Meet Miguel

Miguel Rodriguez began working at Sagemoor Vineyards as a teenager in 1979, just a few years after Sagemoor’s first vineyard was planted. In his 20s, he became the manager of the company’s Weinbau Vineyard, located near Mattawa in Grant County, where he’s worked ever since, running the vineyard and earning honors that include Grower of the Year from the Washington Association of Wine Growers.

"They can’t fire me," he jokes to Washington Grown host Tomás Guzmán, "so I’m still here today."

And nearly 40 years after beginning at Sagemoor, Rodrigez was given the rare honor of having a wine named after him — a 2017 red blend called Miguel the Man, which is described as having "notes of leaf, coffee, a medley of dried herbs, dark cherry, and barrel spices."

Sagemoor Brand Ambassador Kent Waliser explains that the wine was not only inspired by Rodriguez, but that he actually planted the blend’s Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes himself in 1997. After the new wine was created, the winemaking team sat around and discussed what to name it.

"We kept talking about Miguel and his impact on the vineyard," says Waliser. "Finally, somebody said, ‘Why don’t we just call it Miguel the Man?’"

Rodriguez says he is touched by the honor.

"It’s like an award from the company," he says. "A recognition of the hard work I put into the company all those years."

Waliser takes Guzmán to a hill overlooking two of Sagemoor’s oldest vineyards, Dionysus and Bacchus — both named after the gods of wine. Sagemoor operates six vineyards on more than 1,300 acres, growing more than 20 varieties for its own winery as well as many others. Bacchus Vineyard was planted in 1972 and Dionysus in 1973.

"(These are) some of the oldest vines in the state of Washington in production," Waliser says, pointing at the rows of grapevines. "They’ll be here after I’m gone."

Over at Sagemoor Estates, the winemaking arm of the company, Director of Winemaking Aryn Morell is preparing for the beginning of the busy wine season in Eastern Washington.

"We’re just receiving the first bit of fruit, so that fruit will be here bright and early in the morning," he says. "It’s really kind of the beginning of our busiest part of harvest."

Around him, employees are cleaning everything in sight to prepare for making wine, from spraying down the inside of the giant wine tanks to cleaning the external parts of industrial equipment.

"You know, the guys spend a tremendous amount of time cleaning," says Morell. "We probably spend more time cleaning than anything else in the building."

Morell says he thinks it’s such a luxury to make wines from some of the most historic vineyards in Washington.

"You know, for us, the beauty is that you got to grow something," he says. "You then cultivated it into a dedicated crop that you got to distill down into a product that, in the end — two, three, four years down the road — you get to enjoy."

In the vineyard, Rodriguez and Guzmán sit in the sunshine and sample a taste of Miguel the Man. Guzman smells his glass, describing the aroma as fruity and bright.

"It’s a wine that you don’t have to drink to know that it’s good," says Rodriguez. "Just by the smell, you can tell."

They clink their glasses together and take a sip.

"It’s really rich and robust," Guzmán says. "Miguel the Man!"

He asks Rodriguez how many bottles of his namesake wine he has at home.

"I’ve got a 12-pack right now," Rodriguez says, laughing. "I need to ask my boss for more."