pinot Noir’s. His most memorable wine along the way was from California, Chateau Montelena 1993 Cabernet Sauvignon—now a sentimental representation in his 300 bottle collection (Bordeaux and Rhone heavy).  These wines and his stately travels were the foundation to Darby English, the winemaker.  He credits UC Davis courses for adding to his technical background and his love for competition, both of which have added to his quality level of winemaking. He notes, “If I find a technique that ultimately makes for a better product, I have to do it, even if it’s more labor intensive.”

Bottleolgy – Nota Bene w/ Tim Narby

Nota bene is a Latin and Italian phrase meaning “note well”^{[nb 1]}. It is in the singular imperative mood, instructing one individual to note well the matter at hand. (The pluralis form is notate bene.) In present-day English, it is used to draw the attention of the reader to a certain (side) aspect or detail of the subject on hand, translating it as “pay attention” or “take notice”. It is often written in the abbreviated form: N.B. “Nota Bene” Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nota_bene

The East Coast of the United States is origin to some significant contributors of the wine world in which we live. Take Robert Parker for example, the famous wine critic who was born in Baltimore, Maryland.  Well Bob’s not alone, also from that region is Tim Narby, a winemaker originally from Erie, Pennsylvania.  Tim now lives in OUR Washington State and it’s no coincidence that these two men’s collective greatness stems from a similar setting.

Tim, the owner and winemaker of :Nota Bene, a Seattle based winery, is representing like only an East Coaster can. To date Tim has made 11 wines that have scored 90+ points (Wine Enthusiast), since he began winemaking in 1985.  It was on his wedding day that he received a winemaking kit and some blackberry concentrate—two years later he was sourcing wine grapes from Champoux Vineyard (Horse Heaven Hills AVA) and Ciel Du Cheval (Red Mountain AVA).  Tim works for Boeing and is credited for the introduction of this fruit to the members of The Boeing Wine Club back in 1992, a winemaking group of which he is a member.

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