Whiskey Canyon Vineyard

Whiskey Canyon, a majestic site in the scenic Yakima Valley, is among Washington’s most acclaimed vineyards. Its name derives from the Prohibition era, when whiskey runners stored barrels in the valley surrounding the vineyard site. Today, Whiskey Canyon Vineyard produces grapes for a number of award-winning wines.

Located in a cool desert region of Eastern Washington, the vineyard lies on a south-facing slope that’s exposed to the sun from dawn until dusk, with few clouds to impede the sunlight. Cool nights and carefully calibrated irrigation help ripen the grapes to perfection. The result is top-quality, beautifully balanced Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay and Riesling.

The red wines made from Whiskey Canyon tend to be tannic in their youth, with long-term aging potential: up to ten years for Cabernet Sauvignon and five years for Merlot. Bold and full-bodied, the wines are complex and packed with robust flavors, reflecting the sun-ripened fruit from which they’re made.

Celilo Vineyard

Overlooking the Columbia River Gorge, Celilo Vineyard is a relatively cool site that produces white grapes with fresh, floral aromas and concentrated flavors. Straddling the climatic boundary between western and eastern Washington, Celilo experiences the winds that blow through the Columbia Gorge. This effect slows grape ripening and delays harvesting until the very end of the growing season, maximizing flavor concentration in the fruit. The top-tier Chardonnay and Gewürztraminer Covey Run produces from Celilo grapes display pure varietal character balanced by crisp acidity, with the Chardonnay offering the floral aromas and tangerine flavors characteristic of this prime vineyard site.

Alder Ridge Vineyard

Alder Ridge is one of Washington’s largest, most spectacular vineyards. A 1,200-acre site, with 814 planted acres overlooking the Columbia River, the location provides a splendid grape-growing environment, as well as a picturesque setting. The vineyard encompasses a range of gentle to steep slopes providing excellent air drainage and sun exposure, and its proximity to the Columbia River moderates extreme winter temperatures. As a result, the site’s temperate climate and volcanic and silt-loam soils are ideal for a range of wine grapes, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. A parcel of land next to the Columbia River is reserved for experimentation with varieties such as Viognier, Barbera, Zinfandel, Mourvedre and Roussanne.

Buoy Vineyard

Buoy Vineyard is located in the lower, warmer part of the Yakima Valley near Benton City, the heart of central Washington’s "fruit bowl," where the state’s best cherries and some of its finest grapes are grown. Owner Bob Buoy, committed to growing quality fruit on his 50 acres, achieves superior results through careful vine management and crop control. The vineyard’s relatively thin soils, which were scoured by the massive Columbia Valley floods at the end of the last Ice Age, limit the growth and yields of the vines. Buoy Vineyard’s Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, Merlot and Malbec are among the most flavorful grapes of the area.

Oasis Vineyard

Also located near Benton City in lower Yakima Valley, Oasis Vineyard is farmed by the Roy family – veteran farmers whose French ancestors moved to the Yakima Valley to grow hops. Some of the Oasis plantings – notably Chardonnay and Riesling - are 20 to 25 years old, and they produce lovely, perfumed wines. (The Riesling is the source of Covey Run’s Columbia Valley Reserve Late Harvest Riesling.) Newer plantings of Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah, on an especially warm, rocky site, all show great promise.