I write this as I am up to my waist in grapes, enjoying my 48th harvest as a professional winemaker. Overall harvest 2025 has been a good one, with lots of good grapes which should translate to very nice wines. Not that things are going without a hitch, a few labor issues and some mechanical problems just to name a couple. Nothing to keep the grapes from rolling on in.

We started about the same time as past years, the first day of harvest being September 9th. That day we picked Tempranillo, Mourvèdre, Malbec, Graciano and Merlot. All nice and ripe. Well in fact, the Graciano might have been a little too ripe. Now, approaching the third week of October, we are 75% of the way there with just the grapes from Jim Willard’s Solstice vineyard yet to come in.

That would include his Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling and Sangiovese both for Rosé and red wine. The Solstice vineyard located in the central part of the Yakima Valley is in a cool site, just what I like, especially for the Sangiovese grape. In the next couple of days, I am heading over the hill to gather what I hope are the last samples of the year. My prediction is we will have all the grapes in before the end of October, which is normal.

In the meantime, we are punching down, checking brix, consolidating barrel lots and trying to do the much-needed maintenance on the equipment to keep it going until all this is over. The wines taste good, with nice fruit in the whites, nice fruit and color in reds. With pretty ripe flavors overall, my inclination is the 2025’s will be ready to drink a bit younger in age than normal.

Cheers! Brian

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In August of 2025, we released our newest vintage of our fan favorite Oriana. This wine is an elegant partner to the Stone Fruit Salad with Burrata thanks to its vibrant aromatics and crisp acidity. Notes of nectarine, apricot, melon, and pear echo the salad’s juicy peaches, nectarines, and cherries, while its bright, mouthwatering finish cuts through the creaminess of the burrata. The wine’s subtle hints of anise and honey harmonize with the fresh mint and honeyed vinaigrette, creating a pairing that is both refreshing and richly satisfying.

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For two years now Brian Carter Cellas has offered up rare and beautiful wines from our library as a club release item to the Amour and Devotion Clubs in August. This offers an opportunity to enjoy wines that have received ideal storage conditions for a decade or sometimes two or more! Wine is a unique food: it can get better decade after decade. However, not everyone has had a lot of experience with opening and enjoying older wines so I thought I would write a little piece on that subject.

It is not a safe assumption that all of you have developed an appreciation for older wines. If you are used to drinking your wines within a year or two of release you may find that the taste and aroma on these wines is different from what you are used to. Why do wines change with age? What happens to wines as they age? Small amounts of oxygen flow through the cork, changing the chemistry of the wine. The changes in the wine depend on the conditions the wine ages in, and the chemistry of the individual wines themselves.

The most important factor in the environment the wine is aged in is the consistency of the temperature. The actual temperature is important (ideally between 45 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit) but how consistent the temperature is, especially day to night, is the most important. That is why aging on your coffee table where the temperature can vary over a 24-hour period by 10 degrees or more is not good for the wine. The library wines for Brian Carter Cellars are kept at about 60 degrees consistently every day.

The three biggest factors in wine that determine its ageability are the level of acidity, the tannins and the amount of fruit intensity. All three of these things decrease with time and when they are gone, the wine tends to fall apart. I have often compared wine to a three-legged stool, when any of these factors are gone the stool falls over. That is why the more there is and the balance between these elements determines the ageability of a wine. It is worth noting that Brian Carter Cellars wines have a reputation for aging well because they have that balance of fruit, acid and tannin that is required. When we are talking about white wines, they don’t have much if any tannins, so we are talking about the acidity and fruit.

There is one factor that does increase with time, and that is bottle bouquet: a delightful mixture of dried fruit, dried herbs and flowers. The bottle bouquet is what really makes drinking an old wine a special experience. In my view, this character more than makes up for the drop in fresh fruit but I will admit that it is not for everyone. There is nothing wrong with enjoying a young fruit forward possibly higher tannin wine, but for many of us the experience of a well-aged red wine is well worth the wait.

One other change that can happen with wine aging is the development of sediment or deposit in the bottle. While most of my wines have a minimum of sediment it is generally worth putting a bottle that is ten years old or older, upright 12 to 24 hours before it is consumed so that the wine is not cloudy on the first glass. If sediment is significant, it may be worth decanting the wine. Decanting an older wine is not for the same purpose as decanting a young wine. Young wines benefit from a jolt of oxygen because it pushes them in the direction of an aged wine, so a vigorous splashy decantation is best for them. However, when decanting an old wine oxygen pick up needs to be minimized: be gentle. THEN ENJOY!

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2022 Hijos and Albóndigas

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Our 2023 ONE Riesling released in November of 2024 shines alongside Mussels with Apples and Cider thanks to its lively acidity, aromatic lift, and touch of natural sweetness.

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I’m sure that you all have been besieged recently by articles about the health aspects of wine, as I have. There has been a recommendation that a cancer warning be added to the existing warning label on all alcoholic beverages. I thought I would share my thoughts on the subject.

Obviously, since I produce, sell and enjoy wine myself, I have a perspective that favors its consumption. I also understand that there are dangers in excess consumption as well as drinking while driving and while pregnant. The relationship between alcohol and cancer has been known for some time, particularly regarding breast cancer. To my knowledge there is not any significant science that has recently been brought to light showing serious new dangers. This new push is mostly brought on by politics. In fact, recent science seems to be favorable towards moderate consumption. A Congressionally mandated report from the National Academies of Science, Engineering & Medicine (NASAM) recently addressed eight key health questions around alcohol consumption, including cancer. Their conclusion was: “compared with never consuming alcohol, moderate alcohol consumption is associated with lower all-cause mortality.” It is also known that red wine contains resveratrol, flavonoids, and other polyphenols that have been linked to cardiovascular benefits and anti-inflammatory properties. These compounds are largely absent in spirits. A 2022 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found higher cancer risk associated with spirits compared to wine and beer.

Perhaps the best perspective on the subject was written by Karen McNeil in her article What I Wish I Could Tell the Surgeon General, where she writes “…what the anti-alcohol dogmatists don’t seem to get: wine isn’t just alcohol.” I think this is the most important point. When you put a glass of wine to your nose and lips, the experience can take you to a foreign country, perhaps through a memory you had in Tuscany. It can take you to a memory with an old close friend. No beverage is associated with a place, history and a culture like wine. No beverage has the food friendliness of wine, it can make ordinary meals into feasts that will provide you with a lifetime of pleasure. No other beverage has the extraordinary ability to age over sometimes decades of time, giving you an experience of going back to the same wine again and again to discover the discerning changes wine aging provides. Wine is community, wine is friendship, wine is family, wine is the land, wine is jobs and the economy. WINE IS LIFE!

As is so often stated, everyone needs to make their own decisions on what, when and how much to drink. It is a personal decision. I encourage you to take advice from your doctor and your loved ones.

I recently read an article that stated loneliness is at epidemic levels across the U.S. and is correlated with higher risks of many chronic diseases. Apparently doctors and therapists are writing their patients prescriptions for socializing. Well now… what about a glass of wine instead of going to the pharmacy?

Live long and enjoy yourself while you do it.
BDC

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Brian Carter Cellars has finished harvest! On Friday November 8th we pressed off the last of the grapes getting the last skins out.

Well actually we are still cleaning up so there may still be a couple of dozen grape skins hiding here and there). This marks the end of another successful harvest, the 16th   Brian Carter Cellars harvest here at the old Columbia building. Quantity wise it was no record; crushing almost exactly the same 132 tons as last year.  This total includes the 48 tons we did for custom crush, that amount being up about ten tons, correspondingly we are down by 10 tons on the total for Brian Carter Cellars.

The 2024 harvest started a week later in 2024 compared to 2023 and ended just four days later. The weather in eastern Washington was pretty co-operative for the most part, the accumulated heat units being pretty close to average for the year. No major freezes or rain storms pushed us to harvest before we wanted to.

As a result, as we assess wine quality at this early point, we could not be much happier. Time will further define the record for 2024 but for now I am pleased, especially with the red wines. Tannins are ripe, colors are mostly deep, and varietal characters are solid. The whites are also fruit forward, while acidities are just below what I ideally shoot for.

Perhaps what set this vintage apart for me was the almost complete absence of Robert Takahashi the assistant winemaker for some seventeen vintages here. Mandi Letteri who joined us just before harvest began did a noble job of filling in for Robert. It just took a little more effort on my part as I could not lean as heavily on her, not being as familiar with my winemaking style.

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In celebration of this wine’s release – we paired it with Seared Scallops with Beurre Blanc sauce –an ideal pairing. The rich, buttery beurre blanc complements the wine’s crisp acidity, creating a harmonious balance. The citrus and herbal notes of the Sauvignon Blanc cut through the richness of the sauce, while the Semillon adds a round, creamy texture that mirrors the buttery scallops. This pairing highlights the freshness of the scallops while enhancing the complexity of the wine. Enjoy this recipe by our partner Karen Binder and create your own fabulous culinary experience.

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Enjoy this refreshing and lively food and wine experience.

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