Coeur d'Alene Cellars
Hypothetically, if I could assume ownership of one Idaho winery, I would have to say that winery would be Coeur d’Alene Cellars. Why? I am a lover of syrah, and Coeur d’Alene Cellars is Idaho’s mecca for Rhône varietal wines and in particular, syrah. But don’t take my word for it — take that of Wine Spectator, which gave Coeur d’Alene Cellars’ 2006 Envy Syrah and 2006 Boushey Vineyard Syrah scores of 90 and 92 points, respectively.
Typically when an enterprise is “under new management,” changes abound. However, in my Coeur d’Alene ownership fantasy, I realize I wouldn’t change a thing. The Gates family, led by the young and energetic Kimber Gates, armed with a CPA background and strong business acumen, has created a winery consisting of a state-of-the-art facility, established relationships with premier Washington grape growers, and an experienced winemaker in Warren Schutz, a graduate of University of California, Davis’ famed enology program. I’d even keep the labels adorning their bottles, which bear original watercolors painted by Kimber’s mom, Sarah Gates. You may wonder what I would bring to the table, and the answer would be nada, zilch, zippo. Am I embarrassed? Not at all. Why muck up a good thing?
My Coeur d’Alene Cellars sojourn afforded me the opportunity to experience first-hand its contemporary production facility and tasting room. While I sampled the delightfully crisp 2007 L’Artiste Viognier (love the name … I wouldn’t change that either), Kimber noted that they enjoy good working relationships with Columbia Valley growers. With vintage names such as McKinley Springs, Alder Ridge, Elephant Mountain and Boushey, it’s clear that Coeur d’Alene Cellars sources its grapes from a who’s who of the upper crust of Washington grape growers. She went on to say that it is easy for them logistically to acquire grapes, unlike their winemaking counterparts in western Washington, who have to deal with mountain passes.
My tour of the facility continued into the production and barrel room area, where cellar harvest master Brian Logan joined us. Like Kimber, Brian also attended Walla Walla’s Whitman College, where he picked up a degree in chemistry. Surrounded by red-stained French oak barrels, I managed to take a few pictures while reflecting on the idea that these two people — young, energetic, full of promise, and poised to add their own unique signatures — truly embody the Idaho wine industry. That’s not hypothesis; that’s reality.
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Coeur d'Alene Cellars was featured in WineTrails of Idaho as part of the North Idaho WineTrail on page !
