Vin du Lac

Not just a tasting room

Hanging at a favorite Napa winery and  enjoying the picnic grounds was one of Larry Lehmbecker's favorite pastimes as a law school student in San Francisco. When starting his own winery, he recalled that pleasure. He wanted to create a space that people would return to, not to taste and run, but to taste and relax. If you've been to Vin du Lac in Chelan, Washington, you know he's succeeded.

Beautiful lake view property was purchased in 2002, and a dozen varietals planted in April. May brought the remodeling of buildings. Twenty tons of fruit were purchased and crushed. "From the get go, I knew I'd find a way to have both food and wine," says Larry. "The first couple years, we had an open cooler case with picnic items. Then we expanded to prepared meat and cheese plates. In 2005, we added Panini grilled sandwiches. We eventually created a bistro lunch menu, then an all-day menu. Now we've had three winters with full dinner menus."

Vin du Lac has a large selection of wine, red and white. "Washington focuses on big reds from Eastern Washington and we make those," explains Larry. "Chelan is a cooler region and lends itself to more whites and Pinot Noir, and we make those. We're actually trying to shrink a little. Over time, we've focused more on local grapes, but we'll always do some reds. I'm excited about Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir. Cabernet Franc can do well in cooler climates, so you'll probably see more of that in the future. Wines in cooler climates retain more acidity. Sauvignon Blanc in Washington doesn't really have the green grassy-ness that others do. It could be the DNA variation of the clonal stock, I don't know." Approximately 75% of their grapes come from the Chelan AVA and Pateros, which is very close, but considered Columbia Valley. Other grapes come from Rattlesnake Hills and Wahluke Slope.

Vin du Lac 105 Hwy 150 Chelan, WA 98816 866-455-WINE (9463) www.vindulac.com

For the past few years, they've had a garden to supply some of their needs for the Bistro. "The planting succession is a challenge," says Larry. "You have to understand yields and succession. It's one thing to grow some items you'll use for a week. It's very difficult to stay in greens for months. This year, we've hired a consultant to help us."

Larry (photo) caught the wine bug early on. His parents were home winemakers and an uncle had a winery in Spokane in the '80s. When introduced to Napa, it was all over. He still has a law practice in Bellevue, which allows him to have the winery. "I'm the general manager and rainmaker, and have 12 employees. I spend about 75% of my time in Chelan." Around 2000, he was making both wine and beer at home, but saw the wine industry taking off and wanted to do it commercially. "I wanted a place in Chelan. I'd fallen in love with the area when I was a teenager. I loved to fish, hunt and hike, and you could do it all here. As soon as I'd made some money and didn't have to work 40 hours a week, I started looking for a place on the water. One spring, the realtor said 'let's look at this place on the hill.' I saw the land and thought 'this is it.' I bought 20 acres of view property. Discovering that piece of land was the moment I knew. And I haven't had a day off since," he laughs. "It's a lot of work and takes way more money than I'd thought. It's a challenging business. But it's a good life in a special place. People come here in a good mood, not like when they come to the law office. My family has moved here and helped me. My parents, my brother and his family, my sister. I have two nephews who have worked here and one more is almost old enough. My mom planted roses, so even though she died in 2004, she's still here. And my dad is here helping me. If I hadn't started the winery, I'd see them infrequently. Instead I've been able to see them every day. If visitors hang out for awhile, they'll probably meet a family member. We're family and dog friendly and want to share our space."

The future holds more dinners and music, a larger garden, and great wine. "I'm now ready to start planting again," says Larry. "In the beginning, there were things I didn't know. Now my tastes have evolved. We have lots of Riesling and Gewürztraminer, but want to plant more Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Franc." We'll be waiting.

Connie Adams/May 2013