1975 Washington State Vintage

Washington's continental climate east of the Cascades provides long summer days, significant diurnal temperature swings, and naturally low rainfall that requires irrigation. In the mid-1970s, viticultural knowledge specific to the region was still being developed, largely through the ongoing research of Dr. Walter Clore at Washington State University's Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center in Prosser. Winemakers relied on relatively young vineyards, with Cold Creek, Sagemoor, and a handful of other sites among the few established sources of quality vinifera fruit. The 1970s were broadly characterized in Washington as a decade of expansion and early viticultural experimentation, with Riesling and white varieties earning the first national recognition.

• Eastern Washington vineyards receive on average about 8 inches of annual rainfall, making irrigation essential and giving growers considerable control over vine stress
• Long summer days east of the Cascades provide more sunlight hours per day during the growing season than California, a key factor in sugar development
• Cold Creek Vineyard, planted in 1972 and 1973, was one of the oldest commercial vinifera sites available to winemakers by the time of the 1975 harvest
• Dr. Walter Clore, later recognized by the Washington State Legislature as the 'Father of the Washington Wine Industry,' oversaw plantings of more than 312 grape varieties at the research station by 1974

The Washington wine industry of 1975 bore almost no resemblance to the modern powerhouse of over 1,000 wineries it would become. By 1970 the state counted roughly 10 commercial wineries, and by 1981 that number had reached only 19. The Yakima Valley, Columbia Valley, and Walla Walla Valley regions were all actively being planted through the 1970s, but no formal American Viticultural Areas existed anywhere in Washington until the Yakima Valley received federal designation in 1983. Red Mountain itself, now one of Washington's most celebrated sub-appellations, saw its very first vineyard planted only in 1975 by John Williams and Jim Holmes, who would go on to found Kiona Vineyards five years later.

• John Williams and Jim Holmes planted the first Red Mountain vineyard in 1975, starting with roughly 10 acres in an area so remote they had to bring in electricity from three miles away
• Leonetti Cellar, Walla Walla Valley's first commercial winery, was not bonded until 1977, meaning Walla Walla had essentially no commercial wine presence in 1975
• The Yakima Valley, Columbia Valley, and Walla Walla Valley AVAs were all established between 1983 and 1984, well after this vintage
• The 1970s expansion was fueled by early vineyards including Sagemoor, Cold Creek, and Red Willow, establishing the foundation for the Columbia Valley's premium wine identity

In 1975 the Washington wine scene was dominated by two producers: Ste. Michelle Vintners (which would rebrand as Chateau Ste. Michelle in 1976) and Associated Vintners (which would later become Columbia Winery in 1983). Both had been producing vintage-dated varietal wines since 1967, and both released Cabernet Sauvignon from the 1975 vintage. Ste. Michelle Vintners also released its 1975 White Riesling at the grand opening event of its new Woodinville chateau on September 21, 1976, simultaneously announcing its new name. Just one year earlier, in 1974, Ste. Michelle's 1972 Riesling had ranked first in a Los Angeles Times blind tasting of 19 white Rieslings, providing the winery its first major national spotlight.

• Ste. Michelle Vintners and Associated Vintners were Washington's two primary commercial producers in 1975, both tracing their roots to the 1960s
• The 1975 White Riesling was released by the newly rebranded Chateau Ste. Michelle at its Woodinville chateau grand opening in September 1976
• Associated Vintners, led by University of Washington professor Lloyd Woodburne, was incorporated by a group of 10 friends, six of whom were UW professors
• Chateau Ste. Michelle did not release its first vineyard-designated Cabernet Sauvignon until 1978, so the 1975 vintage predates that landmark development

At 50 years of age, any surviving bottles of 1975 Washington State wine represent true rarities and historical artifacts. The wines were made in an era when winemaking technology was, by the admission of contemporaries, primitive by modern standards, and temperature control and other cellar interventions were far more limited. Well-cellared examples of Ste. Michelle Vintners or Associated Vintners Cabernet Sauvignon from this vintage may still show fascinating secondary character, though most bottles are realistically well past their optimal drinking window. These wines are collector curiosities rather than practical drinking recommendations, of greatest interest to those who wish to experience Washington wine history firsthand.

• Surviving bottles should be examined carefully for signs of seepage, compromised corks, or fill levels below mid-shoulder before any opening is attempted
• Secondary characteristics such as leather, dried herbs, tobacco, and earthy notes would be expected to dominate if the wine remains alive
• Winemaking technology in the mid-1970s was described by those present as 'primitive at best,' with techniques largely borrowed from California with limited relevance to Washington conditions
• Any 1975 Washington white wines, including Riesling, are well beyond practical drinking windows and should be considered purely historical artifacts

The 1975 vintage stands as a snapshot of Washington wine at its earliest commercial moment. The industry's expansion was being driven by the research of Dr. Walter Clore, the commercial ambitions of Ste. Michelle Vintners and Associated Vintners, and a small but growing community of grape growers planting vinifera in the Columbia Valley and Yakima Valley. That same year, the very first vines went into the ground on Red Mountain, a site that would eventually earn its own AVA designation in 2001. The broader wine world was beginning to take notice of Washington, following the 1974 Los Angeles Times tasting where Ste. Michelle's Riesling had triumphed, though Cabernet Sauvignon remained a hard sell to consumers skeptical of the region's ability to ripen red grapes.

• The year 1975 marked the planting of Red Mountain's first vineyard, a watershed moment for what would become one of Washington's most celebrated growing areas
• National consumer skepticism about Washington Cabernet Sauvignon persisted through the 1970s, with the general wisdom being that the state was too cold for serious red wine
• The 1970s are characterized broadly as Washington's decade of Riesling and Chardonnay success, with red wine reputation built gradually through the efforts of a tiny number of producers
• Leonetti Cellar's landmark 1978 Cabernet Sauvignon, named best in the country by Winestate Wine and Spirits Buying Guide, was just three years away and would transform perception of Washington reds

Washington winemaking in 1975 operated with significantly less technical sophistication than the industry would develop in subsequent decades. Temperature control, yeast selection, and other cellar interventions were rudimentary compared to modern standards, and producers drew heavily on California techniques that were not always applicable to Washington's quite different growing conditions. Vineyards were young, with Cold Creek planted only a few years earlier in 1972 and 1973, and viticulturists were still learning how Washington's continental climate influenced sugar, acid, and phenolic development in vinifera varieties. The dominant white varieties of Riesling and Chardonnay were better understood than Cabernet Sauvignon, which remained a challenge for both growers and winemakers in this early era.

• Winemaking techniques in mid-1970s Washington were described by contemporaries as 'primitive at best,' with most knowledge derived from California with limited regional adaptation
• Vineyards supplying 1975 fruit, including Cold Creek, were only two to three years old, meaning vines were young and still establishing root systems
• André Tchelistcheff, the legendary Napa Valley consultant who guided Ste. Michelle Vintners, played a key mentoring role in developing modern winemaking practices in the state
• Washington's first vineyard-designated wines would not arrive until 1981, when Associated Vintners released a Red Willow Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon among three such wines that year