Monday, Sep. 01, 2003

Two class acts improve with age

By Bob Woehler

I didn’t know it when I was recently savoring the still-gorgeous Ste. Michelle 1975 Cabernet Sauvignon a few months ago that it would be a farewell to Bob Betz, another Chateau Ste. Michelle icon.

Betz, who goes back at least as far as I do in Washington’s wine industry, retired in August after 28 years with Chateau Ste. Michelle and its parent company, Stimson Lane Vineyards & Estates.

The occasion for savoring the 1975 Cab was a vintage tasting with Betz at Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville. That 1975 Cabernet Sauvignon proved to the world then that Washington could make world-class reds and paved the way for others to make their mark.

I met Betz about 25 years ago when he was head of public relations for Chateau Ste. Michelle. He went on to fill a number of positions with Stimson Lane and was vice president of winemaking research at the time of his retirement.

I’ve pulled many a cork with Bob over the years, including the ’75 Cab when it was released in the late ’70s.

Always a gentleman and probably the most knowledgeable Washington wine person I know, Bob won’t be disappearing in retirement. He will concentrate on his own Betz Family Winery and serve as a consultant for Stimson Lane.

Betz recalls attending the groundbreaking for Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville as a guest back in the spring of 1975. At the time, the company was housed near Boeing Field in Seattle.

Within months he joined the company. He had just returned from a year in the vineyards of France and Italy and was managing a Seattle wine shop when Chateau Ste. Michelle persuaded him to join the company as director of public relations. Betz worked at the old winery, eventually moving with the other employees into the chateau in September 1976. It was at that time Betz and his wife, Cathy, relocated to Woodinville, where they raised their two daughters.

Betz worked on communications issues in the 1980s as the Washington wine industry started to blossom. Chateau Ste. Michelle launched Columbia Crest and formed Stimson Lane as the umbrella company.

Over the years, Betz inspired thousands of wine lovers worldwide with his stories of the state’s wine quality and details of Washington wine-growing regions.

Along the way, he earned the coveted Master of Wine degree and today is one of only two MWs in the state (David Lake of nearby Columbia Winery is the other) and one of only 17 in the United States.

In 1997, Bob and Cathy released their first 145 cases from Betz Family Winery.

“Chateau Ste. Michelle and Stimson Lane have been my life for the past 30 years and have offered me the opportunity to be part of the thrilling developments of Washington’s wine industry,” he said.

With Betz’s retirement, our tasting in April becomes all the more memorable. On hand were Ste. Michelle winemaker Ron Bunnell and members of the Wine Press Northwest family. The wines included some older vintages, some newcomers and a vertical of Col Solare.

My favorites included:

Chateau Ste. Michelle 1975 Cabernet Sauvignon: What a wine! Still fresh and full of flavors of cherries and oak. A touch of herbalness melds with green olives, blackberries and sweet pipe tobacco. It shows its age but still is a great red. This magnum came from Betz’s own cellar and he says he has only one magnum left. I thought the 1975 was gorgeous when I first tasted in 25 years ago and felt the same about it in 2003. It will always have a special place in my heart.

Chateau Ste. Michelle 1985 Cold Creek Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: This vineyard has produced 13 vintages that have won gold medals. The 1985 reflected the influence of world-famous consultant André Tchelistcheff’s fondness of American oak with toasty vanilla accents. It has accessible and elegant berry fruit and will reward further aging, Betz said.

Chateau Ste. Michelle 1995 Horse Heaven Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon: An opulent wine that delivers smoky oak and spice with harmonious fruit, including ripe black cherries, which is a hallmark for this vineyards.

Col Solare 1997: At about $70, this is most expensive red wine made by Stimson Lane. It is a collaboration with Antinori, an Italian winery whose roots date back to the 1380s. It is a rich blend of 84 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 13 percent Merlot and 3 percent Syrah. Plums and black fruit combine with intense aromas of currants and berries with an elegant finish.

Chateau Ste. Michelle 1999 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon: A finely crafted Bordeaux blend that includes 12 percent Cabernet Franc and 12 percent Malbec. Classic aromas of vanilla, dark ripe cherries and spicy cloves and pipe tobacco with rich blackberry and cola flavors and a hint of cedar.

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