About Our Vineyards

Great wines are crafted in the vineyard. And in 1978 we planted our grapes in eastern Washington’s Horse Heaven Hills along the Columbia River. There are about 20,000 acres under cultivation in the entire appellation. The appellation straddles the 46th (north) parallel—the same latitude as central France. Not surprisingly, the major Bordeaux varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot) do well in the Columbia Valley.

Fine Terrior

Our large estate and riverside location give us a variety of microclimates to work with. Variations in the soils deposited by the river, the angle and orientation of riverside slopes, and temperature variations comprise the “terroir” that gives our winemakers distinctive grapes.

Ideal Weather

Our vineyards are protected from the Pacific Northwest’s rain by the Cascade Mountains, which prevent precipitation from moving into the state’s interior. This “rain shadow” gives us three great advantages. First, we get hundreds of days of sunshine a year, so our grapes fully ripen. Second, the valley receives only 6 to 8 inches of rain a year, so we’re able to carefully regulate irrigation. Third, it’s a rare year when rain adversely affects any part of our growing or harvest season.

Geological Legacy

Yet another set of advantages comes to us courtesy of a millennia of geologic upheaval that left the Columbia Valley with an abundance of strong east-west ridges. These basalt folds and crests in the earth’s surface provide just the kind of south-facing slopes that grapevines love. Furthermore, our geologic legacy includes successive Ice Ages, whose scraping, flooding and depositing created deep, moderately weak soils that are ideal for classic vinifera grapes.

Letting Nature Do What it Does Best

Our philosophy of vineyard management is to let nature do what it does best, adding human intervention only as necessary to grow the best grapes we possibly can. We view our vineyards as a balance of plant and animals depending on each other. We continue to conduct multiple experiments aimed at enabling us to farm our vineyards in the most ecologically sound, natural way possible.

Phylloxera-free Growing

Our winegrowing region is free of the phylloxera root louse, so we can let our grapevines grow from their own roots. In other parts of North America and throughout Europe phylloxera devastations have forced winegrowers to graft their vines onto phylloxera-resistant rootstock.

Because we are phylloxera-free, we can propagate new vines from mother plants with the best wine-producing characteristics. To take full advantage of this natural benefit, we have developed an active shoot-tip culture program—the only such program at a U.S. winery.

World renowned. Washington grown.

Vineyards