Nick Mackay Gets Results

Some people take a winding path to wine. Not Nick Mackay. 

Growing up in Benton City, in the heart of the Red Mountain AVA, he was right smack in the middle of Washington’s wine country. 

“Red Mountain was the cool new AVA when I was growing up,” he says. 

His dad, who owned a construction company but came from a farming lineage, had purchased 40 acres in Red Mountain early on. As a young teen during the slow recession years, Nick began helping his dad cultivate their family vineyard as a side project, 10 acres at a time.

This early experience taught him every aspect of growing and maintaining a vineyard and about the many, many detailed aspects that go into successful vineyard management. 

The next natural move was to matriculate at Washington State University and study Viniculture and Enology. The program was still fairly new then, he says, noting that his 2015 graduating class was only 30 students.

Nick moved steadily from working as a Vineyard Manager for Mercer Ranches in Horse Heaven Hills to Shaw Vineyards in Red Mountain and then joined Results Partners, where he is now a Director of Vineyard Operations. Nick strategizes with the Capital Call Vintners leadership to develop and nurture our gorgeous Windhorse Vineyard, located in the Columbia Gorge AVA in The Dalles, OR. 

“At Windhorse, you can grow just about anything,” Nick says. “It’s one of the warmer sites in the Columbia Valley. The long, warm growing season allows for Grenache, Primitivo, and Nero d’Avola.” 

These thin-skinned, large cluster varieties do extremely well at Windhorse, yielding intensely-flavored grapes. The site has consistent soil—Cherry Hill silt loam—which is filled with organic matter and clay, making it a little heavier than soil in other parts of the region.

“The wind speaks for itself,” he jokes, saying its always windy at Windhorse. The vineyard also has extremely good airflow which precludes the need for fans or overhead irrigation. “Cold air falls off the hillside,” he says, “and accumulates at lower levels.” 

As the primary supervisor of the vineyard, Nick has overseen a full makeover of Windhorse, based on the vision of founders Alan Busacca and Steve and Nikki Bruere for the future of Capital Call. 

“This vineyard could be a powerhouse,” he says.

Windhorse has gone from 20 to 32 acres and should be at full production potential by 2026-27 when Alan’s dream of growing Italian varietals in the Northwest will be fully realized. The vineyard is planted with Sangiovese, Nero d’Avola, and Primitivo, as well as Syrah, Grenache, Cabernet Franc, and Chenin Blanc.

“Nero is very promising,” Nick says. “It’s a really fun wine. Super interesting variety.” He says they were concerned how this Sicilian grape would do in a Northwest winter. “There were some below zero days in January, but the grapes look great. This bodes well for the future.”

This year the team planted Chenin Blanc. Nick thinks crisp Chenin could challenge the perennially popular Sauvignon Blanc as a consumer favorite. “I’m excited to see what character Windhorse adds to the grapes,” he says. 

For currently available wines, Nick suggests the 2021 Windhorse Zinfandel, which is the last vintage to be harvested from a low-tonnage, old vine block (limited supply is available!).

“Capital Call has acquired pretty cool properties,” he says. “Any time you can do that, you can control the farming as Alan and Steve and Rich (Cushman, winemaker) see fit. You can produce grapes for the style of wine they want to make.” He adds that Windhorse is L.I.V.E. and Salmon Safe certified, one of only two in the Columbia Gorge wine producing area. These guidelines for sustainability and responsibility ensure accountability and good farming practices.

In the last year, Nick has put 52,000 miles on his new truck, crisscrossing the Columbia Valley AVA to steward Results Partners vineyards and check in with the hardworking teams in the fields. On any given day, he could be fixing a tractor, examining vines, or meeting with property owners to strategize—or likely, all three. 

While he isn’t supposed to have vineyard favorites, he does admit a special fondness for Windhorse.

“I know you aren’t supposed to get caught up in beauty at a site,” he confides, citing the vineyard’s expansive views of Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams. “But at Windhorse, it’s pretty hard not to. It’s insane when the balsam root is in bloom. There’s a whole 10-acre hillside filled with yellow flowers.”