Our first grape harvest took place in 2002. That year, our grapes came from
Champoux Vineyard and Preston Vineyard. Champoux Vineyard is part of
the Horse Heaven Hills AVA, which is five miles from the Columbia
River south of Prosser, WA, and was first planted in 1972. The
Preston Vineyard is located in the Columbia River Basin five miles
north of Pasco, WA.
On our first trip to Champoux Vineyard, in 2002, we picked up 1-1/2 tons of
Riesling grapes, one ton of Chardonnay grapes, 1/2 ton of Cabernet Sauvignon
grapes, and 1/2 ton of Merlot grapes. Lolo Peak Winery, also of Missoula,
provided us with space for the beginning wines of ClearWeather. We placed the
Riesling into a 200 gallon poly-tank while the rest were placed into oak barrels
for aging.
In May of 2003, we decided that we needed our own license and winery. By Mid
June we were licensed by the Federal Government as the ninth winery in Montana.
By the end of July we were licensed by the State and starting construction on
our current facility. On the 28th of August, 3 PM we had our last inspection. By
3:00 PM the following afternoon we were heading out to pick out the first two
tons of Chardonnay grapes.
Approximately one week later, we took our second trip to Washington. On this
trip, we stopped at both Champoux Vineyard and Preston Vineyard. From Champoux,
we acquired 2 tons of Lemberger grapes and from Preston we acquired 250 gallons
of bulk Cabernet Sauvignon.
After that trip, the temperatures in Washington cooled down which resulted in
a slowing of the grape progression in the vineyards. This provided us with the
time necessary to ferment, press, and barrel the Chardonnay and Lemberger
grapes. Then, we focused on the bulk wine we picked up from Preston as it would
be the basis for our Little Red Cab release.
About three weeks passed before we received a call from Champoux Vineyard
informing us that the rest of our grapes, 7-1/2 tons, were ready for pick up. We
left out of Missoula on Thursday evening. Due to a broken fuel line, we
were stuck in St Regis for 24 hours and did not arrive until Friday evening. The
grapes, some of which had been picked the night before were warm and starting to
ferment. The Riesling was the worst. It was boiling in the bin due to
fermentation as we crushed. We were back on the road to Missoula by midnight.
Over the next two weeks, we fermented, pressed, and racked our last batch of
grapes. We then placed them in their respective tanks and oak barrels for aging.
After a much needed vacation of one day, we returned to work on our tasting room
and opened to the public on November 22, 2002
| Construction of the Winery |
Champoux Vineyard |
Evening of Grape Crushing |
7 1/2-Tons of Grapes |
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