Elephant Mountain Vineyards courtesy of Hattrup Farms.

Andrew Schultz of Brothers in Farms and Tim Gamble and Teresa Spellman Gamble of Tinte Cellars have purchased Washington’s Hattrup Farms. The sale includes two vineyards, Elephant Mountain and Sugarloaf, totaling 217 acres, with 162 planted to grape vines.

“It’s kind of a full circle moment for me,” says Schultz, who spent five years as general manager at Hattrup Farms from 2012 to 2017. “I’m excited. These vineyards have produced top-tier wines for a long time.”

Joe and Susan Hattrup established Elephant Mountain Vineyards in 1998. Located in the Rattlesnake Hills appellation, the vineyard is notable for its higher elevation, which ranges from 1,300 to 1,460 feet above sea level. The vineyard is planted predominantly to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot along with Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and other varieties. There are currently 93 planted acres.

The Hattrups established Sugarloaf Vineyard, also in the Rattlesnake Hills, in 2006. The vineyard sits between 1,000 to 1,250 feet above sea level. The vineyard’s 70 acres are planted predominantly to Rhône varieties as well as Tempranillo, Carménère, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay.

Both vineyards, which are only 3 miles apart, are notable for their extended growing seasons due to the number of frost-free days. Sugarloaf is the warmer of the two sites. Hattrup Farms sells fruit to approximately 40 Washington wineries.

“We’ve enjoyed immensely the many years we’ve been building the vineyards and enjoyed the relationships,” says Joe Hattrup, who has been farming for 47 years. “We’ve had a good run, but it’s time to let another layer of management come in and further what we’ve done. I’m really happy with who’s buying it.”

Schultz served in the Army as a radar operations sergeant. He subsequently used the G.I. Bill to study viticulture and enology at Washington State University. Schultz left the university in 2013 to focus on his work at Hattrup Farms.

Shultz founded Brothers in Farms in 2016 as a consulting company. He transitioned it to a full-service vineyard management company in 2018. Brothers in Farms currently employs 60 people in Washington and Oregon. The company will be hiring the entire crew at Hattrup Farms. This includes head foreman Emilio Garcia, who farmed with Hattrup for 47 years.

“Learning from Joe and Emilio has been one of the greatest opportunities of my career,” Schultz says.

Tim and Therese Gamble founded Woodinville’s Tinte Cellars in 2018. Since that time, Tinte has been responsible for more than $1.3M in charitable donations. The Gambles currently own two vineyards on Red Mountain that total approximately 15 planted acres. Schultz manages the two sites.

“We really like to support the Washington wine industry and local ownership as much as possible,” says Tim Gamble.

Going forward, Hattrup Farms will continue to work with existing customers who buy fruit. “We’re not looking to be a disruptor but rather want to embrace what’s been going on with these vineyards,” Gamble says.

Schultz is, however, planning some enhancements. Javi Valencia, operations manager at Brothers in Farms, is a certified master in Simonit and Sirch pruning. Schultz plans to implement some of those teachings at Hattrup Farms to keep plants healthy and productive.

As part of the transaction, Schultz acquires all of the Elephant Mountain Vineyards and half of Sugarloaf Vineyard. The Gambles acquire approximately 50 acres at Sugarloaf. The transaction completed November 21st. Metis LLC served as the exclusive transaction advisor.

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