Betz Family Winery*

A passion for wine

Last month we started a three-part series about the Betz Family Winery. In Part 3 we learn about unusual wines made,  distribution, awards and the love of the grape.

Only three times in their history have they varied from the wines they've always made. In 2000, they made four barrels of a Merlot blend called La Marraine. In 2005, they produced a higher-end Bordeaux blend called Le Parrain and four barrels of a Syrah blend called Chapitre 3. All were sold within hours to their loyal mailing list customers.

"Our mailing list is wonderful," says Bob. "We sell the majority of our wine that way."

Because they also appreciate the wine shops and restaurants who believed in them when they first started up before they had a mailing list, they still sell wine to them. "We've never forgotten who brought us to the party," says Bob.

They work with seven distributors outside of Washington. "They get a very small percentage of what they'd like," explains Bob. "We have no distribution in California." Since wines sell out quickly, the winery is not open to the public and there is no tasting room. They take part in events, but attendees must be on the mailing list.

Wines are submitted to critics and they get high ratings. Wine Enthusiast has two of their wines on their top 100 lists worldwide, the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2005 Clos de Betz. "Ratings are a mixed blessing," says Bob. "They level the playing field and that's good. But they reduce pleasure to a number."

Wines range in price from $40-60, quite a bit below wines with lower ratings. I don't want the wines to be out of reach. Wine is about pleasure and I don't want the wines to sit in a cellar or be auctioned. We want people to drink them." They don't send wine to competitions although customer ratings are high. And Sunset magazine has entered Betz wines. In 2007, they took the stop spot on "deep pocket reds" and Bob was told that his wines "ran away with the award against a Napa Valley hall of fame at two-to-four times the price" of his wine. Sunset also named Bob Western Winemaker of the Year in 2007.

Most of the wines can be cellared from 5-20 years. "We can't say for sure since we're on our 12^th vintage," explains Bob. "But the four bottles left of the 1997 vintage are wonderful. We have a small library of past vintages and because of their plumpness, suppleness and good structure, they should be good down the road. The 2003 has miles to go."

For the fun of having an estate vineyard, they are growing Gruner Veltliner grapes at the winery. "These have been some of my favorite grapes and we're hoping to bear a crop next year that we can use to make wine, probably a single barrel, for friends and family."

Despite the small amounts of wine they make (3000-3500 cases each year), they donate an amazing amount to non-profit fundraisers. "We focus on organizations that service a wide array of human needs, like hospitals or Alzheimers and Parkinsons" explains Bob. "We've only done one event here at the winery since we're not set up for it. But John Howie came out and made amazing food for about 80 people."

When asked about lessons learned, Bob laughs. "On the job training is the greatest teacher. On a macro scale, I've learned that Washington grows great fruit and the people who grow it are just as passionate about that as I am about making wine. You can't produce a wine better than the grapes you use. Care, attention, detail, service—all these have to start right in the beginning. I'm in the vineyards all the time and each time I'm there, something good happens. You can't control the outcome if you're not watching the process."

"I've learned to treat Washington reds gently. Their ripening pattern allows them to take on huge structure. If gently picked, processed, fermented and barreled, the focus will be on the fruit and skins rather than the seeds. I've backed off on the amount of wood the wine is exposed to. The elegance and pleasure you get from reds is about fruit intensity and not size. When making wine, you have to taste, taste, taste. You can't do it enough. You can make adjustments as needed. And you should always treat your vendors as well as your customers."

Of all the lessons, it still comes down to the bottom line of loving what you do. "We love this chapter of our lives," says Bob. "We love what we're doing and feel blessed to have made the decisions that kept us in Washington." Again with the passion.

Connie Adams/February 2009