The Tasting Panel magazine

September 2013

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF PRECEPT WINE Now, the bold sign is the shingle to a multimillion-dollar international winery that boasts a 53,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility—or as Waterbrook winemaker John Freeman calls it, "a winemaker's dream." That dream gives Freeman a capacity of 10,000 barrels, 60 fermentation tanks ranging from 1,000 to 3,000 gallons, a 100-bottle-per-minute bottling line, a cross-flow filtration system, an alcoholizer, spectrometer and a Starship Enterprise–worthy diagnostic system that's just missing a voice activation toolkit. Then there's Walla Walla's terroir, a region carved out 15 million years ago during the colossal lava flows and cataclysmic glacier-induced floods that gave the earth its sand and silt. The now 140-acre Waterbrook Estate Vineyard was once a landscape of dry-farmed wheat, the region's number-three crop behind grapes and onions. In 2009, Waterbrook turned the acreage into full-time vineyards, starting with 85 acres of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot in southern-exposure rows with east and west draws. This year it added another 55 acres, incorporating Malbec, Chardonnay and Syrah. Waterbrook also grows and sources grapes across the Columbia Valley in addition to its estate holdings. This spectacular location is exactly why parent company Precept Wine purchased Waterbrook Winery, says Andrew Browne, Chief Executive Officer, who's been on a Northwest purchasing spree, buying wineries and vineyards throughout Idaho, Oregon and Washington. "Washington is critical," Browne says. "It's the epicenter of where we started. Walla Walla is a special place to grow grapes and make wine." If Washington is Precept's epicenter, then Waterbrook is the company's heart, producing stellar value wines that range from the Waterbrook 2012 Pinot Gris (SRP $12) , a mango-forward and crisp citrus bomb, to the 18-months-in-oak Waterbrook 2010 Merlot (SRP $12), a raspberry and chocolate delight. But Waterbrook also boasts fine mid-range wines appropriate for the white tablecloth, including the sultry Waterbrook 2010 Reserve Malbec (SRP $25), giving plums and pepper, and the buttery Waterbrook 2011 Reserve Chardonnay (SRP $17). Every bottle is an accomplishment to Freeman, who The Waterbrook Reserve Cabernet (SRP $25) shows fine balance and a long, focused finish. Waterbrook winemaker John Freeman with his faithful assistant Duncan. had never heard of Walla Walla wine ten years ago. Sure, he knew about Walla Walla because of the Bugs Bunny cartoons, the prison and the onions. But the California boy didn't know much about its wine scene. Now, he says, "everybody knows about Walla Walla. Our wines speak for themselves; we want more people to try them." Of course, wine has also made Walla Walla an in-vogue tourist destination. Hotels, bed and breakfasts, James Beard–nominated restaurants and downtown shops have capitalized on the attraction to wine. "People who are serious about wine know about Walla Walla. They build honeymoons and vacations around Walla Walla wine. You couldn't say that ten years ago," Freeman says. "The Washington Wine Commission and Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance have done a good job." It doesn't hurt that Walla Walla rolls off the tongue or that the region makes beautiful wine. And right there in the thick of this burgeoning wine region and tourist destination is Waterbrook. When Rindal started this winery in 1984, there wasn't much. Now look at Waterbrook. It has a sign and all. september 2013  /  the tasting panel  /  87 TP0913_063-103.indd 87 8/22/13 9:24 PM

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