Washington's Maryhill Winery Showcases The State's Wine Riches

In 2000 Craig Leuthold and his wife Vicki began construction on a winery in Washington—on a bluff overlooking one of the state’s oldest vineyards—hoping for momentum and success by association. Clearly the proximity to such historic vineyards worked because today they craft over 40 different varietals, pulling in fruit from several different Washington state AVA’s. The state’s wine business is certainly evolving as winemakers experiment with clones, varietals and what grapes work best and where. In an effort to highlight the diversity of Washington state’s terroir, Leuthold and his winemaker, Richard Batchelor, developed a winemaking portfolio that sources from nearly every major AVA in the state. Taking things a step further, Batchelor began the Vineyard Series, a line of single vineyard wines from the state’s most lauded vineyards.. Craig insists that the single most exciting thing about Washington state is value, noting that “Washington puts out the most affordable 90+ wines when compared to similarly scored wines from France, Italy, California and Oregon.” Below Leuthold shares his insights on what’s ahead for winemaking in the state.