Cairdeas Winery: A Passion For Rhône

West Seattle transplants Charlie and Lacey Lybecker have brought their flair for French style wines to the shores of Lake Chelan, where Cairdeas Winery is blossoming

THE FIRST SETTLERS to Lake Chelan in the late 1800’s, pulling massive Chinook Salmon and Lake Trout from the crystal-clear waters, most likely weren’t thinking about the perfect local wine pairing. Though the first wine grapes were planted in the region in 1891, it wasn’t until 1998 that the first commercial vineyard was planted by Bob Christopher and Steve Kludt, when they both took out orchard acreage and planted wine grapes. In 2000, Steve and Bobbi Kludt licensed and bonded Lake Chelan Winery, the very first in Chelan County.

Chelan, aptly named after the Salish Indian word, “Tsi-Laan,” meaning “deep water” (it’s the third deepest lake in the United States) has long made for excellent fishing and year-round riparian recreation. What seems to be on the minds and in the stemware of tourists to Lake Chelan Valley these days are the wines, including those from Cairdeas, the 18th winery to be established in the AVA, which today numbers 33 and counting.

Charlie and Lacey Lybecker of Cairdeas Winery (pronounced Cardis) got married in 2008 and bought a house in West Seattle. The next year they started a winery out of their garage, adopted a rescue dog, and started a family (Eugene is now six; Francis, four). With so much on their plate, they started very small at 150 cases. Both kept their stable day jobs, with Lacey working in marketing, first for a non-profit, then in event production; Charlie working in radio. Charlie, who describes himself as a cautious entrepreneur (not a bad trait when starting a winery), didn’t become a full-time winemaker until 2014, and Lacey didn’t begin working full-time for the winery until last year.

Cairdeas is a Gaelic term for friendship or goodwill and is a slight nod to the family’s Irish heritage. “We thought it was so fitting for a winery,” says Charlie. “We’re very grateful for this opportunity…and we try to be friendly, too,” he says humorously.

A Textbook Case

Lacey’s interest in the world of wine started at the age of 19 when she toured and tasted through Australia’s Yarra Valley. After growing up in Minnesota surrounded largely by Busch Light drinkers and exposed to a little church wine, she was instantly enamored with wine country.

Charlie credits Lacey for introducing him to wine; she credits his naturally curious personality for his skilled winemaking. “Even as a kid, if the CD player that he got for Christmas stopped working, he’d pull it apart, figure out what was wrong and put it back together,” she says. “It does translate to wine—I feel like his curiosity is never going to be satisfied, which is a perfect thing for winemaking.”

Charlie’s path to making wine included “asking a million questions” when winemakers were in tasting rooms, and reading every textbook and study he could find about winemaking.

“He doesn’t read so I knew he was serious,” Lacey says laughing. Charlie clarifies that he doesn’t read fiction.
“Everyone was so willing to lend information,” Charlie recalls. “I had other wineries offer to run tests on wine samples or provide advice on what to do at certain stages.”

Charlie also took some courses at the Northwest Wine Academy and joined an online winemaking forum. Another resource was the Washington Wine Technical Group, of which Charlie is now on the board.

A Girl Can Dream

On a work trip to Lake Chelan, Lacey got to meet Steve Kludt from Lake Chelan Winery. “It was the same year that we were talking about starting a winery. There were just 13 here at the time and they were all small and family owned,” recalls Lacey. “I felt like this place was what our long-term dream was—instead of an urban winery.”

Lake Chelan wasn’t even on their radar—they were looking at properties in the Yakima Valley and in Oregon. “I came home from that trip and told Charlie that we needed to go to Chelan and look at it together.”

The couple spent the afternoon wine tasting, talking with people, taking in the scenery and the family-friendly vibe.

“On our first night we knew this was it,” says Lacey.

“It was exciting for us to know that we would be a part of what was then the newest AVA in Washington State (officially formed in 2009) and contribute to the growth of the Valley,” says Charlie.

Making Rhônes In Chelan

Charlie found himself drawn to Syrah and Viognier, and curiosity led him to other grape varietals from the Rhône Valley including Grenache Noir, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Counoise and more. “I was hooked,” he says, but the production space was prohibitive. “I thought, I’ll let other people worry about Merlot and Cabernet.” As a result, they stopped working with Bordeaux varietals. “It’s the best thing we ever did,” Lacey says.

Charlie agrees. “Sometimes it’s overwhelming when you go into a tasting room and they have 30 different wines to choose from. When you come here we have five and they are all laser focused on Northern and Southern Rhône.”

From No To Yes

After getting their start in Lake Chelan in a renovated apple packing shed in the agri-artisan town of Manson on the north shore, the couple had their eye on something a little less off-the-beaten path. A property came up for sale south of Manson with a beautiful view of the lake and land, perfect for planting a small vineyard. Charlie and Lacey put in an offer and the answer came back no. Months went by with no other offers so they put in another. Another no. More time went by. The property sat.

“Every time we drove by I’d say that’s our property—we’re getting it somehow,” recalls Lacey. “I didn’t even know how it would be possible.” But the property continued to sit, so the couple put in their final offer, and in a third-time’s-a-charm moment, the answer was yes.

Paying It Forward

In addition to bringing new wines into the mix (Clairette Blanche, Alicante Bouschet, and Carignan for example), next year, Cairdeas plans to break ground on a new tasting room with a view of both the vineyard and the lake. After that, a much larger production facility is in the works—the winery has roughly doubled its production every year and is now at just over 3,000 cases.

The Lybecker’s dedication to Rhône Valley varietals is evident even outside the tasting room doors, where the modest estate vineyard is planted with Syrah and two exciting white varietals: Clairette Blanche and Picardan. Clairette is the most widely planted white grape in the renowned Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation of France, and Cairdeas is only the second vineyard where it’s grown in Washington State. They are the first to plant Picardan in the state, another grape found in white wine blends from Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

“The spring after we bought this property we planted Clairette and I thought, three years is a long time to wait—and now we have that wine in a tank in the cellar right now. It goes fast,” says Charlie.

“It’s an industry of patience,” Lacey acknowledges. “It’s kind of cool to look that far ahead.”

And then there’s the second generation of Lybeckers.

“Eugene has told us many times that he has no interest in being a winemaker but we brought both boys out to help us pick the Clairette, and afterwards he asked if he could be the vineyard manager,” Lacey says with a chuckle. Seems like the interest is growing.

“This morning, after he helped me take some brix readings and helped me check the pH level on some wines, he asked if he could be the lab guy,” Charlie adds.

But the couple wants both kids to feel free to pursue their own interests. “Hopefully we can pass this along to the next generation but if they find something else they’re passionate about, that’s awesome too,” says Lacey. “If you ask Francis what he wants to be when he grows up, he says ‘a rock star and a winemaker.’ ” Stranger things have happened.

Written by Kirsten Telander

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Cairdeas Winery

3395 Hwy 150, Chelan WA
Ph: (509) 687-0555
Open Thur-Mon, check website for seasonal changes in hours
www.cairdeaswinery.com