This is a story about the hard work, inspiration and luck that goes into formulating both a great career and a great bottle of wine.
As you know, MyWineTribe recently held a blind tasting of 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon from Washington State. To my surprise, the big winner was not the spendy cult wine, but rather an affordable bottle from one of our state’s biggest producers, Chateau Ste. Michelle. The wine that won our hearts and our palates came from their Canoe Ridge Estate.
As luck would have it, two days after the tasting I was at the Taste Washington festival, a gathering of winemakers, grape growers and wine lovers. There I happened upon Mimi Nye, who is (or I should say was) the vineyard manager for, you guessed it, Chateau Ste. Michelle’s Canoe Ridge Estate. As you can imagine, I was beside myself with excitement. But when I asked to interview her, Mimi politely declined, telling me that after 30 years with Chateau Ste. Michelle she was retiring in five days. I must have looked as disappointed as I felt, because lucky for all of us, she relented and agreed to a chat about her career in the vineyard.
A Grape Future Ahead For Mimi Nye
Q: How did you get into grape growing?
A: I was a city girl from Seattle who fell in love with plants at college. I wound up getting a horticulture degree from Washington State University, but I didn’t see grapes in my future. In fact, WSU didn’t even offer any classes in grape growing. When I graduated I worked as an agronomy tech at a potato farm (Patterson Farms, in Patterson, Washington). Chateau Ste. Michelle bought the farm in the late 70s and I came with the farm. Dr. Walter Clore (the father of Washington wine) had advised Chateau Ste. Michelle to plant grapes on the farm so they began to do that, but still I was focused on the row crop side of the farm.
Q: How did you become the vineyard manager for Canoe Ridge Estate?
A: When Chateau Ste. Michelle made the decision in 1991 to plant the Canoe Ridge Estate, which was near the Patterson Farm, I got a call from one of the VPs who was familiar with my work. He asked me if I would be interested in managing the vineyard. The first thing I said to him was “But Jack, I don’t know anything about growing grapes.” And he said, “Don’t worry Mimi, you will grow with the vineyard.” That is exactly what happened. The first year I learned about planting and trellising, the second year about training vines, and the third year about harvesting. Chateau Ste. Michelle is a wonderful company that offered me a lot of support. Also, Dr. Clore was a consultant and would come out to look at the vines and tell me what I needed to do in a way that I could hear it. The best thing he said to me was “the vines will tell you what to do,” which is so true.
Q: That wasn’t your first time working with Dr. Clore, was it?
A: No, actually I house sat for Dr. Clore and his wife in 1976, right after I graduated from college. They were traveling in Japan for six weeks. When he got back from his travels he showed me pictures of how they grew strawberries and other crops. His excitement and curiosity inspired me and I wanted to be like him.
It’s the Water
Q: What are the responsibilities of a vineyard manager?
A: I was responsible for all of the planning for the vineyard, including budget, planning and managing the teams who implemented the plan. I had three direct reports (one person responsible for irrigation, one for equipment and one for labor operations) and a total team of 30 people plus seasonal workers.
Q: As vineyard manager, how do you make the biggest impact on the wine?
A: Of all the things we have tried in the vineyard, the amount of irrigation definitely has the most impact on wine. By far. With different irrigation practices you can create radically different wines.
Q: What are the characteristics of grapes coming from the Canoe Ridge vineyard?
A: The grapes from Canoe Ridge create wines that are delicate and drinkable with a bright fruit character and powdery tannins that are dusty in the mouth.
A Well-Behaved Vintage
Q: I am a big fan of the 2012 Chateau Ste. Michelle Canoe Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon. Can you tell me about that vintage?
A: 2010 and 2011 were both cool years and we were all relieved that 2012 was completely normal. It was a classic Washington vintage with no catastrophes. I like to say it was a well-behaved vintage.
Q: How closely do you work with the winemaker?
A: Very closely. Luckily our winemaking facilities are right next to the vineyard so the winemaker would come out a lot and I would go and taste the wines through all the steps of creation. You only have one shot a year to make wine so communication is really important, especially as we have tested different things in the vineyard.
Q: What has most inspired and influenced you during your career as a vineyard manager?
A: One day, Dr. Clore called and wanted me to watch a video about the Missoula floods called “The Great Ice Age Floods.” The video tells the story of geologist, J. Harlen Bretz, who discovered the Missoula Floods in 1923, but no one believed him. He saw something that no one else could see and for 40 years he stood alone until satellite photography came along and proved him right. There have been times when I would see something and show it to others, but if they couldn’t see it I would back off, and later regret that I did. I have realized that everyone in the wine industry has an opinion and is so sure they are right, but like J. Harlen Bretz, I have learned to trust myself and the vines.
Here’s to the Woman Behind Canoe Ridge
Mimi Nye, I raise my glass to you. You’ve got the goods and it shows in the wine. I am grateful to you for trusting your vision and also for putting your heart and soul into creating the Canoe Ridge vineyard. Cheers!