Winemaking Approach

The old adage “great wine is made in the vineyard” is at the root of W.T. Vintners. Our wines are meant to be a conduit through which the vineyard can speak.  We have a firm belief that this goal is best met by taking a “hands off” approach in the cellar while creating our wines.  Our efforts begin in the vineyard by working closely with the growers to manage farming techniques, optimize crop loads and to choose the optimal time to harvest which is often weeks before our neighbors. By picking early we are working to ensure that the vineyard’s “voice” is not lost to high alcohols or overtly fruity wines.

 Once we have the fruit in the cellar we will determine how much whole cluster (versus just berries) we will utilize for the fermentation of each lot. Through the whole cluster fermentation, we seek to coax out both greater structure and more savory flavors and aromas in our wines.  We then will rely on feral/spontaneous yeasts from the vineyard to ferment our wines as opposed to inoculating our fruit with commercial yeast strains.  Once fermentation is complete we eschew the use of new oak and instead choose to age our wines in neutral French oak barrels.  This method of aging is inspired by the wines of the Northern Rhone, Burgundy, Germany and Austria and makes certain that the wines will reflect the place it is grown and not the vessel in which it has been stored. Most importantly , we take this approach because we want the wines to champion Washington’s extraordinary terroir.

Ultimately, we attempt to make wines we want to drink; wines of place, wines that complement a meal and wines that tell a story. We want them to be as delicious as they are interesting. Most importantly, we want our customers, our friends and our families to reach for another glass.

À votre santé!

Jeff Lindsay-Thorsen
Winemaker