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Taste By Paul Gregutt
Making A MoveA daughter returns to up the ante at Spokane's Arbor Crest
THERE IS NO formula for sustained success in the wine business, but there is one certainty: It will require generations. The Antinoris of Italy trace their winery back to the 1300s; Alphonse Mellot of Sancerre is the 17th in an unbroken line of succession. Here in Washington, we have some catching up to do. As more and more Washington wine pioneers reach the age of retirement, the question of what to do with the family business looms large. Those offspring who decide that taking over the old man's weekend wine project might not be such a bad idea — Quilceda Creek's Paul Golitzin, Leonetti's Chris Figgins and J. Bookwalter's John Bookwalter spring to mind — are still the exception, not the rule. Their parents' hard-won success, in all three instances, is being nurtured and expanded. Others are not so lucky. They are childless, or perhaps the children don't see the appeal of punching down thick fermentation caps at two in the morning, or topping off barrels in a frigid winery in mid-January. Those legacies are not so assured. So perhaps another story of one who returned to the fold — at no small sacrifice — might inspire someone else to do the same. Spokane's Arbor Crest was founded in 1982 by the Mielke brothers, David and Harold. The family business was orchards and fruit. David had already begun growing grapes in the Wahluke Slope; Harold was living in the Bay Area, working as a medical researcher. They hired Scott Harris (from California's Davis Bynum winery) to be their winemaker, and jumped into the business full throttle, making 10,000 cases the first year. They made mostly white wines, highlighted by a fruity, French oak-aged, slightly sweet sauvignon blanc. Awards and critical acclaim came quickly. Production hit 35,000 cases within the first few years, 40 percent of it sauvignon blanc. Spurred by their success, the Mielkes purchased the Riblet Mansion in 1985, a historic landmark high on a bluff above the Spokane River. (Royal Newton Riblet, who built it, was the eccentric inventor of, among other things, a mechanical parking garage and a square-wheeled tractor). Renamed Cliff House, it is one of the most spectacular tasting rooms in the country, complete with an arched gatekeeper's house, a sunken rose garden, an open-air pagoda, terraced flower and herb gardens, and a life-sized checkerboard. The Mielkes were among the first in the state to aggressively pursue overseas markets, and Arbor Crest was named Washington's "Exporter of the Year" in 1988 by the Small Business Administration. But . . . fruit from their 80-acre vineyard was so-so, and the red wines failed to generate much buzz. A joint venture to import wines from the Soviet Union went sideways. Winemaker Scott Harris, whose deft touch with white grapes made Arbor Crest a sort of Kendall-Jackson of the day, left the winery in 1991. As production topped out at 65,000 cases, Arbor Crest's fortunes began to sag. Where to find them Arbor Crest at Cliff House Arbor Crest at River Park Square Harold's daughter, Kristina Mielke, grew up in California, but worked summers at the winery under the tutelage of Harris. "I loved all of the chemistry involved in the process," she recalls. She studied fermentation science at UC Davis, where she met husband Jim van Loben Sels, whose family had briefly made wine in the Napa Valley in the early 1970s. Curiously, the van Loben Sels label was lauded for its sauvignon blanc. Writer Bob Thompson (in "The California Wine Book," 1976) noted that "the wine had a full body . . . and had been made creamy rich somehow. I think the secret was in using a discreet few weeks' worth of new oak barrels . . . It is a style that wants a great many more followers." After college, Kristina went to work at Ferrari-Carano, an upscale winery in Sonoma County, eventually becoming associate winemaker. But just as her career was taking off, uncle David Mielke decided to retire from running Arbor Crest. "It was either now or never," she recalls. "I had about four weeks to give notice and move up to Spokane. Not an easy decision considering all that I had going — an excellent position, a new house on six acres with plans for a vineyard, etc. It was always my plan to come to Spokane to take over, but it was just sooner than expected." Kristina and husband Jim, a vineyard manager, moved to Spokane in the spring of 1999. They cut back Arbor Crest's production, eliminated the sweet wines and focused their portfolio on key Bordeaux varietals: sauvignon blanc, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and a proprietary blend called Dionysus. These are the heart of their 20,000-case production, along with limited-edition wines such as petite sirah, sangiovese and malbec. "Arbor Crest is a slow boat to turn around," admits Kristina. After seven vintages, she is eager to make "something fresh and new, that's all me 100 percent." That something will be something old, reborn — a van Loben Sels brand. It's being introduced later this fall, along with a new label for Arbor Crest, designed to brand Cliff House and retire the old "Cameo" label. Respecting the past while moving ahead; that's how to develop a legacy. On June 27, Kristina and Jim welcomed a new son named Carl James. Their other son, Jack, is excited to be a big brother. Good news for Arbor Crest — the third generation is on board! Paul Gregutt writes the Wednesday wine column for The Seattle Times and covers Northwest wine for the Wine Enthusiast magazine. Write to him at wine@seattletimes.com.
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