PREMIUM WALLA WALLA
AVA VINEYARD

The Walla Walla Valley has been a regional agricultural hub for more than a century. Nearly 3,000 acres of prime vineyards and more than 100 remarkable wineries are represented. In 1984 the federal government designated the Walla Walla Valley as an American Viticultural Area (AVA). The Walla Walla AVA includes 112 wineries and approximately 1,900 acres of vineyards. The wine region is entirely included within the larger Columbia Valley AVA. After the Yakima Valley AVA, the Walla Walla AVA has the second highest concentration of vineyards and wineries in Washington State. The Walla Walla Valley overtly straddles state lines: two-thirds of the AVA is in Washington and one-third is in Oregon. The elevations across the appellation soar between 400 feet and 2,000 feet above sea level. Similarly, annual rainfall figures triple from a sparse seven inches at the western end of the valley to 22 inches along the foothills of the Blue Mountains to the east. The soils of the Walla Walla Valley consist largely of wind-deposited loess, which provides good drainage for vines. The 200-day-long growing season is characterized by hot days and cool nights.

Vineyard varietals include Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Syrah, Barbera, Nebbiolo, and Cabernet Franc. Typical of the Walla Walla Valley AVA, vertically trained canopies, controlled cluster spacing and row oriented sunlight exposure generates uniform fruit ripeness. The most common trellis system in the vineyard is Vertical Shoot Positioning, which trains the vines upward from the cordon (grape-bearing wire) in a thin curtain that allows sunshine to reach the maximum number of leaves. The leaves are harvesting sunshine and producing sugar to allow the grapes to be picked for harvest in the fall to produce some great red wines.

The Walla Walla Valley has an advantage when it comes to producing high-quality fruit. The 530 square-mile Walla Walla Valley Appellation gains from bountiful layers of topsoil which was an outcome of prehistoric Missoula floods. This topsoil combined with wind-deposited loess provides good drainage for vines.

There is a 200-day-long growing season that is characterized by hot days and cool nights. The region is set in a hardiness zone. Because of cold air coming down from the Blue Mountains and then being trapped in the Snake and Columbia River valleys, the Walla Walla AVA is cooler than surrounding AVAs. With 2,700-3,300 annual degree-days and consistent southwest wind, the perfect climate is created for quality grapes.

The vineyard sits at an elevation of 950 +/- feet with rolling topography and south facing slopes. The southern part of the Walla Walla Valley AVA extends into Oregon and is one of the warmer wine growing regions in Oregon.

With a combination of temperature, soils, and climate the Walla Walla AVA is host to growing high-quality fruit. The fruit is processed and blended to acquire some of Washington’s exceptional wines.