This is the second vintage of Esploso and is a combination of all Champoux fruit. This wine represents a side project for Will Camarda to blend and create his own wines, while still adhering to the traditional Andrew Will style of winemaking. Esploso is the Italian word for “exploding-view”, a diagram or technical drawing that shows the relationship or order of assembly of various parts.

The 2014 vintage has a lot of similarities to the 2012 vintage in terms of the style of wines made. They possess a great mid-palate depth and concentration. In a similar fashion to 2013, it was another very hot vintage for Washington State. The season started out with a very dry winter, that led into a very warm July (though no major heat spikes) and August. September and October were noticeably warmer than previous vintages which led to a more condensed growing season (typically the temperature drops in Sept and Oct allow for longer hang time without excess sugar accumulation in the fruit). This vintage has produced wines that, despite the heat, maintain an extraordinary level of finesse and balance.

Champoux (pronounced “shampoo”) Vineyard is set back five miles from the Columbia River in the Horse Heaven Hills. The 175-acre vineyard was first planted in 1972 and Block 1, the oldest section provides the Cabernet Sauvignon for Andrew Will’s Sorella.

Paul Champoux for whom the vineyard is named retired in 2014 as an owner and vineyard manager Dan Nickolaus replaces him as vineyard manager. The vineyard is owned and run by a consortium of partners which includes Andrew Will. Other partners include Quilceda Creek, Woodward Canyon, and Powers. Vineyard practices include balanced plants through micro-nutrition and pruning to fruit ratio.

The soil is sandy loamy (Warden-Schano-Esquatzel). The area is differentiated from other parts of Washington by the wind from the Columbia River Gorge, which never seems to stop. Tannins are noteworthy in the wines from this vineyard. Noted British wine author and critic Jancis Robinson wrote after tasting several Champoux Vineyard wines including Andrew Will, “what linked them most obviously was the quality and character of the tannins: extremely fine, dark and elegant. Together with the naturally well-balanced acidity, they create a wonderful framework for the rich, dark, blessedly not- overripe fruit; powerful wines that are nevertheless models of restraint.”