January 19th – Woodinville, WA: Located just three hours east of Seattle in the heart of the Red Mountain AVA and immediately adjacent to highly regarded vineyards of Kiona, Ciel du Cheval, and Ambassador, among others, Tinte Cellars’ newest vineyard was expertly planted over two decades ago by the brother of former owner Eve Shaw, the late Fred Artz, a legendary grape grower on Red Mountain who helped manage famed Klipsun Vineyard for more than 20 years.
During Fred’s time at Klipsun, the vineyard gained a reputation for quality on the world wine scene, was named one of the “Top 25 Vineyards in the World” by Wine & Spirits magazine, and gained recognition as one of Washington’s “First Growth” vineyards in wine circles. Artz was held in high regard by the wine industry and received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009 by the Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers; he passed away in 2015.
The latest addition to Tinte Estates Vineyard includes 12 acres shared by the three major Bordeaux varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. Tinte Estates’ crop of wine grapes from its vineyards on Red Mountain will continue to be sold by contract as well as become featured in more award-winning wines produced by Tinte Cellars.
In 2021 acquired a five-acre vineyard formerly owned by Corvus Vineyard. Each year, it produces 15-20 tons of quality fruit and features seven distinctive blocks planted in European high-density style. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Petite Sirah, and Mourvèdre are currently being harvested at Tinte Estates Vineyard.
Tinte Cellars produces approximately 4,000 cases of award-winning Washington wine annually.
In addition to Tinte Estates Vineyard, Tinte owns two tasting rooms near its winery in Woodinville, a third tasting room in Seattle’s historic Georgetown neighborhood, and Tinte Red Mountain Retreat, a short-term vacation rental property nestled among Tinte Estates Vineyard.
“It is an honor to be a modest part of Red Mountain’s world-class wine growers,” said Spellman Gamble. “We are thrilled to deliver even more outstanding Red Mountain sourced and exclusive Washington produced wines to our valued club members and consumers.”
Tinte Cellars does not have plans to open a tasting room on Red Mountain in the near future, and instead will introduce its wines and mission at pop-ups and vineyard tastings throughout the year, as well as at our established Washington tasting room locations, said Spellman Gamble.
About The Red Mountain Appellation ~ information courtesy of Tinte Cellars
Considered by many in the wine industry to be the top grape-producing region in Washington state, wines produced from grapes grown on Red Mountain have become some of the state’s most sought-after and have brought an international spotlight to the region.
Red Mountain, Yakima, and Walla Walla appellations are all contained within the Columbia Valley, stretching from around Wapato to Milton-Freewater and crossing the Columbia River into Oregon. While the Red Mountain AVA lies within the southeastern area of the Yakima Valley Appellation’s boundaries, it has a distinct microclimate.
The small geographic region that comprises the Red Mountain AVA was formed by the repeated ice-age flooding of Glacial Lake Missoula over 10,000 years ago. The floodwaters redesigned the landscape, configuring the soft mountain slopes and depositing nutrient-rich top- soils over sand, silt, and gravel – as if to anticipate the introduction of wine grapes to the region.
The first Red Mountain winery was bonded in 1980. After that time, more people began to purchase land and plant vineyards, recognizing the superior quality of Red Mountain grapes and the potential for world-class wines.
AVA status was achieved in 2001. The Red Mountain AVA now hosts approximately fifty-four vineyards covering more than 2,300 acres, making Red Mountain one of the most densely planted AVAs, with nearly 60% of the AVA currently planted.
The name Red Mountain can be misleading for two reasons. First, it does not refer to the color of the mountain’s soil, but rather, some say to a native grass with a red hue. Secondly, Red Mountain, for those with other mountains in mind, might be a disappointment since its elevation ranges from only 500 to 1,500 feet. Even so, among the rolling hills of Eastern Washington’s desert, Red Mountain’s sloping hillside is a prominent landmark, storing radiant heat for the growing vines of the valley floor. The Yakima River flows nearby, helping moderate climate extremes, as do so many major rivers in wine country regions throughout the world.
Some say the Red Mountain Appellation has it all: slope, exposure, weather conditions, good air drainage, large swings between day and night temperatures, multiple wineries within a few miles, plenty of undeveloped land, gravelly soil with high calcium carbonate content, and high pH (high alkalinity). Sloping lands beneath the broad Red Mountain lie at the southeast end of the Yakima Valley, overlooking Benton City, where annual rainfall is only about six inches, and supplemental irrigation is usually provided a few months into the growing season.
The world-class wines made from Red Mountain fruit express the terroir with great strength and richness while demonstrating exceptional balance of fruit, acidity, and tannin.
About Tinte Cellars
In June of 2018, co-owners and husband and wife team, Tim Gamble and Teresa Spellman Gamble, purchased Woodinville’s William Church and Cuillin Hills wineries creating the umbrella brand, Tinte Cellars.
Community, volunteerism, and philanthropy formed the foundation of Tim and Teresa’s upbringings; their culture. When they established Tinte Cellars, the business needed to reflect those values and their desire to leave the world better than they found it.
Each year, Tinte Cellars selects a few nonprofit organizations to receive a portion of all wine sales (right off the top).
In 2021, five percent of all retail sales and 10% of all wine club sales will be split equally between Mary’s Place, Northwest Harvest, Seattle Children’s Behavioral Health Crisis Care Clinic, and the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic. In addition, Tinte invests in a wide range of programs and activities to enable their customers, employees, and partners to amplify their own positive impact on the world. Since June 2018, Tinte’s philanthropic commitment of cash and in-kind donations to local non-profits has exceeded $725,000.
Tinte now operates two tasting rooms near its winery in Woodinville, a third tasting room in Seattle’s historic Georgetown neighborhood, Tinte Estates Vineyard on Red Mountain in Benton City, Washington, and Tinte Red Mountain Retreat, a short-term vacation rental property nestled in the vineyard.
The Tinte team secured dozens of wine awards over the past three years, recently earning Double Gold & Best of Class for their 2018 Tinte Cellars Malbec at the Sunset International Wine Competition.
Tinte Cellars has released the following wines under the Tinte Cellars label: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Syrah, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, William Church Red Blend, Bishops Blend, Cuillin Hills Red Blend, and Rosé of Counoise.
Please find details about Tinte Cellars awards and accolades here:
https://tintecellars.com/tinte-cellars-wine-recognition-10_25_21
To learn more about Tinte Cellars, please visit:
- Website: https://tintecellars.com
- Wine Club: https://tintecellars.com/wine-club
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tintecellars
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TinteCellars
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tintecellars
