Chris Daniel Stewart got his start in wine at age 14 when he began working summer and weekends at a local winery. At the same time he started helping out at the company run by his father, Michael Stewart, who has been heavily involved in the grape growing process for two decades as a vineyard consultant. Chris was instantly hooked. “I loved everything about the industry and decided to immerse myself fully from that point on,” he says.
After earning a degree in viticulture and enology at WSU, Chris continued to expand on his skills as he traveled abroad, studying in France and Chile, learning from top winemakers and wine growers. “I believe that my experience in France most influenced me in the concept of terroir. I always knew of its existence, but after living and working in Burgundy I especially appreciate how important a vineyard’s terroir can shape a wine—and it influences my winemaking considerably,” he says.
It was on a beach in Marbella, Spain with Cuban cigars and a bottle of Tempranillo that Chris and his father, Michael, decided to start a winery together. As a vineyard consultant, Michael is able to source premium fruit from sites that he monitors every week during the growing season. Father and son implement the same winemaking practices used by French winemakers in Chile and France, yet on a micro scale. Using only hand harvested grapes, they ferment the wine in oak barrels, a seldom used process because it’s labor intensive, but one that allows for added complexity and smoother tannins.
The wines are expressive, full flavored and well structured, most definitely worth a trip to Quincy to experience this boutique winery firsthand. In addition to collaborating with his father at Chris Daniel Winery, Chris makes wine at the historic Bell Cellars in Napa as assistant winemaker.
The quaint tasting room is open seasonally from April to November (Friday-Sunday afternoons) at 2743 Hwy 283 N, Quincy. Open by appointment in winter. Call ahead at (509) 398-1417, www.chrisdaniel.wine
Here are 2 releases we recently sampled:
Chris Daniel 2014 Columbia Valley Malbec, $28
Editor’s Choice – Outstanding (91-94 pts.)
Rich, deep and textural, with lavish mouthfeel and bold flavors of black currant, fig, boysenberry and spiced cherry embedded with mocha, juniper berry, white pepper and svelte tannins that linger on the finish.
Chris Daniel 2016 Columbia Valley Viognier, $18
Editor’s Choice – Excellent (90 pts.)
A spear of acidity punctuates the bright floral notes, offering mouthwatering pineapple, pear, lemony citrus and white flowers backed by wet stone. Limestone minerality prolongues the finish. A classy white wine.