Harvest 2023 – From Grape to Glass

Oct 3

It’s the height of harvest season which means go time for our winemaking team in Walla Walla. From monitoring fruit in the vineyards for picking at the perfect ripeness, to grape crush, punch downs, and taste tests – the full winemaking process comes together this time of year.

Winemaker Mike Macmorran

Always ready and leading the team by example. Mike joined Mark Ryan Winery in 2008, becoming a partner in 2011. This harvest, he is leading our winemaking team with his remarkable fusion of discipline, artistry, and collaborative spirit.

Punch Down

Punch downs ensure consistent temperature in the ferment and allows the CO2, made from the yeast converting sugars into alcohol, to escape. The mixing also helps impart the juice with more tannins, color, and flavor from the skins.

Founder & Winemaker Mark McNeilly

Once bottled, this merlot from the 2023 Harvest will mark the 25th vintage for Long Haul! From humble beginnings in a friend’s garage to our newest production facility in Walla Walla, Mark’s passion for making the best wine possible continues to grow.

Winemakers Mark McNeilly & Mike Macmorran

Harvest season means long hours and difficult decisions. Decades of experience and commitment have led Mark and Mike to hone their style and artistry. The result of this style has become one of Mark’s mottos: old world structure, new world fruit.

Winemaker Mike Macmorran

As a child, Mike remembers following his great-grandmother as she harvested and fermented cucumbers and cabbage from her garden. This early exposure to culinary alchemy inspired a lifelong passion for working close to the soil blending science with craft, and set him on a path toward working with some of the best winemakers and winegrowers in the state and crafting some of Washington State’s most exceptional wines.

Clone 169 Cabernet Sauvignon

from Quintessence vineyard on Red Mountain

Block 7 Cabernet Sauvignon

from Quintessence vineyard on Red Mountain

Winemakers Mark McNeilly & Mike Macmorran

Over the course of the last 16 years, Mark and Mike have developed a friendship that goes far beyond winery operations. Their shared commitment to family, generosity, and integrity has formed the basis of their friendship and their business.

great wine Starts with the best Grapes

Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot at Quintessence Vineyard on Red Mountain

It goes without saying, but the quality of our wines starts in the soil and on the vine. We work closely with the some of the best vineyards in Washington State to carefully plant each varietal and clone in conditions that produce the highest quality fruit. This year we are excited to add Borderlands vineyard to our portfolio.

Our Vineyards:

Red Mountain AVA

Quintessence, Ciel du Cheval, Klipson, Henry Earl, Obelisco, Shaw 32, Stanton, Quinn

Horse Heaven Hills AVA

Phinny Hill, Discovery

Yakima Valley AVA

Red Willow, Olsen

The Rocks District AVA

Borderlands

Crafting with heArt and Science

Our winemakers have one goal: turn the highest quality fruit into wine that highlights the natural flavors and properties of each grape. It’s easier said than done, but our team continues to work early mornings and late nights this harvest season to make it happen.

Decades of experience has honed our style that is unmistakably Washington: old world structure, new world fruit. We make wines that can cellar for full enjoyment down the line, but that still drinks great when released. During this time of year a lot of work goes into this style, from crushing the grapes, to punchdowns and vigorous tests and data collection in our lab. From residual sugar concentration, to tartaric and malic acid levels, this data helps us make the best decisions and ensure the highest quality finished wine.

However, winemakers Mark McNeilly and Mike Macmorran both believe the best winemaking is an art form. There is no replacement for being hands-on. From experiencing the aromas and flavors of syrah during pump over, to merlot during punchdown - you have to be present.

After around 7 to 10 days in open top fermenters, the wine will go into barrels and start aging. Mike likes to call barrels the spice cabinet of winemaking. Having been there throughout harvest our team use their knowledge of the grapes – their soil, the flavors and aromas during fermentation, the color during crush – to choose the right barrels for each ferment.