Fidelitas Winery
“Fidelitas Wines
Rising
to the Cream of the Crop
and the Top”
By Christina Kelly
Avalon Editor/Writer
October 2004
Charlie Hoppes has something that can’t be taught in the wine
industry—a gut instinct that nudges him when grapes are ready
to pick, alerts him when he reaches the “ah-ha” point of
blending wines and intuitively informs him what a wine will taste like
a year or two down the road in the bottle.
That instinct is distinguishing the Benton City,
WA winemaker among his peers, and garnering accolades for his latest
releases, the second
vintage of Fidelitas wines. In a crowded field of new wineries and
new releases, Fidelitas wines are quickly rising to the top of the
barrel.
READ MORE....
Hired Guns: Consulting winemakers are helping
to shape the Northwest wine industry
Vineyard knowledge propels Ste. Michelle
alum to lofty heights
By Andy Perdue, Editor Wine Press NW
 Charlie
Hoppes is on a roll. He’s making award-winning wines for no fewer
than six boutique Washington wineries, and the mere mention of his
name can help a new operation gain instant credibility.
This should come as no surprise, though, because
Hoppes has been on a roll for a long time.
The Kennewick, Wash., resident got his start
from winemaker Mike Januik at Snoqualmie Winery in 1988. In 1990, he
spent a season at Waterbrook Winery in Lowden, Wash., then rejoined
Januik as his assistant winemaker at Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville.
By 1993, he moved to Ste. Michelle’s new facility on Canoe Ridge
in Eastern Washington, where he spent eight vintages overseeing red
wine production.
In 1999, Hoppes left Ste. Michelle to help launch
Three
Rivers in Walla Walla, where he spent three vintages establishing the
destination winery as one of the state’s top producers. About the
same time, he began to think about consulting. For a number of years,
he and longtime friend Victor Cruz talked about starting a winery. The
result, Cañon de Sol Winery and Vineyard in Benton City, Wash., launched
in 1999. At the same time, Hoppes began making wine for Goose Ridge Vineyards
just up the road.
“The opportunity came along right away,” Hoppes
said. “I think Three Rivers saw that this was going to help supplement
my income, and at the same time, I was looking for a little more of
a challenge.”
Today, wine lovers can taste Hoppes’ winemaking
prowess behind a number of labels, including Cañon de Sol, Goose Ridge,
Ryan Patrick Vineyards, Zefina Winery, Alder Ridge, Six Prong, Saint
Laurent and his own label, Fidelitas.
“With some of the labels, you don’t
know how they’re going to do,” Hoppes said. “You
do the basic winemaking, and it works out. I didn’t have any
idea it would all turn out as well as it did.”
 In
fact, Hoppes has had a remarkable run of quality that has shown in
a number of times in Wine Press Northwest blind tastings. Two years
ago in our third annual Platinum Judging, Hoppes’ Three Rivers
1999 Meritage earned a rare Double Platinum. A year ago in our Fab
Cab judging, four Hoppes-made wines earned our top “Outstanding” rating:
Cañon de Sol, Fidelitas, Ryan Patrick and Three Rivers. Last fall in
our judging oRyan Patrick and Three Rivers. Last fall in our judging
of 103 Northwest Syrahs, the top two wines were by Hoppes: the 2001
Cañon de Sol and 2000 Goose Ridge.
And twice the Cañon de Sol Syrah has won Best
of Show in the prominent Northwest Wine Summit, once two years ago
for the 2000 vintage and this year for the 2002.
That’s consistency at a lofty altitude,
and it all begins in the vineyard. In Hoppes’ case, more than
15 vintages in Washington have helped him get to know just about every
row of vines in the vast Columbia Valley.
 “I
work with about a dozen vineyards,” Hoppes said.
“ My fruit comes from a really diverse cross-section of the
Columbia Valley, from Walla Walla to Frenchman Hills. I
get grapes from Champoux Vineyards. I get grapes off Red Mountain. I
get a big chunk from the Wahluke Slope. My business model is to do this
on purpose. It gives you a lot more options to make the best wine you
can.”
His consulting business, Winemaking Northwest,
has helped lead to quick success with Fidelitas, his high-end label
produced at Cañon de Sol. The first vintage, 2000, was 360 cases. In
2004, he’ll crush enough grapes for 5,000 cases. Now, his brother
Loren has come on full time with Fidelitas. Loren brings a marketing
background from Nike that is helping to propel Fidelitas into the limelight — it’s
even being sold in Napa Valley. The lineup includes a Meritage, Syrah
and some vineyard-designated wines. He’s even making a Chardonnay
from famedElerding Vineyard in the Yakima Valley.
designated wines. He’s even making a Chardonnay
from famed Elerding Vineyard in the Yakima Valley.
“I didn’t have any plans to make
Chardonnay, but
when great fruit comes along, how can I turn it down?”
ANDY PERDUE is editor of Wine Press Northwest.
Copyright © 2004, Wine Press Northwest
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