Total acres planted: 3.5, Sagemoor Vineyard

We enjoy growing Barbera because when it is picked changes how it expresses itself during winemaking. Fresh, bright acids come from fruit picked early, while classic dusty characteristics present themselves in fruit picked later. Barbera is sensitive to sunburn, so we use overhead sprinklers to provide a cooling effect during the hottest of days.

Total acres planted: 64, Bacchus, Weinbau, Gamache, Southwind

If you walk the Cabernet Franc rows in our vineyards, you will observe a difference in clusters. At Bacchus, the clusters are bigger with all the berries touching, while at Weinbau, the clusters are looser. Fittingly, Bacchus produces wonderful red fruit characteristics (strawberry, rhubarb) with potential for fresh rose petals and tea leaves. Weinbau’s days get hotter, so the fruit can reach a riper state, producing earthy elements like dried herbs or leather. At Gamache, the Cabernet Franc is fantastic - nicely restrained, with fresh cranberry-like acidity and long, dusty tannins.

Total acres planted: 340, Sagemoor Vineyard, Bacchus, Dionysus, Weinbau, Gamache, Southwind

Old vine Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from our six vineyards produce a broad range of flavor profiles, enabling winemakers to achieve their own unique vision. Our prized 1972 plantings at Sagemoor, Bacchus, and Dionysus have never experienced a freeze despite extreme winters these past 50 years. These mature 1972 plantings produce notes of dried rosemary and thyme with a generous backbone of tannin. The flavor profiles from dynamic sister properties Bacchus and Dionysus change from block to block due to their oscillating hills and micro-climates. Our 40 acres of 1989 plantings at Weinbau give notes of rich, dark fruit, licorice, and chocolate from smaller grapes achieved through specialized water management. And the cooler climate of our 18 acres of 1985 Gamache Cabernet Sauvignon produces livelier red fruit notes, leather, and earth.

Total acres planted: 3.0, Weinbau

Growing great Carmenere is a passion of Weinbau’s Vineyard Manager Miguel Rodriguez. We prune clusters for even ripeness, and then closely monitor ripening because this grape is ready once it hits about 24 Brix. Some say you need a distinct palate to enjoy this spicy treat of a red, but we think Miguel is growing some of the most purely executed Carmenere in Washington state, and you only need to taste it from an equally passionate winemaker’s hands to understand the allure.

Total acres planted: 160, Sagemoor Vineyard, Bacchus, Dionysus, Weinbau, Gamache

This noble grape expresses dynamically in Washington state. Thanks to differences in our sites, we grow a nice juxtaposition of styles. Bacchus and Dionysus offer a rich, dense, classic New World Chardonnay. At the elevated and cooler Gamache Vineyard, the grape retains a crisper acidity with delicate, fresh flavors. Think lemongrass, lemon curd. Weinbau Vineyard on the warm Wahluke Slope can be lush with tropical fruit characteristics.

Total acres planted: 9, Sagemoor Vineyard, Weinbau

Grenache really excites us. Our mature plantings at Weinbau ripen evenly, ultimately offering a nose of beautiful red fruit and tobacco with nice tannins. However, Sagemoor’s Grenache is much more dainty, floral, and soft. We’ve tried examples from Sagemoor that ebb and flow in the glass with bouquets that continue to develop for hours. Director of Viticulture Lacey Lybeck has experimented with head-trained Grenache in a sandy corner of Sagemoor to find just the right growing techniques this variety loves.

Total acres planted: 42, Sagemoor Vineyard, Weinbau, Gamache, Southwind

Malbec does well when the fruit is allowed good exposure to the sun. So, we do careful vertical shoot positioning (VSP) to give our vines direct sunlight all morning, and a nice layer of leaf protection later in the day once the grapes have warmed up to ambient temperature. The result is Malbec that ripens to a deep, dense color with broad flavor potential.

Total acres planted: 236, Bacchus, Dionysus, Weinbau, Gamache, Southwind

Canopy and water management are huge for this variety of grape, and our vineyards are setup to control the exact amount of water the vine needs. As a result, all of our Merlot grapes deliver dense, dark, full-bodied fruit. While Bacchus and Dionysus Merlot is more elegant and refined with gentle tannins, Weinbau Merlot is earthy and complex with a strong backbone.

Total acres planted: 5.5, Weinbau

A successful Mourvedre crop requires a lot of care. Our team at Weinbau has worked tirelessly over the years to understand Mourvedre vines, and the Washington wine industry is better for it. Small berry size, loose clusters, and a nice canopy to prevent sunburn are crucial. When picked around 19-20 Brix, a winemaker can achieve a Provençal-style rosé. Let it hang until 25-28 Brix, and there’s potential for a beautifully dense red wine with spice, a range of peppercorns, and long tannins.

Total acres planted: 20, Dionysus, Southwind, Weinbau

We grow our Petit Verdot to be powerful, in a block that winemakers sometimes see fit for vineyard-designated blends. Thanks to how much fruit this varietal grows, we’re able to keep an extra crop on the vine through cell expansion building up the vine’s internal power, then we remove half of the crop leaving only the very best clusters to soak all that power up. We aim to keep our Petit Verdot berries small and mighty. You can add quite a backbone to any red with just 2-3% of this classic black beauty.

Total acres planted: 14.4, Gamache

The Pacific Northwest is a wonderful region for growing crisp, clean, zesty Pinot Gris. At a cooler spot like Gamache, Pinot Gris excels. We love examples of this grape from all over our region, but our Gamache fruit really has our heart: complex aromas, a mouthful of honeydew and bright orchard fruit reminiscent of the organic peaches that grow adjacent to the vines, and always ample acidity.

Total acres planted: 41, Bacchus, Weinbau, Gamache

Did you know that Washington state grows the most Riesling in the new world, about as much as the Alsace region in France? Our vineyards grow a variety of clones including mineral-driven Neustadt 90, starfruit-laden Geisenheim 198 and 239, and more. Flavor profiles range from very ripe and fruity to bone dry. At Weinbau, we have some of the first plantings of Riesling on the Wahluke Slope dating back to 1981.

Total acres planted: 2.5, Sagemoor Vineyard, Gamache

We nurture this Rhone varietal in two small blocks, one at Gamache and one at Sagemoor. We say “nurture” because Roussanne requires special attention and threatens to rot or ripen unevenly if neglected. In a winemaker’s hands, ours has the potential for a range of style choices. Fruit characteristics span across ripe, tropical, baked, or austere. It can have a rich mouthfeel balanced with high-pitched acidity, or be a more delicate, mineral-driven white. We achieve the more viscous, mouth-filling style at Sagemoor while our Gamache Roussanne is favored by winemakers looking for a subtler expression of this aromatic grape.

Total acres planted: 56, Sagemoor, Bacchus, Gamache

Differences in terroir lead to incredible variety within our Sauvignon Blanc blocks. At Gamache, our 1985 plantings remain consistently pure thanks to their elevation and location, set back from the mighty Columbia River. Our 1972 plantings at Bacchus have also remained pure thanks to beautifully balanced canopies. The undulating hills of Bacchus let us achieve different styles even within a single row – true varietal characteristics are found in fruit from the north side, with more star fruit flavors from the south side. When harvesting at Bacchus, we find ourselves picking to an exact spot for one winemaker, while another winemaker achieves a completely different vision with fruit from the very next vine.

Total acres planted: 1.25, Sagemoor

To keep our Sangiovese varietally correct, we remove leaves at veraison for maximum sun exposure, then limit the amount of water. “We bring the pain” as Director of Viticulture Lacey Lybeck likes to say. We only planted a small amount in the harshest spot we could find so we could restrict the variety’s vigorous nature with the goal of growing the smallest, most dense berries we can produce. And the results speak for themselves - juicy, rustic fruit flavors with bright acidity and beautiful aromas, producing wine we want to taste a second (and third) time.

Total acres planted: 1.5, Dionysus

When Dionysus was originally planted, we had over 18 acres of Semillon. These days we harvest just over an acre of that original 1997 crop in block 20 at the top of the vineyard. Semillon is a moving target, showing abundant fresh lemon and lime zest early in the ripening stages, then maturing to fig, honey and peach with a lanolin softness if left lingering on the vine a bit longer. We’ve seen it bottled on its own, blended with its Bordeaux soulmate Sauvignon Blanc, or even made into a stellar ice wine if the stars align.

Total acres planted: 78, Sagemoor Vineyard, Bacchus, Weinbau, Gamache, Southwind

At Weinbau, we have two unique clones planted in 2005 that produce wonderful savory Syrah grapes sought after by winemakers for how agreeable they are to different house styles. Weinbau’s home on the Wahluke Slope is frequently the hottest vineyard region in the state, which can mean big, juicy fruit flavors in our Syrah grapes. It took us 10 years of watching, waiting, and experimenting to discover how Syrah likes to be treated and we think we’ve nailed it.

Total acres planted: 14, Sagemoor Vineyard, Gamache, Southwind

Viognier is another varietal grown in both a warm and cool site, producing rich and beautifully textured wines. The cooler air at Gamache helps the grapes achieve piercing acidity on top of nuanced citrus or melon, while warmer temperatures at Sagemoor impart more voluptuous fruity notes of Meyer lemon and honeydew.