Matías Kúsulas, Gård Vintners by Richard Duval

45+ wines reviewed below, including the latest from Chateau Ste. Michelle, Cynthian, Domaine Lumineux, Gård, Karvalé, King Estate, Northstar, Secus, Soos Creek, Soter, Spring Valley, and Upchurch.

Matías Kúsulas, head winemaker at Gård Vintners and sister brands Contact and Slope Life, has one of the most fascinating backstories in the wine industry – as in, the entire wine industry.

Originally from Chile, Kúsulas served in the Navy Special Forces there, retiring as a second lieutenant. He specialized in tactical operations, logistics, and weapons systems. Kúsulas then took his career in an entirely different direction. He studied soil science.

“I grew up on a farm, and I knew I didn’t want it to be in an office,” Kúsulas says. While studying agricultural engineering at Universidad de Chile, a professor got him interested in winemaking. Kúsulas subsequently majored in viticulture and enology and graduated with distinction.

Kúsulas worked several harvests in Chile before leaving his home country in 2011. From there, he travelled the world to learn winemaking techniques. This included stops in New Zealand, France, and South Africa.

Settling in France, Kúsulas spent four years there, working at Domaine Georges Vernay in Condrieu and Côte-Rôtie. While there, he earned a combined Master’s degree from Bordeaux Sciences Agro (enology and wine business) and L’Institut Agro Montpellier (viticulture and enology).

Kúsulas speaks four languages, including French and Italian. Oh, and did I mention that he has a black belt in judo? Kúsulas also likes to jump out of airplanes and once owned a skydiving company in Chile.

Courtesy of Gård Vintners

With 15 harvests already under his belt, Kúsulas came to Washington in 2016 and started working for A. Morell Wines and MPL Productions in Walla Walla. His first vintage as head winemaker at Gård was 2021.

Do all of Kúsulas’s experiences impact the wines that he makes? Unequivocally yes. The results at Gård are, top to bottom, one of the strongest lineups in the state. Gård’s entry-level wines are exceptional as are its top-end offerings, with clear separation across the lineup. There is no other winery in Washington offering the breadth that Kúsulas does at Gård – over 40 different wines – at this level of quality.

On Kúsulas’s wines, the focus is always on the fruit. He is as skilled as any winemaker in Washington matching fruit to barrel. At Gård, Kúsulas did well in the blazing hot 2021 vintage, like many Washington winemakers. However, he also excelled in the cool 2022 vintage, where far fewer did.

Perhaps it’s because Kúsulas has an advantage. He works as head viticulturalist at Lawrence Vineyards, which provides the fruit for the Gård wines. This means that Kúsulas both grows the fruit that he works with as well as the production of the wines. No one in Washington is overseeing more acres – around 1,000 – and is having that work directly impact their own wines. (Lawrence Vineyards also provides fruit to numerous local wineries.)

The best part? At 44 years old, Kúsulas is just getting started in Washington. In addition to his work at Gård, Kúsulas co-owns Valo and Massalto with Michael Ruhland. (Look for reviews of the latest Valo and Massalto wines later this year.)

One thing is clear. Kúsulas is going to have a profound impact on how Washington wines are grown and made. This impact has already begun. Kúsulas was responsible for bringing Simonit & Sirch, an internationally renowned vine pruning and training consulting company, to Washington. The company started working with Kúsulas at Connor Lee Vineyard in 2023.

Intense, smart, talented, and exceptionally experienced, Kúsulas works as hard as anyone in the industry. He is also dedicated to making top quality wine and is hungry to make his mark. He surely will. Kúsulas is already one of the brightest stars in the state. The results to date speak for themselves.

The sky is the limit for Kúsulas. He will raise Washington to even higher heights.

See reviews of recent Gård releases below and here. Reviews of the 2021 vintage reds are in the Tasting Note Database. 

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