Soos Creek Wine Cellars

Boeing's wine club has turned out a number of fine winemakers including John Bell of Willis Hall, Ron Yabut of Austin Robaire, Ben Smith of Cadence and Tim Narby of Nota Bene Cellars. Eugene Foote was the first Boeing employee to go commercial (1978) with E.B. Foote Winery. He sold the winery in 1991. Dave was the second employee to graduate to the big time. "One reason a lot of winemakers come out of Boeing is simply the amount of employees concentrated in this area," explains Dave. "But I think that engineers and accountants make good winemakers. You have to watch the details. Also, the club has the equipment needed and good vineyard sources."

Dave's plan for commercial winemaking went according to plan. "I had the advantage of getting in on the ground floor. I wasn't a pioneer like Rick Small, Gary Figgins, Alex Golitzen, Brian Carter or Ste. Michelle, but I recognized early on what we had in Washington. I learned from others and knew to start small and grow slowly. It's much more difficult to start a winery now because there's so much competition."

Modeling his winery after Quilceda Creek, he started out with just one wine, a Cabernet Sauvignon. It was his only wine from 1989 to 1997. In 1997, he blended some leftover Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It sold so successfully, he's made it every year since and calls it Sundance.

Seeking perfection as winemakers will, Dave decided in 2001 that neither the Cabernet Sauvignon nor the Sundance were as good as he wanted. He blended the two and called it Artist Series. It was so successful, he continues to make it to this day. "That wine was instrumental in changing my style," says Dave. "Since then, my wines have shown more elegance and finesse."

Just prior to bottling in 2006, he discovered that a blend of his 2004 vineyard-designated wines from Ciel du Cheval and Champoux was superior to the individual wines and named it "Soleil." At the recent 2007 Seattle Wine Awards, it won the Grand Award of Excellence for Cabernet Sauvignon ($20 and over).

"I don't enter many competitions," says Dave. "For a wine to win, the judges have to come to a consensus. Wines that are not offensive to anyone are the ones that often win. That's not to say they aren't good wines, but the really outstanding wines are sometimes too extreme to gain that consensus. I like to push the limits in my winemaking. You're working with tannin, acid, fruit, alcohol and oak. I push to, but not over, the limit of each of those components. I get a striking wine that's still in balance." Even after garnering this award, his preference is still to make vineyard-designated wines rather than blending the two vineyards. "Soleil won't be a wine I make every year," he says.

He now makes four wines—Sundance, Artist Series, Ciel du Cheval and Champoux—all from Bordeaux grape varietals. "It was good to start with one wine," Dave explains. "But as a winemaker, I got tired of making one wine. Wine is my art and I needed to be more creative. I know customers, distributors and restaurants can be disappointed if I discontinue a wine. But my focus is to make the best wine I can regardless of marketing concerns. Quality over continuity."

Dave has committed to buying Syrah grapes in 2007 "because I need a good challenge." He is also contemplating creating a serious Merlot in the style of Petrus, a great Bordeaux that sells for a minimum of $500 per bottle. "I've found the additional grapes I need to emulate the style but not the price of Petrus. Washington Merlot is exceptional, but I'm looking to make something that is not as fruit forward."

In addition to new wines, he and Cecile are also moving to larger quarters. "We've always made the wine at our house," says Cecile. "We started in the garage. We built a new home, then added a separate building in 2005. I just got my garage back this year. Now we'll build again and if all goes well, we'll be making wine there in 2008." Certainly they'll need the space since they hit 1,500 cases this year. They open their winery/home to the public one day a year (late October/early November) for their annual open house. It's grown from approximately 30 visitors to over 250.

"The public probably perceives wine like any other commodity," muses Dave. "But most boutique winemakers do it for the love of it. It's an expression, a way to be creative. We need money to live and we'd like to make lots of it, but it's not really our priority. Winemaking can be grueling at times, it's not glamorous. You almost have to be nuts to do this. But I feel very fortunate to live in one of the few places in the world with access to grapes this good."

Connie Adams/June 2007

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