Rockgarden Estate Vineyard
The Rocks District AVA
Intensity | Power | Character
Planted in 2007 by Nina Buty and renowned viticulturist Dr. Phil Freese, Rockgarden is named for the famous basalt cobblestones that define The Rocks District. Once part of an ancient riverbed, this extremely rocky region in the southern part of the Walla Walla Valley — actually over the border in Oregon — has been called “the most distinctive AVA in the United States.”
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The cobblestones are up to 300 feet deep in some places, with almost no topsoil between them. All that basalt acts as a thermal sink, absorbing heat during the day and transmitting it to the vines’ roots at night. That means grapes start to ripen earlier here, making this a truly exceptional site for long-season Rhône varieties. While they might struggle to ripen elsewhere in the Northwest, syrah, grenache, and mourvèdre achieve intensely characterful expressions in this unforgiving landscape.
Located in a prime site in the highest part of the cobblestones, Rockgarden is planted to syrah, grenache, mourvèdre, cabernet sauvignon, viognier, marsanne, and roussanne. The cobblestones here are mostly quite large, and plantings are angled to shade the fruit during the hottest days of the year.
Petros Estate Vineyard
The Rocks District AVA
Depth | Complexity | Discovery
Our youngest vineyard, Petros is located in the heart of the Rocks District and flanked by some of the AVAs most famous vineyards. It’s also home to the Petros Vineyard House, our hospitality oasis in the vineyard.
Formerly an apple orchard (you can still see apples planted nearby), this 20-acre site is the home of some of our most far-ranging explorations of The Rocks. The vineyard is planted to an eclectic mix of Rhône varieties — classic for the AVA — as well as a handful of Northwest classics and a few rare varieties grown almost nowhere else on this continent.
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We planted this vineyard in 2020 with help from viticulturist Phil Coturri, an organic viticulture pioneer. While early winemakers in this area have known this place was special for a long time, The Rocks District AVA was officially designated in 2015. That means we still have a huge opportunity to contribute to a better understanding of how vines grow best in this unique place. We’re trialing a wide range of boundary-pushing techniques at Petros, including single cane pruning, modified fan pruning, wider and narrower spacings, and various practices for hilling or burying canes to protect them from intense weather.
Producing its first vintage in 2023, the Petros vineyard is just now coming into its own, but the depth and complexity of the wines it produces is already remarkable. We can’t wait to learn more about the character of wines made from this distinctive site in the decades to come.
French Creek Estate Vineyard
Yakima Valley AVA
Classic | Eclectic | Surprising
French Creek Vineyard in Prosser was first planted in 1981 by Shad Hope, a man with a vision, a post hole digger, and a deep love of Chardonnay. Today, it’s home to some of Washington’s oldest Chardonnay plantings and is included on the Old Vine Registry. The 40-acre French Creek Vineyard spills down a south-facing slope above the Yakima River at 800 to 900 feet in elevation. True to Hope’s pioneering mindset, it’s planted to more than 40 grape varieties across a mosaic of soil types, including a vein of ash from ancient eruptions of Mount St. Helens, making this a place that truly tells the story of the land. The vineyard remains own-rooted, compost is applied on a regular basis, and no herbicides are used for weed control.
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Low elevation, brisk winds, and consistently warm summer temperatures make this a versatile site for both red and white grape varieties. Vines are trained in a variety of styles, including traditional cordon prunings, goblet pruned vines, and “corkscrew” pruned vines winding around a central post. We source chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, and red and white Rhône grapes from this vineyard, including some unique varieties like picpoul. That unique combination of old vines and unexpected varieties means wines from French Creek are equal parts classic and eclectic — faintly familiar, but always with the potential to surprise.
