A passion for Cabernet Sauvignon brought Marcus Notaro to Red Mountain for the 2003 vintage of Col Solare, joining the legendary winemaking team of Renzo Cotarella, Head Enologist for Marchesi Antinori, and Doug Gore, Senior Vice President of Winemaking and Vineyard Operations for Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. I love the complexity of Cabernet. It makes a rich, powerful wine. It s why I m up here, he explains. As Resident Winemaker at Col Solare, Marcus plays an integral role in all decisions related to vineyard selection, winemaking regimes and blending trials. He developed a strong rapport with the Antinori vineyard and winemaking teams during his travels to the Antinori estates in Tuscany. That experience helped him foster an international perspective that fuses both partners winemaking philosophies into Col Solare. Marcus continues to learn from the Antinori tradition where the winemaking priority is all about quality. The goal is to achieve a balanced wine with a concentration of flavors and complexity. Tasting is critical, Marcus relates, our decisions are based on tasting, first, and then on vision. He follows the Antinori philosophy of blending early, based on tasting trials that begin in the vineyard. Equally critical in the winemaking philosophy is maintaining an exacting attention to detail in the vineyard. Marcus explains, Antinori s vineyards are meticulously looked after, with careful monitoring of fruit maturation from exposure, to water, to trellising, they are always looking to get more concentration from the fruit. Marcus Notaro, Resident Winemaker The twenty-eight acres of Col Solare s estate vineyard were planted entirely by Italian specifications. At Col Solare, Marcus spends much of his time in the vineyard evaluating and tasting the fruit. Everything begins in the vineyard and then it all comes together in the cellar, he sums it up, basically, you need to do what the vintage tells you to do. While Marcus experiences in Tuscany have refined his talents, his winemaking skills continue to develop here in eastern Washington. Marcus joined Ste. Michelle Wine Estates in 1995, and his career has focused on red wine programs, including Columbia Crest s highly- acclaimed Reserve program. Under Doug Gore s tutelage, Marcus has gained an acute knowledge of the Bordeaux grape varieties grown in Washington, guiding him as he fuses Washington and Tuscan winemaking styles with each vintage of Col Solare.