333 cs. made.  $36/btl. 

Bright yellow gold white wine, with meyer lemon, notes of hay, pronounced salinity, and petrichor. We sprawled the west side of the vine rows to keep sunburn out and freshness in. A cropload of 3.6 tons/acre kept acid and sugar in balance with Lawrence vineyard’s trademark intensity. The Roussanne was whole cluster pressed and fermented native in barrel, a mix of barriques and puncheons with 15% new French oak from Jupille. The wine rested in barrel for 16 months until bottling.

Lawrence vineyard is a cool site overlooking the Royal Slope and the Saddle Mountains to the south. The Roussanne block sits at 1450 feet of elevation in Taunton silt loam soils that give way to broken basalt. The sloped elevation of Lawrence gives it protection from frost that wreaks havoc in vineyard sites lower on the slope. The long cool growing season is ideal for serious white wine such as this Roussanne.

676 cs. made.  $40/btl.

93 pts. Wine Enthusiast | 93 pts. Vinous 

57% Grenache, 26% Mourvedre, 17% Syrah from Upland, Lawrence, and Freewater Rocks vineyards with 55% whole cluster/45% whole berry. Garnet hued blend with aromatics of black cherry macerated with black pepper, gun metal, sanguine. Crackling palate with solid acid and polished tannin. Grenache gives the red fruited framework and garrigue, Syrah the gamey depth and expansive mouthfeel, Mourvedre holds down the bottom with bloodied blackberry and spice. 

Fermented on native yeast and punched down by hand for an average 28 days before pressing. This blend is aged in neutral 500L and 228L barrels for 22 months before bottling. 

100 cs. made.  $60/btl.

The 2^nd iteration Mayor Bill is 72% Grenache, 13% Syrah, and 15% Mourvèdre all from Upland Vineyard. This micro-production single vineyard GSM leads with piercing aromatics of bright bramble fruit, garrigue, and incense. An intense palate with balanced acidity and refined long tannin. We selected our most robust Grenache puncheons as the center here with Syrah and Mourvèdre supporting a blend built to age. Fermented on native yeast and punched down by hand for an average 27 days before being basket pressed to neutral 500L puncheon for 22 months.

Who is Mayor Bill again? Upland Vineyard in Sunnyside, WA was planted in 1917 by William “Bill” Bridgman making it the first commercial planting of Vitis vinifera in our fair state. Bill is the visionary grandfather of Washington wine and all of us that make wine here now owe a debt to the twice elected former Mayor of Sunnyside. We are honored to work with the Newhouse family farming the same hill of rocks and dirt that “Mayor Bill” saw potential in over 100 years ago.

195 cs. made. $55/btl.

94 pts. Owen Bargreen

96 cs. made. $52/btl.

100% Syrah sourced from Lawrence Vineyard in the Royal Slope AVA. All native, loads of whole cluster, hand punched down, and basket pressed; this wine carries classic Rhone aromatics coupled with Washington intensity. The nose opens with olive and smoked meat moving to macerated blackberry, rosemary, and cracked pepper that continues on the palate. This wine reflects the excellent vintage we were given in 2018. 

Lawrence vineyard is a cool site overlooking the Royal Slope and the Saddle Mountains to the south. The Syrah block sits at 1375 feet of elevation in Taunton silt loam soils that give way to broken basalt. The sloped elevation of Lawrence gives it protection from frost that wreaks havoc in vineyard sites lower on the slope. The long season at Lawrence gives us intense flavor and color while retaining freshness and vitality. 

*NEW WINE!* 83 cs. made. $55/btl.

The inaugural vintage for a tiny new Latta offering from a block that’s an old friend. Andrew began working with Todd Newhouse and Upland Vineyard twelve years ago with Grenache for us and Syrah for another winery. These blocks are highly desired and never change hands. We finally talked Todd into a small section of the old Syrah block in 2018 and now the wine is finally here! Deep, dark color and matching brooding aromatics are the first impression. It continues with dark berries, sage, and grilled rare ribeye. This is serious broad-shouldered red wine, tannin and supporting freshness are firm and this wine has a long future ahead of it. 2.8 tons/acre from the near perfect 2018 vintage. A lengthy maceration with 65% stems and 35% whole berries lend depth to the aromatics and a savory note to the finish. This 100% Syrah is aged in second-fill 500L puncheons for 22 months before bottling.

Upland Vineyard is a rolling extremely sloped site located in the Snipes Mountain AVA.  Snipes Mountain was named for Ben Snipes, an early Yakima County pioneer who built a house at the base of a mountain in the 1850s. The area was first planted in 1917 by Washington State wine pioneer William B. Bridgman, twice elected Mayor of Sunnyside. The vineyard on Snipes Mountain was the first to plant Vitis vinifera commercially in Washington. Snipes Mountain is a seven-mile-long anticline ridge created by fault activity. The "peak" is 1,290 feet high, rising from the floor of the Yakima Valley with unique, rocky alluvial deposits then forming aridisols on the hill. These rocky deposits are composed of gravels and sediments left by ancient river beds, the ubiquitous rocks range in size from a fist to a football.

162 cs. made. $52/btl.

Always beloved by the weirdest weirdos in the club, the 2019 opens with iodine, gravel, and the faintest hint of baking spice. The palate reassures you that this wine was indeed made of grapes, with notes of dark ripe mulberry followed by continued savory spice. This 100% Mourvèdre is fermented with 70% whole cluster and 30% whole berry. Aged for 22 months in 500L puncheon and 228L barrique, 10% new French oak from Allier.

Our Mourvèdre is all Upland Vineyard as well, albeit a very different block from the Grenache. One of the most exposed parcels on Snipes Mountain, our Mourvèdre block soaks up the sun on the thinnest rocky soil. This block requires the most attention from Andrew and Todd Newhouse, our grower partner here, of any block we farm. Notoriously finicky, Mourvèdre requires just the right combination of carrot and stick to get to its sweet spot for harvest. Many long hours have been spent staring at the canopy while climbing the extreme slopes of Upland trying to divine what these vines need next. We hope the wine delivers as much mystery and depth as it provides us throughout the season.

167 cs. made. $52/btl.

100% Malbec fermented whole berry without any crushing of the fruit. Punched down by hand for 35 days on the skins then basket pressed to 60% new 500L puncheons for 22 months of aging. The nose is full of blue fruit, tar, and violets. The dense palate is intensely flavored but retains a sense of freshness and elegance through to delicious finish. A wine equally enjoyable to make as it is to drink.

Weinbau Vineyard is in the Wahluke Slope AVA, just outside of Mattawa, WA. Weinbau was planted in the late 70s, a truly historic and pioneering vineyard for the area. These Malbec vines were planted in 1990 amid a modest expansion. We could not make this standout wine without the involvement of Miguel Rodriguez, the grower who has guided Weinbau from its very first days to its celebrated place among the great vineyards of Washington. It’s an honor to walk the rows with Miguel, now in his 45^th vintage at Weinbau. We hope you enjoy!

142 cs. made. $60/btl.

Welcome back "Gants de Suède"! This blend is 62% Cabernet Sauvignon and 38% Malbec all from Lawrence Vineyard in the newish Royal Slope AVA. The integration of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and 60% new French oak puncheons is seamless and ready for your consumption now or for many years to come. A dense blend wound with currant, clean leather, and tobacco from the Cab Sauv. Fruit density and full body from the Malbec. When tasting this wine from barrel the texture often reminded me of suede leather, the tannins are present and serious but polished and supple. This wine is squarely in the bold red category, pair with hearty meaty fare.

A note on the somewhat out-there name! I don't think the request was made on our first date but pretty soon after, my wife (I think mostly facetiously) wanted to know when I was going to name a wine after her. As I climb the barrel stacks, I taste and think about our wines through the months and years. How they are maturing and what they may become. For this wine, a suede textural note kept coming to my mind and each time brought me a smile as I thought of my wife. Swade, is my wife's nickname, born out of efficient collegiate brevity. Sara Wade > S.Wade > Swade. So these barrels kept making me think of her nickname and when we made it legal and married in 2017, I decided this was it, the fates wanted this wine to be hers. Naming it "The Fantastic Sara Wade" would have been a bit on the nose for her taste so a 1800's Parisian fashion craze for Swedish made gloves gave us the root for suede type leather and the name of this wine, Gants de Suède. This one is for you Sara Wade. Thank you all for putting up with this long-winded intro and, Sara, thank you for putting up with me. I love you. Enjoy the wine!

1204 cs. made. $17/btl.

Welcome our latest addition to the Kind Stranger lineup, Pinot Gris! 

We're inspired by taking the name KIND STRANGER quite literally and turning toward others around us. We've seen our national landscape shift a bit recently and we feel it's as important as ever to be a real kind stranger in the world. Proceeds from this wine benefit Mary’s Place at the local level here in Seattle and the International Rescue Committee on a broader scale, please click the links to see the important work they do. Cheers!