I strive to produce wines that are true to their location and vintage, and are treated in the cellar with what some call natural winemaking- but I prefer traditional winemaking.

We use the following guidelines to create our wines-

Early(ier) Picking- I feel that protecting acidity, a true balance of alc. and flavor aids in projecting a sense of place, and the long term life of the wine.

Natural Fermentation- Starting with our L'ortolan Roussanne- we have moved from commercial yeast to spontaneous fermentation, relying with the yeast from the vineyard to drive our grapes on the path to becoming wine.

Minimal Sulphur addition- we add no sulphur to our wines till the completion of Malolactic fermentation, relying on the natural co2 in the wine to protect our wines through this period.  When sulphur is added it is done only as needed through small additions, then at bottling a small bump is made to protect our wines through the next step in there life.

Minimal fining and filtration- We filter only when the situation deems it so, many of our whites do not go through secondary fermentation and must be filtered, and the only fining agent we have ever used  is a minimal amount of Bentonite in our Viognier.

Reductive winemaking- we aim to keep or wines as untouched as possible in the cellar, aged on the lees for extended durations then racked once before bottling using gravity or a poor mans gravity system called the "bulldog" where argon gently moves wine from one vessel to the next, using this limits the wines exposure to the elements, protects aromatics and aids in the long term aging ability of the wine. 

Enjoying our wines- Our wines are living things and need proper care to ensure top quality in the final product.  Storage in a cold cellar, protection from vibration and sunlight will aid in the longterm life of our wines- we also encourage decanting our red wines to allow the natural C02 in the wines a chance to escape before consumption, occasionally a spritz may be present if not decanted or opened well before consumption.

2010 Garde Manger Syrah

Our annual blend of the fine Syrah blocks that we work with across Oregon and Washington.  Fruit from Outlook, Ambassador, Riverrock, Marcoux and Elephant Mtn. all went in to this blend.  Hand crafted using Hand picked, sustainably grown Syrah from basalt based vineyards.  Picked more on acidity and balance, than purely sugar based ripeness, then fermented utilizing the native yeast that the vineyard provided, with foot crushing and daily punchdowns we prefer long cool fermentations for our Syrah.  Aged for 11 months on the original lees in neutral french oak and bottled unfined but filtered.

14.1% Alc by vol.   333 cases produced
enjoy!

Our 2009 Single Vineyard Series Syrah's
With artwork by Meghan Jones.

The 2009 vintage provided us with three unique bottlings of Syrah from across the Columbia Valley AVA.
Riverrock Vineyard from the Walla Walla Valley AVA
Les Vignes de Marcoux Vineyard, from the cooler west end of the Yakima Valley
Ambassador Vineyard from the Red Mountain AVA in central Washington.
All three wines were created using fruit sourced from vineyards that we feel best showcased the reflections of the soil, the climate and the people of there specific site.  All three are reflective of the very warm 2009 vintage, the ripeness of the vintage, having balance and finesse, but also structure and acidity.

They were crafted following our guidelines of production, minimal manipulation, hand crafted and with respect for the site and the vintage. So2 was minimally used, no other fining agents, and great care through out the bottling process after the wines were aged for 21 months on the lees in French oak barrels and puncheon's. Our finest selection of wine Syrah from the 2009 vintage.
44 cases produced each

From two high altitude vineyards in the Yakima Valley AVA, our 2010 Viognier is from 11 to 15 year old self rooted vines based in rocky, basaltic soils on southfacing hillsides. Attention to detail in the vinyard and respect for the land is carried though to the cellar.
Hand picked, hand sorted and thoughtfully pressed into a mixture of vessels where native fermentation and minimal intervention showcase the vineyards and the vintage.
Vineyards Outlook and Elephant Mountian.
Vintage 2010 provided a long, cool growing season in the Yakima Valley. Reduced yeilds, thick skins and small ripe clusters with pronounced acidity.
Fermented and aged in a blend of concrete, neutral French oak, stainless steel and French acacia puncheon.
Natural Fermentation and aging on the lees till bottling provides complexity, no sulphur was added to the wine till post fermentation, to prevent malolactic fermentation.
Filtered using a plate and frame and fined using bentonite.
13% Alc. by Vol
261 cases bottled on March 18, 2011
$21.00 a Bottle

A single vineyard expression of Grenache, this one off project turned out to be quite the wine.

Fruit from Rhonda Davies "Stoneridge Vineyard" in Royal City, Washington provided a unique example of Grenache in the Columbia Valley AVA. Rocky Alluvial based soils and minimal Yields provided us with fruit that was balanced between finesse, distinct mineral notes, acidity, and a plethora of dark fruits. We were given less than 1.5 tons off of 2 acres off this prime vineyard.

Hand Picked, Hand sorted and Fermented in a combination of Neutral Puncheon (on skins for 35 days), and in Macrobin (on skins for 24 days) using native and cultivated yeast. Gently pressed then aged in a single neutral  500l Puncheon for 16 months with the final 3 weeks of aging in Stainless Steel.
Not fined but filtered in a single pass through plate and frame, then 46 cases were Bottled on March 18th 2011.
14.9% alc.
$40.00
(please note this is the only time we get to work with this fruit- a true one off)

Extended Barrel age Syrah at its finest!
I try to divide my Syrah blends in two thought processes- one focuses on fruit and the other on mineral notes. 
This is the Mineral side of the 2008 vintage where my 2008 "pour l'amore de Dieu" was the fruit side.  I select the best barrels that showcase these aspects, for each blend- the fruit based wines getting 11 months of aging time in french oak, while the mineral/ secondary based wines get 23 months in french oak (the final 12 months in neutral barrels)
2008 was a special vintage for us... It was our first! I sought out with the goal to create a Syrah co-fermented Viognier from a rocky cool climate vineyard.  Outlook Vineyard located in the heart of the Rattlesnake Hills sub AVA of the Yakima Valley at 1300' above sea level.  Rocky soils with a southwest facing aspect long warm days and cool night give outlook the perfect location to grow world class Syrah and Viognier.  Hand picked, hand sorted and crafted with the most care then lightly pressed into neutral French oak.
Enjoy

 Outlook Vineyard
 72 cases Produced
 93% Syrah
 7% Viognier
 14.9% alc by Vol
 Unfined but Filtered
$40.00 a Bottle

A study in Syrah across the Columbia Valley

My 2009 Oregon/Washington Syrah Represents some of the finest Syrah blocks in both states.  Fruit from Seven Hills West and River Rock Vineyards in the Walla Walla Valley. Elephant Mt., Outlook, Marcoux and Ambassador Vineyards in the Yakima Valley- and about 3% Grenache from Stone Ridge Vineyard By Royal City.

Low yields, rocky or south facing vineyard sites promote excellent ripeness and balanced flavor and acidity. Hand picking, hand sorting and gentile punchdowns of the fruit during fermentation bring out subtle flavors and aromas, while delicate handling in the press limits harsh tannins.

Aged 11 months in French oak of which 15% came from Puncheon, 5% new french oak and the remainder a combination of second, third and neutral french oak. Racked once before being Bottled Unfilted and Unfined on august 31st 2010

680 cases produced
14.9% Alc. by Vol
$21.00 a bottle
recently given a fine score of 88 points by WS

MY ULTIMATE FOOD WINE
Fermented using native yeasts and minimal intervention in the cellar, this unfined and lightly filtered white was painstakingly created.  Never pumped till bottling, this one neutral french barrel has been my muse this year,  A very long press run of around 8 hours added a complex skin phenolic to the package- while the acidity and mineral notes carry the wine along with a distinct black pepper and pear aroma balanced by a long and natural fermentation.  

From the very top of Outlook vineyard (the same vineyard as our Vio)- this one acre block of Roussanne is going to be a pleasure to work with- I hope you enjoy it as well.

$40.00 per bottle
19 cases are available total- 
13.5% alc

Harvested on September 25th 2009- To balance the acids and flavor profiles this wine went through malolactic fermentation. Unfined, minimal sulphur and light filtration.

Vineyard

Outlook Vineyard is located in the Rattlesnake Hills sub AVA of the Yakima Valley in Washington State.  At the Edge of the foothills at 900 to 1100 feet above sea level and a South East aspect Outlook lies above the richer deeper soils caused by the Missoula floods.  Basaltic Rock with windblown loess are the main soils found in the vineyard.  Planted first in 1982 and the Viognier block planted in 1989 Outlook Vineyard is managed by Roger Bates For Owen Roe Winery.

Vintage
The Yakima Valley had one of the warmest vintages in quite some time a perfect spring rolled in to unusually hot summer, which was lucky given an early frost across much of the state on October 11th.  The heat seemed to have less impact on Rhone Varietals as on Bordeaux based wines,  Harvested on September 14th at 25.8 Brix with unusually high acid and a ph of 3.6 the Viognier was both ripe but also well balanced due to low yields of 2.4 tons per acre.

Winemaking
Handpicked then chilled at the winery overnight, following Hand sorting and then pressed whole cluster over a long and delicate press run.  Settled overnight in tank then fermented in equal parts neutral French Oak, Stainless steel 75 gallon drums and a Concrete “egg” from Numblot in France using a combination of native and yeast isolated from the Rhone Valley. After weekly battonage and a long cool fermentation, the wine is not allowed to undergo Malolactic fermentation. Lightly fined using bentonite minimally sulphered and filtered sterile in a single pass through a plate and frame and bottled on March 19th 2010, then released May 1st 2010.

163 cases produced
14.1% alc. by vol.
$21.00