To celebrate Washington Wine Month, we are sharing a peek into our winemakers’ backgrounds and their approaches to collaborating on crafting a DeLille blend. We sat down with our winemaking team to get a peek into what drives their passion for the craft and how these individuals have worked together to improve quality over the past ten vintages.
Jason Gorski (JG): Winemaking has been a lifelong journey for me. I have been employed as a Winemaker for over half of my life, and my inspiration has changed over the years. I was initially driven by a desire to understand the fundamentals of viticulture and enology. I love the complexity and history of the wine world and how wine plays such an important part in so many different cultures in so many parts of the world. With that foundation, I have turned to the pursuit of crafting world-class wines. Over time, that has evolved into pursuing growth: building a brand, culture, team building, and wine quality improvement.
Nick Bernstien (NB): Growing up, I always loved food and cooking, and eventually wine, when I began to work at nicer restaurants during college. I was sold after doing my first vintage in 2010. The industry’s great people and the job’s dynamic nature keep me motivated.
Mari Rossi (MR): I was initially drawn to winemaking because of its application of math and science and my family’s love of wine. I keep coming back for more because I love crafting something tangible and delicious to share with the world.
JG: DeLille had a unique, established style when I arrived. I take stewardship seriously. We craft wines with balance, restraint, and undeniable intention, focusing on quality. Each wine (and program and vineyard block!) has a “road map” versus a recipe – which allows us to pursue the philosophy of allowing the vineyard to express itself best. Sometimes we need to intervene, and sometimes it is best for us to stay out of the way. Choosing the right path requires full attention and dedication to the craft.
NB: The goal is to make the best wine possible in that given vintage while keeping in mind the style that has defined DeLille’s blends for the past 30+ years.
MR: It is a collaborative effort! Our amazing team works hard from the vineyard to bottling, and the blends are no different. We intentionally provide ourselves with options (whether that is a difference in barrel, yeast, block, etc.) so that we have all the tools to blend the best wine possible.
JG: In Winemaking, just like the entire business, we succeed or fail together. The intention is to build a winemaking team comprised solely of individuals who bring their own perspectives and opinions on what the best practice is. This ensures we are continually open to improvement – nothing is sacred, everything is worth examining to find if opportunity exists. This creates a safe space for new ideas to be discussed – even if we do not make any adjustments, we want to continue to have an open dialogue.
NB: By remembering wine quality is subjective and everyone has a different lens when looking at wine or a way to accomplish something in the vineyard and/or cellar. A bottle of wine is only made possible by the hard work of so many people (Growers and their teams, trucking folks, cellar team, bottling workers, harvest interns, all the packaging and barrel vendors, and more), so collaborating is a must.
MR: My perspective is a direct reflection of my lived experience within the industry, and I have been lucky to work with many people who have encouraged collaboration, inclusivity, and openness when making wine. I believe that the more we expand what winemaking looks like, the more people we will reach.
JG: Like picking a favorite wine, it’s too hard to choose. The vineyard connection comes in multiple forms. The first is that we create true partnerships with our growers. We aim to understand their concerns and motivators and how these interplay with our own and find the best path forward for everyone to succeed. This is how we have maintained relationships with vineyards since our founding. The second part is being there, experiencing the weather, and putting eyes and hands on the vines. This, combined with knowledge and experience, allows us to evaluate and make growing decisions.
NB: Mike and Jonathan Sauer cooking kabobs in the vineyard last year on an old fireplace insert was something I won’t forget.
MR: We work with so many great growers that it is hard to pick! Four-wheeling around Red Willow with the Sauers is always a treat, as they are pioneers in the Washington Wine industry and are always sharing their knowledge. We learn something new every time we are out working with Dick Boushey in several of our vineyards, and we try to get out east as much as possible. Each year, we prune in one of our blocks, which is always a humbling experience, reminding us how integral those who work with the vines daily are to craft the wines people get to enjoy.
JG: History, philosophy, effort, expertise, consistency, collaboration, quality and volume – all of it. Our vineyard sourcing, equipment, barrels, and processes are not unique to DeLILLE, but the results cannot be replicated. The details matter, and our winemakers’ commitment and hard work make our wines unique.
NB: For many of DeLille’s wines, the vineyard blocks we work with are only used by us, so they truly are unique wines. I would also say our unwavering commitment to quality, striving to improve and learn a bit more every vintage, and the dedication and passion shown by our team and vineyard partners are what sets us apart.
MR: Our history is so rich with such a solid foundation dating back 30 years, and yet we continue to grow and develop with the times. We always pay homage to our roots, not only our founders but also the vineyards that we continue to work with today, and I think people can sense that passion, collaboration and love in our wine.
Producing Memorable ExperiencesJG: There are so many examples of the same experience. The sheer joy it brings me to see our customers in a restaurant choosing to share our wine over food and fellowship never gets old. One of my favorite memories is when my wife and I were sitting in a restaurant (with our daughter in a highchair), and the table next to us had two life-long friends who appeared to be reconnecting after some time. They were enjoying the food and a bottle of D2. I waited until they were saying their goodbyes and apologized profusely for interrupting – but I had to tell them that it was an absolute honor to be a part of that – if only in spirit.
NB: There are so many, but drinking Chaleur Blanc while playing bocce ball at Ocean Shores with friends is a fond memory I would like to relive soon.
MR: I have recently been drinking our wines from the 2014 vintage, which was not only a killer vintage but also my first at DeLille, so that has been fun to share with friends and family.
