The Wine Company

Winery

Betz Cellars

BETZ FAMILY WINERY | WALLA WALLA

“The true balance of winemaking is achieved when science and art collide creating a bottle of wine well worth drinking.”

-Bob Betz, MW

Since their first vintage in 1997 the Betz family had a single minded goal of crafting compelling wines with individual character that are approachable and age worthy, and which showcase Washington as a distinguished wine region of the world. By carving out specific vineyard blocks and being meticulous in the vineyard and cellar they achieve the quality they aspire to. As importantly over the years the winery culture has become a way of life in which everyone – their growers, winery team and customers are family.

Today, Betz Family Winery is headed by two families, the Betz and the Griessel families – both committed to be true to their heritage, the family members, and true to what Betz winery embodies: wines of dimension and pleasure, wines that allow the character of Washington to shine through. They are a blend of the best elements of the new and the old worlds; full ripe fruit and yet structured for longevity.

These are how you might imagine Washingtonian winegroewers: genuine down to earth people who believe “when green you’re growing; when you ripe you’re rotting” which leads them to world class practices and constant improvement. When you visit, it feels like a visit to The Wine Company as they treat everyone as family, give back to their community, and prove honest ambassadors for Washington wines. Their lasting impression is that they take pride in paying attention to detail every step of the way while leaving the planet better off than they found it.

A Betz they live by the adage “great wines are made in the vineyard, not the winery” which is why they co-farms their own rows and blocks in the most famous vineyards in Washington and work with their neighboring growers every step of the way, making every vineyard decision together. In addition, in 2014 the Betz Family made the decision to purchase their own vineyards and now have 22.5 acres planted to Bordeaux varieties on SeVein within the greater Seven Hills Vineyard near the Oregon border and 12.5 acres planted mainly to Syrah in the Rocks District, of Milton Freewater, both in Walla Walla.

Their approach revolves around barrel selections and blending. Small open-top fermenters, gentle cap management, and classic basket pressings ensure balance between ripeness and structure without over-extraction. Matured in 100% French oak barrels from seven of the top Coopers in the world, wines round out through a painstaking gravity fed rack-and-return process to the very same barrel they came from. Once the best barrels are selected the Bob Betz spends several months making each wine, tasting five blends at a time double-blind, using triple-digit random numbers to ensure no bias. From each flight they select a top wine from the five and then construct another four blends around that for the next tasting. This process continues for several months until they eventually choose the final wine. This is the essence of what sets Betz Family apart and why they are proud to remain a limited production winery.

Available Wines

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