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Madcap Malbecs  from around the Globe   First of the  Thursday Night Tasting	Date: Thursday Sept 25th Place: Puget Sound Wine Cellar      120 Harrison Ave        Port Orchard Time: 6-8pm Join us for an evening of sampling Malbec’s from different countries.  Light hors d’oeuvres will be served. Cost- $11/per person Reservations required.   Send payment to: KWS Malbec PO Box 1684 Silverdale, WA 98383
Scavenger Hunt for Wines	Date:   Saturday October 11 Place: Ambrosia Catering Bremerton Time:  7-9:30pm This event will challenge attendee’s to find wine from a particular grape and wine region for interesting comparisons.  We have selected South America as the region.  Each person that attends will be assigned a letter of the alphabet either by grape variety, blend or region.  More details to follow.
	Hop on your broomstick Wednesday October 29th and fly to Grape Expectations for a trick or treat celebration Kitsap wine society style…sampling great wines!!! The festivities start at 6pm. Costume optional.  More details to follow!
	Save the Date: Saturday Nov 8,  Ease on down the road with us as we venture out to Woodinville to taste wines from different wineries.  The bus has been booked and we are still working out the details of which wineries to taste and the total cost.  It’s going to be a long ride so games and prizes are being planned to pass the time.  More details to follow.
More details to follow.	December 6th- Cellar Dive 7-9:30pm at Ambrosia
More details to follow.	January 17, 2009- Italian Wines at Olympic Wine Shop Poulsbo

Sept 2006
Article by Bob Bentley

WALTER DACON WINERY
“From Boutique to Magnifique!”

  This small winery, in only its second season, has produced a bellwether, bell ringer of a wine, capturing an enviable rating-a”91” from that noted American market maker of wine magazines, Wine Spectator.  This 2004 wine was, with great foresight, aptly named “C’est Syrah Magnifique”.
  This might seem amazing for such a new and hitherto unknown winery to gain this type of acclaim. That is until you visit this attractive and inviting winery and meet winemaker Lloyd Anderson and his wife, Ann, the very hospitable owners and the people behind them who share a common vision and passion for quality wines.
     A recent trip to the winery was an eye-opening and thoroughly enjoyable experience.  It’s tucked back on their four-acre home site in a scenic, tree-secluded environment just over a mile eastward on Lynch Road from the Taylor Station interchange on HWY 101, south of Shelton. The route to the winery is easily found, well marked by Washington State winery direction signs.
     As you turn in past a custom gate, emblazoned “Experience the Rhone”; the winery presents a nice, amply sized parking area framed between the buildings and a very small vineyard. Walking a short way into the tasting room, past a spacious and restful looking patio area, you’re immediately struck by the décor, an ancient wooden tasting bar, formerly the circulation desk from a library, beautiful rustic, birch flooring and artistic appointments that include glass art vases and an antique tapestry. Not many wineries serve you wines served in handsome, large Reidel glasses, yet it’s a cozy place with genuine ambiance. To construct this setting, Lloyd did much of the work himself, with help from his family. He also named the winery for his grandfather, Walter Dacon.
      Even on a holiday weekend, which attracted over two hundred guests, it seemed uncrowded, allowing congenial conversation. Visitors could wander in, taste the wines and then casually move outside where there’s ample sheltered seating under any one of several comfortable umbrella table settings. Of course, all the while enjoying the wines with some delicious, matching cheeses and foods. On this visit, while it rained off and on, we tasted all the red wines at the bar, and then retired outside to enjoy some great hot seafood from the nearby Taylor Shellfish Farms with a bottle of fine Viognier, the wineries sole white wine.
     Tasting the quality of their wines also confirms why they have developed popular customer support and loyalty. The Walter Dacon wines, named for Lloyd’s grandfather, include several distinct labels of Syrah, which comprise most of their production, and smaller volumes of Viognier white wine, and a Sangiovese Tuscan style red. All are made from selected, highest quality grape vineyard sources “over the mountains” in Eastern Washington. 
     All wines sampled were impressive and showed obvious, unique character.  The four distinctly labeled Syrahs, made in a French Rhone style, are the main attraction.  We particularly found the 2003  “Syrah Belle” to be our favorite.  It’s the softest, most feminine wine of the group, and the most immediately presentable. Done in Showing extraordinary complexity and balance, great aromas, and subtle plum and blackberry flavors across the palate, it ends in an exceptional, lingering finish. The next impressive choice was the highly rated 2004 “Syrah Magnifique”. It offers layers of bright blueberry and plum flavors, hints of nutmeg, caramel, and chocolate ending with a lingering finish. While it’s certainly quite drinkable now, it’s built to mature beautifully over the next several years.  While, the winery produces only one white wine, a Viognier, it’s another classy Rhone style varietal that it matched well with our steamed shellfish.  No oak in this, and blended with a slight amount of Pinot Blanc, it’s simply an delectable, aromatic choice, an “up and coming” alternative to the usual Chardonnays and other common white wines that sometimes get a little boring.  
     Serving to boost retail sales right at home, the tasting room commands a great deal of time and attention by both Lloyd and Ann as well as their many dedicated volunteers. 
     During this same visit to the winery an attractive lady, serving behind the counter of the tasting room, was asked if she was “in the family”. “ Why yes, you might say that I am”, she replied, ”I once worked with Lloyd in his timber company, and have known them (the Andersons) for years.” This turned out to be Karen Temen, a volunteer who is the tasting room manager. Later during the ongoing barrel tasting conducted nearby; the fellow wielding the “thief” to draw wine samples was introduced as Wes Wasson, Karen’s husband who acts as the assistant winemaker for Lloyd. 
    Another key volunteer couple identified was Jack and “Sunny” Ward, who own a B&B over in Ashford, WA, an area nearer to Mt. Rainier. Jack, another forester and a longtime friend who Lloyd describes as “our celler master” prefers to be called a “celler rat”. 
    Lloyd relates that he and Ann have quite depended on their volunteers, a cadre of at least twenty-five, some coming at considerable distance to help out. He states, “We owe much of our success to their support. Without their help, I don’t think we could make it. Our main volunteers help focus our goals and objectives as a new winery on the move.”  Many others help with bottling, labeling, serving and other essential services, he continued.
    As a small, what we term “boutique” sized winery, we were intrigued to find out ”How did this all happen?” and in such a short time?
     Lloyd retired not long ago from a career in forestry where he had developed his own timber business when moving to Shelton around 1981. Ann, after briefly, returned to still work as a Cartographer for the State. However, she spends as much time as possible assisting with the retail marketing and business end of the winery’s operation.
      Lloyd, from his college days in Berkeley, soon learned to appreciate good wines down in California. Over his career, before finally selling their company, the Andersons made wine as a hobby.
   From his days in college at Cal-Berkeley, Lloyd Anderson first learned to enjoy wine. Upon moving to Washington, he then pursued a successful career in forestry, eventually settling down in Ann’s hometown, Shelton where he started his own timber industry business. Gradually, with help from Ann, he started making wines as a hobby. His first try was a “pretty decent Merlot”, which further encouraged him. Lloyd and Ann then gradually began to form their vision of starting their own winery-right there at their home. Lloyd claims not to have had any formal plan then, but both he and Ann began trekking down to UC-Davis and Oregon, where Lloyd took winemaking and viticulture courses; Ann studying the administrative and marketing aspects of the wine business. Together they looked for a proper niche in wine, not aspiring to becoming anything too big, just having fun and enjoying making good quality wine.
     Everyone has sudden flashes of perception and insight. Writers have a name for them – epiphanies. So it was then as Lloyd relates, “ My epiphany with the direction and stylistic choices I wanted to pursue in winemaking came while I was studying enology at U.C. Davis.  I had the opportunity to taste a 1995 Hermitage by E. Guigal.  From that moment on I knew I was hooked on Rhône style wines and set upon a course to master their essence.” 
   Rather than making big, bold and over-oaked Syrah, which is more common in the new world, Lloyd chose to emulate the European style based upon subtlety of flavors, roundness and complexity. Later winemaking study down in Oregon focused on Pinot Noir production techniques. “ When it comes to extracting color and flavor, movement of juice and wine and other techniques of “elevage”, you might say I treat my Rhône style wines with finesse, as if they were fragile Pinot Noirs.”  Once Lloyd’s focus was already on making a Rhone style Syrah, he recognized that the technology required to make good Pinots could also be used to make a Syrah with unique finesse and complexity. This has since proven a wise choice, as Washington Syrah is now fast proving that it may become the premier grape for the state, similar to Pinot Noir’s role for Oregon. There are now around four hundred wineries in Washington State alone, about double the number existing five years ago. The impetus for much of this growth has been spurred by the demand for Syrah and other “high-end” quality wines. 
    Little known and grown in this country over a decade ago, Syrah (or Shiraz as it’s called in Australia) has fast become a “darling” of the US wine market, fast overtaking once popular Merlot.  Australian Shiraz has long been the focus of red wine production in that country for an even longer time and also contributes substantially to the thirsty US demand. Much of Syrah now being produced has a fruit forward, “jammy” style that appeals to novice wine drinkers and the mass market. These are often “hot” or excessively alcoholic wines, and lack any real complexity or finesse. With overwhelming strength, they usually don’t match as well with foods either. 
   The European style that Lloyd favors requires a much-refined process that entails many factors of style and technology, and a “hands on” monitoring of the entire winemaking process from harvesting to bottling. He strongly favors developing the sensual, complex characteristics of the original Syrah and Viognier produced in the Hermitage location of the Northern Rhone Valley of France. To this end, he creates a refined, more delicate and complex compendium of flavors. 
When visiting the winery and first tasting the Anderson’s unique and delicious wines, you may well ask, “How have they done this? 
    First, this couple, working as a team, initially parlayed their retirement resources into their winery investment deciding after looking at some key studies to approach any growth with measured patience. While Lloyd disclaims doing any formal plan, he has decided to only produce about one thousand cases to start, and look to slowly growing to perhaps five thousand cases at most, a size still termed“boutique”within the wine industry. 
    Also, aside from their investment in their winery facilities, other initial steps included  
gaining assistance and advice from other winemakers in the Northwest who also provided technical support. They bought essential equipment like a much needed modern bottling machine obtained from Kiona Winery in Yakima Valley and buying valuable French oak barrels from Archery-Summit Winery in Oregon. Not least they also invested in key consulting support from the famed winemaker and “Rhone Ranger”, Doug McCrea, an early pioneer of Syrah and Rhone wine styles in this area. Then the winemaking operation could begin. To produce great quality wine, Lloyd explains that there are several steps necessary. 
   It starts with the grapes. As the old saying goes: “You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear”.  Since the climate locally does not support growing the consistent quality and types of grapes required for making the types of wines Lloyd has envisioned, he has negotiated verbal good faith contract agreements with grape growers “over the mountains” in eastern Washington. These are select vineyards in the Yakima Valley, Rattlesnake Hills, and Horse Heaven prime agricultural areas, called AVAs. This assures the winery dependable and consistent sources for the finest quality grapes, each presenting distinctive characteristics and sense of place called “terroir”, a concept Lloyd considers fundamental to good winemaking.
         He begins by working closely with his growers so he can control the grape harvest yields: restraining the yields to allow greater intensity of flavors. This is done by selectively harvesting the rows of vines based upon direct tasting of the grapes to achieve the ideal “hang time” for picking. Lloyd disdains relying on “brix” number counts used to measure sugar content, a commonly used method of determining when to pick grapes for harvest. This selectivity also helps to avoid the effects derived from excessive sugar in the grapes-a major problem in the wine industry today. 
    Lloyd’s small vineyard at home, only planted in Pinot Noir, serves as his viticulture laboratory. Primarily this serves him in learning and understanding viticulture practices like canopy management, pruning and yield control and practicing other growing techniques to maintain this close relationship with his growers.
      Next, Lloyd describes his winemaking process where he further shapes the style of the wine. After gently destemming the grapes, the extraction and fermentation process is begun. And here, Lloyd contends, “There are two ways to influence the flavors of the juice, the first is determined by the types of yeast, the second is the amount of the barrel time-and the selection of oak that’s used.” 
    The first of these ways to influence flavors involves the use of what is called a highly technical cryo-extraction process, which allows the blending of selected cultivated yeasts, which he uses to induce desired flavor combinations in the fermented juice. Layering the fruit with dry ice to allow delayed fermentation and even better color definition performs this. This longer cold soaking process has another desirable benefit in that it can be used to reduce the histamines in the wine. Lloyd contends that many consumers who experience adverse effects from “sulfites” in red wines actually have allergic reactions to histamines. He notes that you are far more likely to react to the sulfites in a salad bar than to those that naturally occur in wines.
      The second major flavoring influence used involves the judicious use of either American oak with its more masculine qualities-or French oak, which imparts more subtle flavors.  Most of the Walter Dacon wines are given different styles and flavors by using various combinations of oak barrels by aging in the barrel for sixteen months. Lloyd believes strongly in using only the highest quality oak barrels, which are very costly. Walter Dacon now has altogether sixty-six available barrels; each has a capacity for twenty-five cases of wine. 
     Other new technologies and equipment are employed to affect wine quality, including the use of a modern air diaphragm pump system to more gently transfer the flow of juice, “without injury” through the entire winemaking process. Also having modern bottling equipment also enables greater independent control of the timing, quality control –and expense for bottling the wine. Many small vintners depend on less reliable outside bottling services. 
    Throughout the entire winemaking endeavor, Lloyd’s concerns for quality and environment are paramount and he carefully follows famed California wine consultant, Helen Turley’s advice on sanitation controls to reduce the presence of any contaminations affecting the winemaking process. It’s been estimated that nearly five per cent of all fine wines bottled with cork are defective, ruining the taste of the wine. To prevent the common contamination problem, called TCA, found with defective closures, only prime, expensive Portuguese corks are used, and so far, “corking” has not proven a problem for his wines. Distaining the use of screw caps for the time being, Lloyd, ever the dedicated environmentalist believes in the concept of sustainable agriculture, and he asks, “If cork producing forests are no longer needed, what will take their place?
   In addition to the two highly impressive Syrahs produced in French oak, another “Syrah Beaux” label is done in a 50-50 mix of new and old California oak barrels. This produces a more masculine style. It has aromas of ripe briary black fruit with cedary, spiced oak accents; rich palate flavors of currents and deep cherry.  A fourth Syrah label, “ Appanage” is the top priced custom blend of styles and was only made in a highly limited edition of just 42 cases. 
       The Viognier (“vee-awn-yay”), principally was produced as a blending component for Syrah in the French Rhone Valley tradition, but the Andersons have made eighty -five cases of this white wine, blended with 10% Pinot Blanc. A surprising demand (this white grape varietal is not well known in the US wine market) has exceeded the supply and production will be doubled in the next year. It was entirely produced in stainless steel vats, seeing no oak or malolactic fermentation.
        Sangiovese, a bright, lively red Italian varietal made famous in Tuscany rounds out a “Mediterranean” theme for wine. This popular wine will also be doubled in production.  
      While most of the first Walter Dacon wines have been sold from the tasting room, somehow, this busy, but genial winemaker still manages to find time to do frequent promotional wine tastings and dinners at restaurants, crucial for market exposure. The Andersons now sell to some twenty select restaurants around the western part of the state, the very first being Travaglione’s in nearby Shelton. Another one even recently tried to buy fifty cases of their scarce Viognier- a challenging dilemma for a new winery seeking to become known more widely.
          The future looks bright for an even greater realization of Lloyd Anderson’s “Epihany”. In these two short years, he’s already made his mark as to quality, winning several gold medals and receiving that “91” rating for one Syrah from influential Wine Spectator. The magazine’s noted critic and Editor, Harvey Steiman has recommended Walter Dacon as “among the standout new guys” in Washington. Even more medals and high ratings seem quite likely to grow the winery’s reputation. 
     Meeting with winemakers like Lloyd Anderson makes clear that, while many come from distinctly different backgrounds and training, the most successful share certain traits of strong character and motivation in common, borne of unswerving passion for quality and dedication to ongoing perfection and detail. This particular combination of science and artistry creates an expression of a consistent vision. For them, the reward and measure of success appears less financially driven than in achieving recognition of their accomplishment both in the marketplace and by their peers.

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Walter Dacon Winery is located at 50 SE Skookum Inlet Road (off Lynch Rd.)   Shelton, WA 98584  phone: (360) 426-5913 Open Wednesdays through Sunday from noon to six PM , call for hours or appointments.  Wines are priced in the mid to high-level retail range ($20-45), competitive with higher quality, boutique wineries.   The website is: www.walterdaconwines.com