Wine is bottled poetry.

~ Robert Louis Stevenson

The Vineyard

Driven by passion … and terroir.

The vineyard was designed to create the best possible growing conditions for the varietals and a pleasing aesthetic for guests and residents. The design follows the natural terroir of the site that is filled with gentle slopes and soils that are primarily sand, silt and loam. The site benefits from abundant day-long sunshine and enjoys a constant breeze that changes direction around noon each day. Being protected in a natural elevated bowl, on the eastside of Konnowac Pass, the site is cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter than vineyards with a lower elevation in the Yakima Valley.

The majority of blocks are planted on southwest-facing slopes. The rows in these blocks run in a northeast to southwest fashion to allow for maximum exposure to the sun. Varietals that respond well to sun and warmth, such as cabernet sauvignon, will be helped by the thoughtful layout. 

The varietals that prefer a cooler setting, such as the sauvignon blanc, are planted on east-facing slopes. These rows are planted in an east-west configuration so that the grapes have less exposure to the sun and heat during the day.

When you taste wines from these grapes you see and feel the beauty of the place where it was produced. A wine that captures the quality of the light, of the sun that warms the grapes, of the night breeze that cools the vineyards, that reflects the harmony of the nature that surrounds it today, as it has for centuries.

The use of high-quality water is critical when irrigating wine grapes, especially in high desert conditions. Our grapes are watered with high-quality water from the Ellensburg aquifer.

The vineyard is located on the Western edge of the arid Rattlesnake Hills AVA. And the elevation ranges from a low of 1144 feet to a high of 1297 feet. In addition to the interactive map above, details for each varietal and block are provided below.

1a
1b
2a
2b
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20

Our Varietals

Varietal
Clone
Block
Elevation
Elev.
Year Planted
Year
Acres

Barbera

6
12
1,228 - 1,254
2021
2.59

Cab Franc

11
10
1,217 - 1,244
2021
5.06

Cabernet Sauvignon

33

33

33

33

33

16

17

18

19

20

1,242 - 1,273

1,238 - 1,247

1,238 - 1,247

1,239 - 1,273

1,239 - 1,297

2019

2019

2019

2019

2019

2.42

3.73

5.57

2.19

3.12

Carmenere

3

11

1,212 - 1,241

2020/21

20/21

2.25

Chardonnay

15

352

2a

2b

1,168 - 1,244

1,187 - 1,263

2019

2019

6.47

6.34

Grenache Noir

1a

13

1,241 - 1,267

2021

4.16

Malbec

9

9

1,202 - 1,215

2019

4.57

Merlot

26

15

1,266 - 1,278

2019

4.78

Mourvedre

4

14

1,241 - 1,267

2019

4.97

Negro Amaro

1

7

1,232 - 1,259

2019

1.13

Nero d'Avola

2.1 CA Certified

2.1 Certified

8

1,241 - 1,267

2020

1.08

Sangiovese

2

5

1,223 - 1,248

2019

1.1

Sangrantino

1

6

1,230 - 1253

2019

1.1

Sauvignon Blanc

Gist

27

1a

1b

1,144 - 1,216

1,145 - 1,243

2019

2019

6.61

6.67

Syrah

Phelps

Phelps

3

4

1,198 - 1,222

1,198 - 1,240

2019

2019

10.99

7.8

*All vineyards, except Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc planted on a southwest facing slope, 34 degrees north of due east.
Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay are planted on an east facing slope.
Soil Types: Sand, silty with loam, sandy silt, sand with silt, sandy loam, siltstone
Water: Ellensburg Aquifer

Our AVA

More about our AVA and the region can be found on these two excellent resources from our esteemed associations.