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92 W i n e s & V i n e s n O V e M B e R 2 0 1 4 W I N E M A K I N G decided there should be two different blends. We have since moved across the road from Champoux Vineyard to Phinny Hill Vine- yard in the Horse Heaven Hills. We have designed a block of Cabernet Sauvignon and two clones of Syrah with the owner/operator, Dick Beightol, for our Columbia Rediviva. The wine has been a Phinny Hill vineyard designate since 2006. In 2006, we also bought 10 acres of land in The Rocks District to plant our Rockgarden Estate to varieties specifically for our Rediviva of the Stones. The 2011 was our first release that was 100% Rockgarden Estate. The Horse Heaven Hills is a warm area that cools at night from the influence of the Columbia River. It is made up of tradi- tional Washington deep soils, with loam or loess above basalt rock. The rainfall is mostly supplied through a dripper. From this area we make our Columbia Rediviva, which is always heavier on the Cabernet Sauvignon than the Syrah. We work in the cellar to control the tannins of the Cabernet and bring in the Syrah to add richness and a bit of dark fruit to the wine. We ferment warm in big oak fer- mentors, with an excess of air, to keep these wines big and juicy, but not astringent. The wine sees all French oak, with 20%-40% new Bordeaux bar- rels. We also release this wine after two years in barrel and one in bottle. The Rocks District of Mil- ton-Freewater is a moderately warm area that sees a midday spike of warmth from growing vines on bare rocks. These rocks provide hundreds of feet of water drainage and root growth. The rain trapped by the foothills of the Blue Mountains is slightly more than you see in much of the Columbia Valley. In this area, we prefer the structure of Syrah-heavy blends, with Cab- ernet Sauvignon providing some lift and prettiness, and Mourvedre filling in the mid- dle. We ferment these wines cool, in small fermentors with gentle punch downs, uninocu- lated fermentations and often whole clusters in the Syrahs. We use only older barrels and thick-staved puncheons for this wine. We bottle the wine 14 months after harvest and give it a year in bottle before release. W&V : Buty has a second label called BEAST. What is the philosophy for the BEAST wines? Dowsett: BEAST is the alter ego of Buty. While our Buty portfolio is limited to just six core wines, BEAST allows us to explore different varieties, vineyards or blends. BEAST gives us a lot of freedom, which is fun. At the same time, while they are fun wines to make, and we get a little playful with the back label and wine- maker notes, we don't take them any less seriously than our Buty bottlings; they are great wines. Also, with the exception of our Wildebeest and our Sphinx Riesling, most are only available directly from the winery and may not be made every vintage. In gen- eral, the BEAST style offers a lot of bright fruit and youthful energy. A resident of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Laurie Daniel has been a journalist for more than 25 years. She has been writing about wine for publi- cations for nearly 15 years and has been a Wines & Vines contributor since 2006. www.walterjelly.com 608.831.1405 whj wine print.indd 1 2/6/13 5:59:47 PM SELL TO MORE GROWERS The Wines & Vines Grower Online Marketing System (GOMS) enables users to create and save highly customized grower searches, and export results into advanced report types, data exports and mailing labels. (866) 453-9701 • winesandvines.com/OMS SELECT RECORDS BASED ON: region varietals acreage grape sales new vineyard