Our Vineyards 7 of our 12 vineyards are on the list of the top 10 Washington State vineyards as ranked by Andy Perdue of the Wine Press Northwest magazine: Champoux - #1, Ciel du Cheval - #2, Boushey - #4, Klipsun - #8 and Sagemoor, which includes Bacchus, Dionysus and Weinbau - #9. The most important factor in making great wine is the terroir of the vineyard and one of the primary elements of terroir is the soil. The history of the vineyard soils in the Columbia Valley of Eastern Washington is a fascinating one. They are the effects of the Ice Age floods that occurred 15,000 to 20,000 years ago. The below story is summarized from an article by Andy Perdue in the Fall, 2005 issue of the Wine Press Northwest magazine. At the end of the Ice Age, part of the Cordilleran ice sheet crept south down into Idaho. This lobe of glacial ice blocked the Clark Fork River creating Glacial Lake Missoula that covered western Montana. Eventually, this ice dam failed setting loose a 500-foot-high wall of water that swept southwest across Eastern Washington at 60 mph. These floods were equal to 10 times the instantaneous flows of all the rivers in the world combined. After this first dam broke, the glacier continued its march south, repeating the entire process of temporarily blocking up the river then bursting to flood Eastern Washington another 80 to 100 times every 50 to 75 years. Each time, more gravel, sand and silt was washed south, shaping Washington's wine country. Since the end of the Ice Age, wind has continued to shape the landscapes of the Columbia Valley by adding a top layer of sand and silt to create the perfect terroir for premium wine grapes.   Boushey Vineyard This vineyard is well known for producing possibly the best Syrah grapes in Washington State. We began receiving their Syrah in 2007 which will be an important component in our first Syrah wine. Champoux Vineyard is in the Horse Heaven Hills appellation and may be the best vineyard for Cabernet Sauvignon in Washington State. We began our association with this vineyard in 1989 – the year we started our winery and the year Paul Champoux became the vineyard manager. He later purchased the vineyard as the general partner with 5 other wineries. We receive his Cabernet Sauvignon from Block 2, planted in 1981; the Baby Poux block, planted in 1991; Block 3 and the high density Block 4. We are also fortunate to receive Paul's Cabernet Franc and, beginning in 2007, his Merlot. Visit the Chateau Champoux website at http://www.geocities.com/chateaucr/    Charbonneau Vineyard is on a beautiful site overlooking the Snake River and is another old vineyard by Washington State standards. We have been buying Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from Mickey Witherspoon's old vines, which were planted in 1981, since 1990. Because it is a cooler site, the grapes will often ripen at lower sugar levels, producing softer wines with good depth that blend well with the more structured wines from the other vineyards.   Ciel du Cheval Vineyard  is also recognized as one of the very best vineyards in Washington State for Bordeaux grape varieties. Owned by Jim Holmes and managed by Ryan Johnson, it is in the tiny but highly acclaimed Red Mountain appellation. We receive their Cabernet Sauvignon from vines up to 24 years old, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The quality is consistently high every year producing wines with dark color,  great structure for long-term aging and delicious flavors that include distinctive mineral notes.   Sagemoor Family of Vineyards  include the Bacchus and Dionysus vineyards located in Pasco overlooking the Columbia River and the Weinbau vineyard, located in Mattawa. In the past, these vineyards have sold their grapes primarily to the larger wineries but we were fortunate to begin buying their Merlot and Cabernet Franc in 2003 and Cabernet Sauvignon in 2007. All the wines from these vineyards typically show intense varietal character, adequate tannins and lively acidity.     Dineen  Vineyard  is the closest vineyard to our winery, located in the town of Zillah and lies within the new Rattlesnake Hills appellation. It sits on top of a large hill that is cool enough to allow for slow but complete ripening. The Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc wines have good fruit intensity, are dark in color, with adequate acid and tannin.    Kiona Vineyard  This vineyard is situated between Ciel du Cheval and Klipsun in the Red Mountain Applellation. We began receiving their Merlot grapes in 2007 from vines planted in 1975! This is one of the oldest blocks of Merlot in Washington State.   Lewis Vineyard  This vineyard is just east of the Boushey Vineyard in the Yakima Valley Appellation where the cooler growing season allows the grapes to ripen more slowly for full flavors at lower sugar levels. They have developed a reputation for growing superior Syrah, which we began receiving in 2007. Klipsun Vineyard This vineyard is also in the Red Mountain Appellation and is the source of grapes for many of Washington State's best wineries. We began receiving their Merlot in 2007 from vines planted in 1990. The soil and windy climate combine to grow grapes that produce wines with delicious fruit flavors and firmly structured for long-term aging.Appe   Riverbend Vineyard This vineyard belongs to the owners of the Fielding Hills Winery. It is in the Waluke Slope Appellation and has proven well-suited for growing Syrah. We began receiving their Syrah in 2007 and selected this vineyard because we think it will fit our goal of producing a Syrah in the Northern Rhone style.   Last updated November 23, 2005

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