Blog Post
A New Decade
Kerry Shiels • Jan 02, 2020
Reflections and contemplation
At some point last summer, it hit me. We were in 2019 and I came home in 2009. 10 years. With the new decade, it seems like everyone is reflecting, so it's relevant to share. We've had massive growth and changes, and so many great things have happened. It's really rather remarkable, and also exciting to think what's coming next.
Looking back to the big milestones and changes:
- In 2010, we released the first vintage of rosé. Up to that point, we only bottled Côte, Carriage House, and Chardonnay consistently. We've grown a lot with Riesling, Syrah, and the Train Station wines as well! Expanding the range of wines brings technical challenges, but I do believe that having this many wines keeps us focused and constantly learning. And, now we have more choices for winemaker dinners, taco pairings, and Tuesday nights.
- The Train Station tasting room is open! 10 years ago, you had to make an appointment, come to the production facility, and taste standing up on the concrete floor by the tanks. It's so much easier to just drop in the Train Station, it's a more convenient location, and GPS will even give you the right directions (not always the case at the production winery!)
- Wine clubs to help you to get the wines you want. Especially now that everything is customizable so you have choice with every shipment. We watch the weather, so those of you in Florida, Texas, and New York don't have to.
- Emails, the blog, and social media make it so much easier for you to stay engaged with what's happening in the vineyard and the winery. We love that you love following along with the process!
New things coming up:
- More food and wine pairings. So many of you are saying you enjoy the recipes that get sent with the club shipments, so we're doing more of them! Have a favorite of your own that you'd like to share? We'd love that too.
- A new wine! Cabernet Franc, the red version, not just rosé. You asked, and the vineyard listened! In 2018, there was enough wine to keep a few barrels separate and we'll bottle it this summer. It will be in the club shipments this fall.
- Club appreciation events. Making wine is fun, sharing it with you is awesome. So we want to do more to say thanks for being awesome! Have an idea of something you'd like to see? Let us know in the comments.
Some things that never change:
- Our mission of growing grapes with unique flavors and structures is constant. We continue to improve our viticultural practices for even better fruit every year.
- Our vision of world class wines that express the spectacular site. So many different wines, but they are all distinctive and have their own personality.
- Our commitment to excellence by paying attention to details to ensure quality in everything that we do.
- Knowledge that you, our customers, enable us to keep going. Thank you.
We look forward to the new decade, and sharing more wine and time with you 🥂
Even with great weather, there is variation and variability in any vineyard. One of the big sources of variability we see in the Yakima Valley is due to our large difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures. These dramatic temperature swings are so important for grape quality, but they do mean that we have to manage the microclimates within the different parts of the vine.
Consistency in the Vineyard helps create wines you can count on
It's incredible to think about now, but the beginnings of DuBrul Vineyard are not far removed from the beginnings of the modern Washington Wine Industry.
