Weinbau Vineyard, Wahluke Slope

Weinbau Vineyard is the key to our flagship wine, Exordium Cabernet Sauvignon.

"Weinbau Vineyard is one of five vineyards managed by Sagemoor Vineyards. It’s in the excellent Wahluke Slope AVA, 12 miles east of the town of Mattawa WA, with 460 acres of wine grapes.

In 1981 Weinbau was planted to Riesling, Chardonnay, and Gewurztraminer.  Over the last 35+ years with experimentation, and feedback from winery partners, we’ve altered Weinbau’s focus a bit. We still have some original Riesling and Chard vines from that 1981 planting, but we also now grow Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Malbec, Mourvedre, Merlot, Carmenere, Grenache, and Cabernet Franc. Incidentally, Weinbau has one of the largest Cab Franc crops in Washington.

Weinbau has a view of the Rattlesnake Mountains to the south, and the Saddle Mountains to the north. The land slopes gently south, with elevation ranging from 710-950 feet. Weinbau is a warm site with excellent air drainage, and soil is dominated by Kennewick silt loam with 2-5% slope. The consistency of soil type shows up in vine growth and subsequently in the wines." -Sagemoorvineyards.com

Two Blondes Vineyard, Yakima

Two Blondes is the source for our Turning Point Cabernet Sauvignon as well as the key to our Stage Right Cabernet Franc blend.

"Andrew Will Winery’s estate vineyard, Two Blondes, is located in Zillah Washington, just outside of Yakima. The vineyard is named for Chris Camarda’s late wife, Annie, who was a 6’2” blonde, and their partner in the vineyard, Bill Fleckenstein’s wife, Melody, who is also blonde.

The 30 acre vineyard was planted in 2000 and is located in the Yakima Valley AVA. It is planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec. The vineyard manager is Chris Hoon who is shown in the picture, above. Renowned viticulturist Dr. Daniel Roberts was a consultant in the early years on the planning and installation of the vineyard. The soils are a complex mix of Harwood - Burke - Wiehl series. They are silty loams formed in a silty loess eolian mantle over a lime-silica-cemented durpan. The vines are trained on bi-lateral cordons and the rows are mostly spaced at 5X8 and run due north and south. The angle block is planted differently, however, 6X3 spacing and 32 degrees NE by SW. Each vine supports 8 positions with approximately 16-18 clusters per vine."-Andrewwill.com

The Benches, Columbia Valley

Our 2013 Sommelier Series Merlot is exclusively from The Benches Vineayard.

"Established in 1997, The Benches (formerly Wallula Vineyards) is owned and controlled by a group of Long Shadows investors, including founder Allen Shoup, to insure long term sourcing of top quality grapes for the Long Shadows wines. The Benches are located 20 minutes southeast of Pasco on the Washington side of the Columbia River. As the name implies, this vineyard has twenty-seven geologically formed benches created twenty-thousand years ago by the Great Missoula Floods (the greatest known documented natural catastrophe in world history). These benches start at an elevation of 1400 feet and step down 1000 feet to the shore of the Columbia River.

The many benches at different elevations provide for unique micro climates and allow us to match the perfect grape variety to the perfect climate. The vineyard consists of 750 acres which are divided into more than 60 blocks producing 15 different grape varieties. At the top are the cooler white varieties like Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris. Midway are the warmer climate grapes like Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. At the lowest and hottest levels are Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Grenache and Malbec. Other more exotic varieties like Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Mourvedre, Dolcetto, Carignane, Barbera and Marsanne are planted in small quantities on various slopes of the vineyard.

All of the vineyards use sustainable farming practices with 150 acres farmed biodynamically." - washingtonwine.org

Dionysus Vineyard, Columbia Valley

Dionysus Vineyard is the main component in our 2013 Sommelier Series Cabernet Sauvignon

"In 1973 this vineyard was originally planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay Beaujolais, Zinfandel, Gewurztraminer, Trousseau Gris (Grey Riesling), Chardonnay and Semillon. After 40+ years of experimentation and feedback from our winery partners, Dionysus still grows Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, but the other varietals have been replaced by Riesling, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. Cabernet Sauvignon has become the remarkable flagship variety of this vineyard site. The soils at Dionysus are varied, adding complexity to any wines coming from this great site. Royal fine sandy loam soil, 2-10% slope dominates blocks 14,16 and 18. Sagehill very fine sandy loam with 10-15% slope blocks 11,12,13, and 19. Dionysus has a secure water source thanks to the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project. The vineyard has drip irrigation, with sprinklers used for frost control, cooling, and occasional irrigation. Drip irrigation allows us to use Regulated Deficit Irrigation (RDI). With RDI and soil moisture monitoring we’re been able to constantly fine tune and improve quality." -Sagemoorvineyards.com