[rcvd 29-Aug-2000, order form omitted]

Summer/Fall 2000

This may prove to be the shortest newsletter ever!  I have just returned
from a five day marketing trip to Florida and realized that our new 1999
Columbia Valley chardonnay and 1998 Artist Series cabernet are set up for
release the first of September, so as usual, I am running behind.

A quick trip through the vineyards this year is telling me that we may see
some estate chardonnay haravested in early September.  Merlot and cabernet
sauvignon are showing early advancement in maturity as well, with any
green harvesting probably taking place in the next week or so.  This early
harvest reminds me of the 1994 and 1998 vintages; great ripeness and
physiological maturity!  Wines from warm vintages like this are favorites
of mine because of the beautiful purity of fruit.  I can't wait for crush
to start.

As in past years, we have chosen to again receive a student from Purpan
University in Toulouse.  His name is Yann Clos Versaille, and he is from
Bordeaux.  The really cool thing about the students from Purpan is that
they are required to do a stage outside of their academic discipline
between their 2nd and 3rd year.  As a side note, the director of
production at at Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Mr. Charles Chevlaier, is also
a graduate of Purpan.  Also helping around the winery nearly all summer
have been high school students Peter Mattis and Jordan Small.  They are
both good workers and hav integrated into the Woodward Canyon team very
well, especially at lunch!

New wines for late summer release as follows:

Our 1998 WALLA WALLA VALLEY PINOT NOIR is available for $40.00 per
bottle.  We made just over 20 cases and, again it was produced entirely
from grapes grown by Chris and Mike Banks.  Flavors of deep cherry, plum,
vanilla and toasted oak make this rich red wine an absolute pleasure to
drink.

The 1999 COLUMBIA VALLEY CHARDONNAY is a blend of 25% Woodward Canyon
estate fruit and 75% fruit grown at Connor Lee Vineyard near Othello, WA.
This wine is true Woodward Canyon chardonnay!  100% barrel fermented in
Burgundian barrels with elements of apple, peach and nectarine married
with creamy spice and toasted hazelnut.  My Florida distributor wanted a
pallet of this chardonnay.  It's really good, and it's $30.00 per bottle.

The last wine this offering is our 1998 ARTIST SERIES CABERNET SAUVIGNON.
Production from Canoe Ridge, Champoux, Sagemoor and Pepper Bridge
vineyards has given us the finest artist series cabernet yet!  The vintage
of 1998 was warm, and this 100% cabernet based wine reflects it.  This is
a pure expression of fully mature WA cabernet sauvignon, rich with black
fruit, cassis, vanilla and spice.  The wine is dense, concentrated and
rich.  This cabernet is offered at $34.00 per bottle through the end of
September and $37.50 per bottle thereafter!

I've asked our new general manager to finish this letter...

Rick asked that I add my impressions of moving from county government to
the winery.  I don't know why I did not do this sooner!  I am still
figuring out what I am doing, but am enjoying it and our customers
immensely.  I am looking forward to being more involved in crush this year
-- kind of like the old home winemaking days when I rushed to punch down
the cabernet at lunch while Rick was working his "real" job.  Several
changes are in the works, such as e-mail, a web page and alovely garden
around the new tasting room -- stay tuned!

Thanks for reading!