Lopez Island Vineyards

Yakima Valley, Red Mountain and Waluke Slope Wines

The Yakima Valley Appellation is hot and dry: a desert irrigated from the snowmelt of the Cascade Mountains. Here the heat of the interior of the continent warms the valley during the short, hot summer. This heat allows the better-known grape varieties to be grown and ripened. Fall evenings are cool, which help preserve a better acid balance than other hot region growing areas.

We purchase our Eastern Washington grapes from several sources: Crawford Vineyards, Cervantes Vineyards, Gilbert Family Vineyards, and End of the Road Vineyards.

Charlie and Connie Crawford's vineyards are on gentle south facing slopes above the town of Prosser. The Crawfords are a third generation farming family that began growing wine grapes about 35 years ago. They farm about 70 acres of wine grapes with meticulous care. The soils here are deep and well drained, giving a wonderful balance of fruit flavor to their grapes. In 2010 we began accessing grapes from these Yakima Valley Vineyards: Elephant Mountain and Harold Pleaseant Vineyards.

From the Waluke Slope, we access fruit from the organically farmed Doc Stewart Vineyard, which is carefully tended by the Gilbert Family of Yakima.

End of the Road Vineyards, operated by the Williams family, is on the slopes of the Red Mountain Appellation. This area has become renowned the world over for its full bodied red wines. From this fine region and vineyard we are producing a varietal Cabernet Sauvignon.