Winemaking

Long Shadows is, at its heart, a family of seven wineries. Each flagship label has its own winemaking approach and philosophy, inspired by the individuals behind the wine. Yet all of the labels share the same foundation: meticulously sourced fruit, a world-class winery, and exacting attention to detail every step of the way.

At its core, our approach is simple: make the best wine possible, every step of the way. We believe the most important decisions are sometimes the smallest. Here are seven ways we pursue our drive for quality.
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Stage 01

Relationship with Growers

Founder Allen Shoup and winemaker Gilles Nicault’s years of work in the industry allowed us to establish relationships with some of the best growers and exceptional vineyards. These close partnerships are instrumental in our quest to produce the finest wines possible from Washington’s Columbia Valley terroir.

John Duval, Gilles Nicault with Dick Boushey at Boushey Vineyard
John Duval, Gilles Nicault with Dick Boushey at Boushey Vineyard
Gilles and Bill DenHoed in the Kaiser Family Vineyard at The Benches at Wallula
Gilles and Bill DenHoed in the Kaiser Family Vineyard at The Benches at Wallula
With Kent Waliser of Sagemoor Group
With Kent Waliser of Sagemoor Group
Miguel Rodriguez of Weinbau Vineyard
Miguel Rodriguez of Weinbau Vineyard

Stage 02

Vineyard Management

By establishing acreage instead of tonnage contracts we incentivize quality over quantity, and we can secure the same blocks and rows year after year.

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Since 2003, with continual feedback from Gilles, we have evolved our viticulture practices to meet the winemakers' needs. It starts with our management team barrel tasting in winter and setting goals each year, evaluating honestly each year's results and making adjustments in the vineyard.

— Kent Waliser, Sagemoor Group Vineyard Manager
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Stage 03

Hand-Picking

All grapes are hand-selected and picked to allow for extreme quality control. This practice assures the grapes arrive without damage or undesirable defects from premature crushing of the grapes.

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Stage 04

Sorting & Crushing

From the moment grapes arrive at the winery, a careful selection process begins using two vibrating sorting tables - one for clusters and one for destemmed berries - to exclude leaves and underdeveloped berries. A gentle destemmer prevents damage, and a positive flow pump ensures a gentle transfer of the berries to the tanks.

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Stage 05

Optimal Fermentation

Our large selection of different sizes and types of fermentation vessels allows for greater flexibility, so as to not compromise on extraction, maceration and fermentation time during harvest. This allows us to produce many different styles of wine and cater to our winemakers’ specific winemaking methods.

1,500 gallon upright wood fermenters for Pedestal
1,500 gallon upright wood fermenters for Pedestal
Stainless steel tanks
Stainless steel tanks
400L French Oak Baron fermenters for Pirouette
400L French Oak Baron fermenters for Pirouette
Cement Egg fermenters for Dance and Cymbal
Cement Egg fermenters for Dance and Cymbal

Stage 06

Barrels

We are meticulous in our barrel selection. Each winemaker considers forests, coopers, wood grain, air drying time, toast, stave thickness, and more when selecting their 100% French Oak barrels.

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Stage 07

Blending

The exacting process of blending our wines can lead to partially used barrels. Our Nine Hats winery allows us to select only lots that maximize the quality and style of our flagship wines, meaning only the absolute best is labeled Long Shadows.

Philippe Melka and Gilles Nicault
Philippe Melka and Gilles Nicault
Michel Rolland and Gilles Nicault
Michel Rolland and Gilles Nicault
Blending with Randy Dunn
Blending with Randy Dunn
Gilles blending with John Duval
Gilles blending with John Duval
John Allen Randy Gilles
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The Vineyards

The concept of Long Shadows was predicated on founder Allen Shoup’s knowledge of the world-class quality of Washington State grapes. That belief has come to fruition, and today we pride ourselves in sourcing some of the absolute best Washington has to offer. Through close partnerships with growers, we oversee every detail, to ensure that the fruit in every Long Shadows wine is precisely—and sustainably—grown.

Explore Our Vineyards
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See For Yourself

Visiting Long Shadows in Walla Walla? Tours of our winery are available for booking.
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