Miguele (Miggy) de Quadros-Sherry & Chris Sherry [Source: Elentone]

Many of the winemakers we’ve encountered would likely agree that making wine for a living requires a touch of madness. Chris Sherry & Miguele (Miggy) de Quadros-Sherry take it a step further, as some might deem them downright certifiable for attempting to produce sparkling wine in a region known for its warm climate and still wines. However, those who achieve success often diverge from the usual path, and based on the wines we sampled at Elentone, Chris and Miggy are demonstrating that their daring approach will lead them to great success.

A bold choice to make sparkling wine in Washington.

Originally from the United Kingdom, Chris grew up in Maidenhead and had a passion for music. It was while working in hospitality that he applied to work at a vineyard in England. Working there led him to also work at a vineyard in Bordeaux, providing Chris with invaluable hands-on experience.

That experience spurred him to pursue a degree in Viticulture and Enology at Plumpton College, where his talent shone brightly, earning him the title of Top Practical Student upon graduation. In 2015, Chris further solidified his passion by winning the “Rising Star Winemaker” award.

So how does a musician turned winemaker from England end up 4500 miles away in Washington State making sparkling wine?

Terrific Washington sparkling wines.

Miggy grew up in Bellevue, Washington just minutes away from Woodinville where the winery is today. Despite the proximity, her original career path also didn’t involve wine, instead she pursued a career in dance.

They met at a family wedding as Chris was a friend of Miggy’s cousin. They stayed in touch and began a long-distance relationship with lots of trips back and forth including her working with him at the vineyard in Bordeaux. She reflected on their journey, noting that while their path into winemaking may not have been conventional, it felt like a natural progression, “We both had an appreciation for wine and with our backgrounds in music and dance, the artistic influence is what really drew us in. We also recognized that coming from different places it was something we could do together.”

The decision to settle in Washington State versus Europe wasn’t quite so romantic. “Truthfully, the immigration aspect was easier for Chris to come here, but that also worked out well because he’s been able to carve a real niche here.”

Tasting through the lineup with Miggy.

The name ‘Elentone’ originates from Old English and represents the town where Chris spent his childhood. The discovery of this name occurred when Miggy stumbled upon it while researching the area. She found it in the Doomsday book, which detailed various aspects of the region. She thought it peculiar that while Chris’ hometown is now known as Maidenhead, it was referred to as ‘Elentone’ in the ancient text. This historical connection resonated with them, and they decided to keep it in mind for potential future use.

Like most that end up making wine in Washington, Chris moved to the state expecting to make Syrah or something more typical of the region. As he spoke with industry peers, they thought his background was interesting and were very supportive of his idea to make a sparkling wine in Washington.

The vintage fridge (now bottle shelf) in the tasting room.

They found cooler climate vineyards to source their fruit that really highlighted the natural acidity they were looking for. The first is Clos CheValle Vineyard located in Lake Chelan, and the second is Rainmaker Vineyard in the Columbia Gorge AVA.

Lake Chelan provides a cooling effect for Clos CheValle which is also planted north-facing. This results in a long growing season providing an ideal consistency in terms of fruit quality every year.

Miggy describes Rainmaker Vineyard as her and Chris’s happy place. “It’s just one of those spots that catches your breath every time you visit. It’s on the Washington side overlooking Mount Hood and it looks and feels more like a vineyard in Europe.”

Elentone’s first release was 2013 which may surprise many as they’ve flown largely under the radar until fairly recently.

The passionate and talented Javier Alfonso.

They initially made their wines at Pomum Cellars where Chris was working as the Assistant Winemaker to Javier Alfonso. The early vintages were a test to see if people in the area were interested in actually drinking (and buying) locally made sparkling wine.

They managed to buy their own disgorging line which is essential since they use the traditional method, and that opened the door to pursuing their project full-time. They credit Javier for not only his support as a winemaking peer but also for his engineering background. He helped resurrect the old disgorging line they got from Chateau Ste. Michelle which hadn’t been in use since 2004. “We definitely couldn’t have done this without Javier. He’s connected us to so many people in the industry and without his engineering background, we wouldn’t have been able to get that line up and running.”

Elentone currently produces 850 cases and while some growth is expected up to around 2000 cases, they have no desire to get beyond 5000 for fear of losing their ability to stay hands-on.

Elentone’s vision is to remain small-scale & hands-on.

They produce 6 different wines that are rolled out at different times. We tasted their two current releases which included their 2019 Brut and their 2020 Willow Blanc de Noirs (see tasting notes below).

Two more wines are being released at the end of February; one is a sister wine to the Blanc de Noirs and the second is a sparkling rosé from Rainmaker. Finally, they offer an extended ageing wine that has spent 5 years on the lees, and a blanc de blanc (100% chardonnay) is also coming soon.

Music plays a prominent role in the tasting room.

No longer under the radar and with a very loyal client base, they’ve recently opened their own tasting in Woodinville’s Warehouse district. The tasting room itself represents the things that drive Chris and Miggy, music being a prominent theme with both framed classic rock vinyl records as well as ones ready to be played on the record player.

Being very hands-on in all aspects of their life is mirrored by them using what they had available. “We know we’re in a warehouse so there’s no camouflaging that, but at the same time when you walk in you get hints of what we do.” Those hints include re-purposed riddling boards for the bar and coffee table, wine barrels as tasting tables, and an antique fridge they use as a bottle shelf.

Passion for making excellent sparkling is evident at Elentone.

“It’s been an incredible learning experience—it’s wild, it’s messy, and at the end we have sparkling wine which we love. We like to find that balance of doing something that seems reflective of the tradition of making sparkling as well as the fact that we’re in Washington so it’s going to taste a little different but shows what we’re capable of here.”

As our tasting notes will show, they’re proving they’re more than capable of producing not just good sparkling wine from Washington, but excellent sparkling wine period. Call us crazy, but we’re convinced.

Tasting Notes

2019 Elentone Brut      

2019 Elentone Brut.

This lovely sparkler is a blend of 84% Chardonnay & 16% Pinot Noir. Light green/yellow in colour with a fine mousse. Instantly we get hints of bread dough on the nose and with some swirling those aromas are joined by lemon zest and other citrus notes. The body is medium and nicely balanced with just the right amount of acidity. No dosage is required in Washington’s warmer climate. There is a saline quality to this wine which morphs into a savoury note that evokes sea shells. The finish is long and the texture shows very good depth.

Very Good/Excellent (US$49)

2020 Elentone Willow

2020 Elentone Willow.

This wine is a Blanc de Noirs meaning it is made with 100% Pinot Noir grapes. Again, no dosage is added to this wine. Here the flavour emphasis leans more towards apples (we instantly thought honey crisp) and the citrus notes are quite secondary. With a bit of air we pick up hints of black cherry. This wine has a touch more fullness than the brut and probably the same levels of acidity. The finish is long and carries a bit of brioche. 2 years on the lees and 9 months in neutral French oak, with native yeasts, this is exactly the method used in Champagne. Delicious!

Excellent (US$45)

Elentone proves Washington is capable of making excellent sparkling.

Elentone

18570 142nd Avenue Northeast

Woodinville, WA

98072

E: fizz@elentone.com

T: (425) 440.1857