WAV | Winemaker Wine Dinner: Will Camarda and Andrew Will Winery

Working out of a humble 600 square foot winery, Chris Camarda launched Andrew Will Winery (named after his son Will and nephew Andrew) with the inaugural 1989 vintage, and has spent the last three decades producing some of Washington’s most well-respected wines. In 2013, Chris was joined by Will who is now in charge of the winemaking, but the focus has not changed: structured, elegant, and age worthy, the wines reflect a singular voice that has never adjusted to chase scores or suit trends. Although always a focus, Chris’ attention to terroir has only intensified over time. His initial releases were single variety wines, but since 2001 he has focused blends for the single vineyard cuvées, as he feels this expresses the vineyards more clearly than a one-variety bottling. Chris and Will source from four of the best sites in Washington State, all planted to Bordeaux varieties: Champoux Vineyard and Discovery Vineyard in Horse Heaven Hills AVA, Two Blondes in Yakima Valley AVA, and Ciel du Cheval on Red Mountain AVA. The best grapes (regardless of variety) from each of these vineyards are used for the single-vineyard blends, and the remaining gets used for the “Black Label” single-variety wines. The fruit is harvested all by hand and transported by truck and then ferry boat to Vashon Island, just off Seattle, where the winery and cellar are now located. All of the wines are treated more or less the same in the cellar. All fruit is 100% destemmed, fermented with native yeasts in stainless steel tank, and aged in mostly neutral French oak with 25-35% new depending on the vintage and wine. Production is around 4500 cases/year.