Sources of Our Fruit

Mc B Vineyard spreads across a hillside near the small hamlet of Lowden, Washington.  At only 550 ft in elevation, it routinely records some of the warmest temperatures in the Walla Walla Valley. After sunset the temperature drops rapidly as cooler air floods in from the Blue Mountains foothills and pools on the surrounding valley floor. This diurnal shift in temperature, which commonly exceeds 40°F, preserves acidity and prolongs the ripening period so that sugar levels and flavors are in balance. The soils of Mc B Vineyard consist of layers of sand and silt deposited by the Ice Age Missoula floods overlain by wind-deposited silt (loess).

Les Collines Vineyard is situated between 1200 and 1400 ft elevation in the foothills of the Blue Mountains five miles southeast of Walla Walla. The soils of Les Collines consist of deep silt loams derived from wind-deposited silt known as loess. The soils are both well drained and have excellent water holding capacity and supplemental irrigation is used sparingly. This vineyard has one of the longest ripening seasons in the Walla Walla area as it often lies above the cool air that pools on the valley floor.

Yellowbird Vineyard lies at an elevation of 1450 ft. on a southwest-facing slope in the valley of Mill Creek, five miles east of Walla Walla.  The combination of deep silt-loam soils and an annual precipitation of 20-24 inches of precipitation permit the grapes to dry-farmed (grown without supplemental irrigation). The vineyard benefits from a daily pattern of airflow that is common in the Mill Creek Valley during the summer months. Warmer lighter air pushes up into the Mill Creek valley during the day, displacing cooler heavier air. Near sunset, the airflow direction reverses as cool air descends from the nearby Blue Mountains. The fluctuating winds moderate the climate near Mill Creek and encourage balanced ripening. 

The Sagemoor Vineyards lie 12 miles north of Kennewick where they occupy west-facing slopes on the east bank of the Columbia River at elevations of 700 to 900 feet. The soils are developed in wind-deposited silt (loess) that overlies ancient river and lake sediments and the deposits of the Ice Age Missoula floods. Sagemoor contains piles of erratic rocks derived from icebergs that were stranded on the banks of the Columbia when the floodwaters receded. Daytime high temperatures are often very warm at Sagemoor but the combination of low humidity and generally cloudless skies ensure that temperatures fall quickly after sunset. Nighttime cooling during the late summer and fall helps to preserve acidity and promote balanced ripening.

DuBrul Vineyard is situated high on the lower slopes of the Rattlesnake Hills 7 miles northwest of Sunnyside. The 1200-1300 elevation of the vineyard protects it from cold air that regularly pools at lower elevations in the Yakima Valley. The thickness and composition of the soils of Dubrul are highly variable.  The soils are derived from wind deposited silt (loess) mixed with fractured basalt and gravels deposited by the ancestral Columbia River. The rocky soils, which feature both angular basalt and well-round cobbles of quartzite, are very well drained and warm quickly. The mixture of rock types enhances the chemical complexity of the soils.