Hello Everyone,
I hope that you are all having a lovely summer. This newsletter is intended to catch you all up on everything going on in the world of Devium. This includes: new distribution, new vineyard sources, an interview that I gave a couple of weeks ago and a new Instagram account.
First, and probably the biggest development is that I now have two distributors. In the greater Seattle area, my wines are being carried by Walden Selections. Walden is a fantastic company focused on small production, minimal intervention winemakers. Across their portfolio, the producers have a clear vision and philosophy about grape growing, wine making and about life in general. I couldn’t be more excited about this partnership and the way that my wines fit into their book. My other distributor (importer really) is Spur Imports based in Calgary, Alberta. Spur also focuses on small production, artisan producers with an eye towards conscientious farming and winemaking practices. These two companies will help to spread the word and awareness around Devium to levels that I wouldn’t be able to achieve without their support. So, if you are in Alberta or Seattle, ask your local wine shop/restaurant about Devium and they should be able to get the wines in for you.
Second, I am so excited to be expanding my partnership with Ryan Johnson, Cam Myhrvold and their incredible vineyard, WeatherEye. I have said it before, and I will continue to say it, WeatherEye is without a doubt the most exciting new vineyard project in Washington State. I was lucky enough to source Graciano, Mourvèdre, Grenache and Syrah from WeatherEye in 2018 for my WeatherEye Red Wine, and it has exceeded my expectations in every way. After having tasted many of the wines from other producers off of WeatherEye from its inaugural 2018 vintage, I was struck by the energy, vibrancy and depth of the white wines being produced. So, in order to replace the sadly departed Elevation Marsanne, I picked up a small block of Roussanne planted on the north slope of the vineyard. Roussanne has higher natural acidity than Marsanne while still maintaining a lot of cool textural qualities and should suit my style beautifully. As well as the Roussanne, I am thrilled to announce that I added another block of Mourvèdre, dubbed “The Mountain Monster”. This block is one that I have had my eye on for a couple of years waiting for it to start producing fruit (I think Ryan just finally gave into my constant pestering about the block when he told me that I could work with it). This block is planted at the very top of Red Mountain and is one of the windiest sites that I have ever seen. To combat this, Ryan and his crew created a stone mound as a windbreak for each vine. It is an unbelievable block of vines and I cannot wait to bring the fruit in this Fall. I have attached photos of each of the blocks below.
Third, I recently sat down for a very fun interview with CWU Professor, historian and wine enthusiast, Marji Morgan, for her blog Lines on Wines. This half hour interview covers all things Devium and should be a good listen (I admit that I haven’t listened to it myself, but I know what I said, so it’s probably pretty good). I highly recommend that you all give this interview a listen and that you follow Marji and her blog, she is often talking to interesting people in the Washington wine scene. You can find the interview here: https://www.linesonwines.com/blog.
Finally, thanks to Taylor, I now have an Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/deviumwines/?hl=en. We promise to only bring you top quality content and cool photos. You should go check it out!
That’s all for news right now (I do have some new label artwork being done by two of my favorite people/artists, but I will wait until we have some designs before going into more detail), but one last piece of business: We still have the 2017 Devium French Creek Red available to purchase. This wine just keeps getting better and better with time in bottle, this is a great summer red with a slight chill and will make a fantastic Fall/Holiday wine when the weather starts to turn. Don’t miss out on grabbing a few bottles or, you know, a case in order to get the best pricing.
As always, thank you all so much for your interest and support! If you have any questions, comments, or if you want to set up a tasting appointment in Walla Walla, please drop me a note at keith@deviumwine.com.
Cheers,
Keith