Betz Family Winery

Bob and Cathy Betz spent 1974 in the vineyards and cellars of France, Italy and Germany, and on returning to the United States Bob began his career at Chateau Ste. Michelle. The couple founded Betz Family Winery in 1997 while Bob was still at Ste. Michelle, crushing a first vintage of 150 cases in the Woodinville warehouse district with the help of volunteer friends. In 2005 they built their own winery in Woodinville. In April 2011 Steve and Bridgit Griessel bought the winery for an undisclosed sum, with the Betzes remaining under contract for five years and Bob responsible for making the wine. In 2024 Seattle-based Ackley Brands bought Betz Family Winery from the Griessels in a deal that also included the Washington brand The Untold Story and the Oregon label SUNU; the price was not disclosed. Ackley Brands was founded in 2016, when the Ackley family purchased Montinore Estate in Oregon, and Brandon Ackley was its CEO at the time of the sale. Betz has made its wines in a custom crush facility since 2021.

• 1997: first vintage, 150 cases, made in the Woodinville warehouse district
• 2005: Bob and Cathy Betz built their own winery in Woodinville
• 2011: sold to Steve and Bridgit Griessel; the Betzes stayed under a five-year contract, with Bob making the wine
• 2024: acquired by Ackley Brands together with The Untold Story and SUNU

Bob Betz worked at Chateau Ste. Michelle for 28 years in communications, education, quality management and production, and was appointed Vice President of Winemaking Research in 1984. He retired from Chateau Ste. Michelle in 2003. During his time there he managed the company's international joint ventures, Col Solare with Marchesi Antinori and Eroica with Dr. Loosen. He earned the Master of Wine qualification in 1998, receiving the Villa Maria Award for the highest scores on the viticulture exam and the Robert Mondavi Award for the highest overall scores in the theory exams. He graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in zoology.

• 28 years at Chateau Ste. Michelle; Vice President of Winemaking Research from 1984; retired in 2003
• Managed Ste. Michelle's joint ventures Col Solare (Marchesi Antinori) and Eroica (Dr. Loosen)
• Master of Wine, 1998, with the Villa Maria Award (viticulture) and the Robert Mondavi Award (theory)

Will Wiles is Director of Winemaking, leading the Betz portfolio, and Brandon Moss is Reserve Winemaker, focused on the most limited bottlings. When Ackley Brands bought the winery in 2024, Bob Betz was to remain as a consultant for the labels and longtime winemaker Louis Skinner was to remain in his role.

• Will Wiles: Director of Winemaking
• Brandon Moss: Reserve Winemaker
• Bob Betz MW: to remain as a consultant after the 2024 sale

Betz buys its fruit from growers in the Red Mountain, Snipes Mountain and Yakima Valley AVAs. Red Willow Vineyard, farmed by Mike Sauer and his family on the south slope of Ahtanum Ridge at the northwestern edge of the Yakima Valley, holds Washington's first Syrah block, planted in 1986 by Sauer and David Lake MW; those original vines are the source of La Côte Patriarche. Red Willow often harvests up to three weeks later than warmer sites such as Red Mountain. Boushey Vineyard is owned and farmed by Dick Boushey, who planted his first vines on the site in 1980, and its Syrah for La Serenne descends from Red Willow cuttings. Olsen Vineyard, established by brothers Dick and Larry Olsen and now in the care of Leif Olsen, supplies Syrah for La Côte Rousse; Grenache, Mourvèdre, Counoise and Petite Sirah for Bésoleil; and Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot for Père de Famille and Clos de Betz. Heart of the Hill Vineyard, in the middle of the Red Mountain AVA, was first planted in 2006, is farmed by Scott Williams and is the exclusive source of the Heart of the Hill Cabernet Sauvignon.

• Red Willow (Yakima Valley): Washington's first Syrah block, planted 1986; source of La Côte Patriarche
• Boushey (Yakima Valley): first vines planted 1980; source of La Serenne
• Olsen (Yakima Valley): Syrah, Rhône varieties and Bordeaux varieties for La Côte Rousse, Bésoleil, Père de Famille and Clos de Betz
• Heart of the Hill (Red Mountain): first planted 2006; exclusive source of the Heart of the Hill Cabernet Sauvignon

Clos de Betz is a Columbia Valley blend with Merlot at its core since its first vintage in 1998; the wine honors Bob and Cathy Betz's earliest dreams of starting a winery, which trace to a 1973 visit by the couple to the Burgundy vineyard Clos de Bèze, and the 2023 is 59% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Petit Verdot. Père de Famille, "the Father of the Family," is a Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon; the 2023 is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. Heart of the Hill is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Heart of the Hill Vineyard on Red Mountain, and 2023 is its ninth vintage bottled as a vineyard-designate. La Côte Patriarche, French for "The Founder's Slope," and La Serenne are 100% Syrah from the Yakima Valley, and La Côte Rousse is a Syrah from Olsen Vineyard; its 2004 and 2008 vintages were made from Red Mountain grapes. Bésoleil is a Southern Rhône-styled blend from Olsen Vineyard, and the 2023 is 49% Grenache, 17% Mourvèdre, 17% Counoise and 17% Petite Sirah. Domaine de Pierres is also among the winery's Rhône-style wines, and the 2025 releases include Rosé Caché and Carte Blanc, a new Chenin Blanc from Upland Vineyard. In Wine Spectator tastings up to 2011, most Betz wines scored in the low to mid 90s, and La Côte Rousse earned 95 points for both the 2004 and 2008 vintages. The wines are offered through an Allocation List rather than a traditional wine club, with a spring release of the Bordeaux-style wines and a fall release of the Rhône-style wines.

• Clos de Betz: Merlot-based Columbia Valley blend, first vintage 1998
• Père de Famille: Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon blend
• Heart of the Hill: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Red Mountain
• Syrah: La Côte Patriarche (Red Willow), La Serenne (Boushey) and La Côte Rousse (Olsen)
• Bésoleil: Grenache-led Southern Rhône-styled blend from Olsen Vineyard; Domaine de Pierres is also in the Rhône-style range
• Allocation List with a spring Bordeaux-style release and a fall Rhône-style release

The winery describes its aim for every vintage as "a marriage of opposites: the raw power and concentrated fruit of Washington State with the structured elegance and longevity of the Old World." Its stated priorities are balance, terroir-first sourcing and longevity, with wines meant to be approachable on release and to evolve for decades in the cellar, and every cluster is hand-sorted.

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://www.betzfamilywinery.com/our-history, https://www.betzfamilywinery.com/winemaking, https://www.betzfamilywinery.com/vineyards, https://www.betzfamilywinery.com/, https://www.betzfamilywinery.com/acclaim, https://www.betzfamilywinery.com/membership, https://www.betzfamilywinery.com/s/Betz_2023_ClosDeBetz_TechSheet.pdf, https://www.betzfamilywinery.com/s/Betz_2023_PereDeFamille_TechSheet.pdf, https://www.betzfamilywinery.com/s/Betz_2023_HeartoftheHill_TechSheet.pdf, https://www.betzfamilywinery.com/s/Betz_2023_LaCotePatriarche_TechSheet.pdf, https://www.betzfamilywinery.com/s/Betz_2023_LaSerenne_TechSheet.pdf, https://www.betzfamilywinery.com/s/Betz_2023_Besoleil_TechSheet.pdf. Secondary sources: Wine Spectator (Mitch Frank, May 14, 2024; Harvey Steiman, Apr 7, 2011), Decanter (Natalie Earl, 25 April 2019) and the Washington State Wine Commission winery directory. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs. Last verified 2026-10-14