Vineyard Partners

Elephant Mountain & Sugarloaf

Owned and Farmed by Joe Hattrup Elephant Mountain Vineyard began in 1995.  It is located south of Moxee, WA on the southern slopes of Rattlesnake Ridge at the base of Elephant Mountain.  At an elevation of 1460 feet at its peak, the vineyard is one of a few in the Columbia Valley AVA above the Missoula Flood Plain consisting of prehistoric soils.  On average, EMV has 30 additional frost free days compared to lower sites in the Yakima Valley.  Award winning wine grapes grown include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petite Verdot and Syrah.  

First planted in 2006 and sitting at 1250ft in elevation, Sugarloaf Vineyard located near Zillah, WA.   Atop of the Missoula flood plain, this 70 acre vineyard is spread across several soil types ranging from warden silt loam to river cobble.  Sporting gentle south-western facing slopes this warm site excels with long season varieties.  Sugarloaf is relatively young but has already garnered high acclaim for the prized wines produced from the fruit grown there.  Sugarloaf will always hold a special admiration for us as it was the first vineyard Kasari Cellars sourced wine grapes from for our inaugural 2021 Malbec and 2022 Roussanne.   

Riverbend

Owned and farmed by Mike Wade, it was planted in 1998, with its first harvest in 2001.  Mike is also the owner of Fielding Hills Winery where his team produces many 90+ rated wines from the fruit grown at Riverbend vineyard located in Mattawa, WA.  As one of the warmest regions in the state, the Wahluke Slope AVA is known primarily for red grape varieties, particularly Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah.  White grape varietals such as Pinot Gris, Roussanne and Chardonnay also produce delicious, highly rated wines.  Wahluke Slope wines tend to be ripe and full-bodied with pure varietal fruit flavors.  Wind-blown soils notably uniform and deep averaging more than 5 feet.  This provides both ample drainage for vinifera vines and greater uniformity in plant vigor and ripening.

Aquilini

Owned by the Aquilini Family, they farm over 647 acres of vineyards in the premier wine grape growing Red Mountain AVA, with additional vineyard locations within the Columbia Valley AVA  .  Located in Benton City, WA, the Red Mountain AVA is one of the smallest AVA’s but most densely planted.  Nationally acclaimed, 90+ rated wines are regularly produced with Red Mountain fruit.  These wines are know for their distinctive style and structured balance of acid and tannin.  Bordeaux varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are extremely popular, followed by Syrah.  Limited plantings of white grapes like Sauvignon Blanc or Roussanne thrive here as well.  Soil composition consists of sand, silt and gravel with nutrient-rich top soil deposited from the repeated ice-age Missoula Floods.  Persistent southwest winds during the growing season helps to produce small berries with thick skins and concentrated flavors.  Situated on southwest facing slopes allows for prolonged sun exposure and abundant warmth.  Red Mountain is known as the warmest wine-grape growing region in Washington.

Washington State AVA Map