from Lucha Vino:
Roll up, roll up for the Mystery Tour…
The majority of the wineries and vineyards in the Lake Chelan AVA ring the shores of Lake Chelan. The views are stunning and the wineries are all just a short drive from one to the next.
Step right this way.
If you are willing to take a journey off the beaten path, a bit of a Mystery Tour, you are in for a treat. Ventimiglia Cellars is just East of downtown Chelan, located half way between Lake Chelan and the Columbia river. The small, unassuming, building is hiding in plain site behind several large fruit packing plants. Don’t be intimidated, the place is actually easy to find. When you roll up in front of the building you will be greeted in a most friendly way by Ron Ventimiglia, owner and winemaker.
Roll up, roll up for the Mystery Tour…
The majority of the wineries and vineyards in the Lake Chelan AVA ring the shores of Lake Chelan. The views are stunning and the wineries are all just a short drive from one to the next.
Step right this way.
If you are willing to take a journey off the beaten path, a bit of a Mystery Tour, you are in for a treat. Ventimiglia Cellars is just East of downtown Chelan, located half way between Lake Chelan and the Columbia river. The small, unassuming, building is hiding in plain site behind several large fruit packing plants. Don’t be intimidated, the place is actually easy to find. When you roll up in front of the building you will be greeted in a most friendly way by Ron Ventimiglia, owner and winemaker.
I visited with Ron on a recent summer day. The sun was shining and the stories were
flowing. Ron is an engaging host. As I was wondering to myself “Why do
winemakers make some of the best story tellers?” Ron hit me with this gem – “There
are not many businesses that let your personality show through.” How true.
Ron’s enthusiasm and hospitality were evident as he walked me through
his lineup, told stories of the history of wine and vineyards in the Lake
Chelan AVA and showed off the content of his barrel room.
The Mystery Tour is waiting to take you away. Every day is barrel tasting day at
Ventimiglia Cellars.
Ron showed me through the variety of wines in barrel. Each one had its own unique story and Ron was
happy to tell them. The tasting room
was buzzing with people so Ron was busy popping back and forth to make sure
each of his guests received the attention they deserved. Each visitor was treated like a family member
returning for a long awaited visit.
As we toured through the barrels Ron shared more stories
about the history of Ventimiglia and his plans for the future.
On the history side of the ledger Ron shares that he has
been making wine for nearly two decades.
He admits he is still learning how to hit the right level of production
to match his supply with demand. For
example, Ron still has a considerable amount of his 2006 Amalgamarsi, a
Bordeaux inspired blend, available due to some over exuberance. The blend is predominantly Merlot and
Cabernet Sauvignon with some Cabernet Franc, Malbec and a splash of Petit
Verdot. It is robust with notes of dark cherry, currants, toffee
and clove spices.
I
hope that Ron pays closer attention to what he is doing than the folks at the
vineyard just to the North of the Chelan airfield. The owners lost their vineyard map! Ron makes an Airfield Blend that includes
Tempranillo, Dolcetto, Refosco and Grenache.
Talk about a mystery, without the map nobody knows what the percentages
are! The 2012 has a slightly smoky
character that is the result of the wild fires that raged in the Chelan area
prior to the harvest. This wine shows
light red fruit, white pepper and some earthy spices backed up with some nice
acidity.
The
NV Pinot Noir was one of my favorite wines of the day. This Pinot started as two barrels of 2005
vintage. When Ron ran out of 2005 Pinot
for topping off the barrels he started using 2006, then 2007. When the wine was ready for bottling Ron
realized he had added about 7% of the other vintages. The percentages required the wine to be
labeled as Non-Vintage! No need to
worry. This Pinot Noir shows some nice
character of medium red berries and earthy all spice concluding with a dry
finish that features notes of cedar spices.
Ron is on a journey, perhaps a bit of a Mystery Tour. He has about 6 wines in his current lineup
and another 6 resting in barrel. He is
working, experimenting and producing some very interesting wines.
Thanksgiving Weekend marks the Fall Barrel Tasting in Lake Chelan and it's a great time to chat with the winemakers about what they think of this year's harvest. It's also another gorgeous time to go to Lake Chelan.
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