With wine and hope, anything is possible.

~ Spanish proverb

Team Members

The team is professional and a pleasure to work with. RKP Vineyard's first vintage of grapes exceeded my high expectations. As the vines age I believe RKP will be a very high quality source of wine grapes.

Esteemed Supporting Cast

We are grateful for the thoughtful research and guidance from Michelle Moyer of the Viticulture Department of Washington State University, Joan Davenport, retired professor from the same and Dick Boushey, of Boushey Vineyards. Their collaboration and specific site analysis informed a design program to create the exact location of the block followed by the row layout for each block.

The selection of varietals was a process of gathering recommendations from several well-respected individuals in the wine industry. Aside from Joan and Dick, mentioned above, also involved were Jim Watkins, former CEO of Berringer Wines and Tom Hedges, of Hedges Estates.

ROD RYAN

Principal Vineyard Partners

Rod Ryan’s love of rural settings, agriculture, wine and resorts came together in 2013 when he purchased what was originally, a golf resort. After much thought, and work with DTJ Design, the plan was modified to the Vineyards Resort, a wine themed, destination in the Rattlesnake Hills AVA of Washington State.  The cornerstone of the Resort is an 95-acre vineyard, planted in 2019.  The vineyard is surrounded by 3 villages. The residences of the villages include cottages, townhomes and single-family homes.  Along with the Estate lots, the residences overlook the vineyard, the valley, Mt Adams and Mt. Rainier. Amenities in the Central Village, the core of the Resort, include a piazza, shops, restaurant, tasting room/cafe, wellness center, gathering barn, Inn, pool and pocket parks.  Hiking and biking trails, a nature park and amphitheater finish out the amenities.

Rod is a native of Wisconsin, with family roots in farming.  He brought his mid-western work ethic to education, completing a law degree, passing the bar, all while becoming the first employee of LINK Conference Service, a company founded by Rod’s mother. LINK was a leading provider of audio and web conferencing for clients across the United States including Accenture, Costco and Stanford.  Rod later acquired and successfully sold LINK in 2009.

Since that time Rod has been active in developing real estate in the greater Seattle market. 

Rod enjoys a variety of activities and spending time with his twin boys in Bellevue, Washington.

Jose Licea (Nacho)

General Manger

Jose Ignacio Licea (Nacho) was born to a farmer family and raised as such. He earned a bachelor’s degree, followed by a master’s degree, in Business Management with a minor in high Management from the University of Colima. Nacho moved to Washington State in 2001, establishing first contact with the wine industry. He worked for years in all aspect of vineyard and wine making at Owen Roe 2008-2019, going from viticulturist, cellar master to General manager. Following that, Nacho joined Frenchman Hills, overseeing the team and 500 acres of vineyards. When not busy growing grapes, Nacho loves to spend time with his family enjoying the wonders of nature.