Jeff Lindsay-Thorsen of W. T. Vintners
Even before he was 21, Jeff Lindsay-Thorsen had tasted some of the finest wines in the world. But it was a book on wine from his mother’s bookshelf that really captured his imagination, and left him wanting to know more. He left his corporate job at Nordstrom, and pursued certifications from the Master Court of Sommeliers. Jeff became one of Seattle’s most accomplished sommeliers working in the city’s finest restaurants, including RN74, Wild Ginger and Café Juanita. He also travelled the world visiting wine regions, coaxing secrets out of some of his favorite winemakers. The main lesson he learned is less is more, and he finally decided to put that knowledge into practice in 2007. That is the year he and his wife, Cortney Mills, and two other couples founded W.T. Vintners dedicated to Rhone style wines, particularly single-vineyard Syrah.
Today, W.T. Vintners offers two tasting rooms in Woodinville – one in the Hollywood District for traditional tastings, and one in the Warehouse District for private tastings with a winemaker. The winery also offers two very distinct labels. W.T. Vintners focuses on fine Rhone style red wines made with few if any additives to highlight unmasked vineyard and grape variety characteristics. The star here is single-vineyard Syrah, and there are often several you can taste side by side. The second label is Gorgiste focused on more playful wines from a single vineyard in the Columbia Gorge AVA. The Rainmaker Vineyard above the town of White Salmon is home to cool climate grape varieties such as Pinot Noir, Gamay Noir, Chardonnay, Gruner Veltliner, and Trousseau. With these grapes, Jeff crafts delicious, very affordable white, rosé, sparkling, and red wines that don’t need cellaring. In this interview, Jeff discusses why he singles out Syrah to make in multiple versions, why Gruner Veltliner is the darling dinner table wine for Somms, how his global travels and Somm background have influenced him as a winemaker, and much more.
Listen to the Interview: