Driving down Sunset Road in 2019 imbues a sense of viticultural significance. Plantings are dense, to the point where a patch of unplanted land stands out like a sore thumb.

That has not always been the case. In fact, for most of Red Mountain’s viticultural history, vineyards could have been described as oases of green distributed infrequently and randomly across the harsh desert landscape.

Red Mountain stands today as a pillar of quality in the wine industry, but that didn’t just happen overnight. It took a lot of hard work by a lot of smart people to turn an obscure corner of the greater Yakima Valley into the densely-planted, widely-revered, and internationally-vested AVA it is today. 

One of those people was the late Fred Artz. 

Fred joined the Red Mountain community when he started working for Patricia and David Gelles of Klipsun Vineyard in 1984, just two years after it was initially planted in 1982. Under his care and attention as vineyard manager, Klipsun quickly gained a reputation for quality on the world wine scene, having been named one of the “Top 25 Vineyards in the World” by Wine & Spirits magazine and often named as one of Washington’s “First Growth” vineyards in wine circles. 

In the mid-1990s Fred had the inkling to plant his own vineyard and did so at a site immediately north of Klipsun. Artz Vineyard was born. 

Planted predominately to Bordeaux varieties, Fred’s eponymous vineyard has, in the intervening years, developed a cult following amongst high-end producers in the Pacific Northwest. 

For more information click https://www.kionawine.com/news/2019-state-of-the-artz

Conner Lee Vineyards was first planted by Dick and Louise Owings of Othello, WA after Dick had retired from the West side of the state as a petroleum products distributor and took his missus East to plant the first varieties of wine grapes at this site. He was carefully instructed by WSU reknowned viticulturist and researcher, Dr. Walter Clore, in how to choose the right varieties for the right site. So he started out by planting a few acres of Chenin Blanc, Merlot and Semillon.

As time went on, it became apparent to the Owings that this “labor of love” was going to take more energy and capital than they had originally envisoned, so they postured an offer to one of their former business customers, Rhoady Lee, a prominent businessman from Seattle. Lee then contacted a good friend and business associate, Bill Conner, a long with former insurance executive Jack Sullivan and together they decided to join Owings in his grape growing endeavors.

Planting of the vineyard began in 1980 and it originally consisted of three vinifera varieties, Chenin Blanc, Merlot, and Semillon, about fifteen acres of each. Around 1987 it was decided to plant about twenty three acres of Cabernet Sauvignon then another ten acres in 1988, followed by ten acres of Chardonnay in 1989 and an additional six acres of Cabernet Sauvignon in 1991 along with thirty more acres of Chardonnay and five acres of Cabernet Franc. Thirty acres of Merlot was planted the next year. In order to let production and cash flow catch up to each other, no more plantings occurred until 2002 with the addition of five acres of Malbec.

In 2004, about fifteen acres of Cabernet Sauvignon clones 2, 4, 6, 21 & 24 were planted, and a little more than an acre of clone 95 Chardonnay, along with about five acres of Syrah (Phelps clone) and about six acres of Viognier.  In 2005, about seven acres of clone 181 Merlot and three acres of clone 332 Cabernet Franc was planted.

The next planting occurred in 2007 with about two acres more of clone 332 Cabernet Franc, and about three acres of clone 9 Malbec. Next in 2009, an additional two acres of clone 95 Chardonnay and one acre of clone 75 was planted.  To make room for customer requests for different varietals, the Cabernet Sauvignon clones 6, 21 and 24 along with some of the clone 181 Merlot were removed. In 2014, we planted about 3 acres of Pinot Noir, a little more than 2 acres of Sauvignon Blanc and the same of Semillon. In 2015, small blocks of Muscadelle, and chardonnay clones 76 and 96 were planted.

For more information check out www.connerleevineyards.com 

Stillwater Creek Vineyard is a 235 acre site on the Royal Slope of the Frenchman Hills.  Planted in 2000 on a steep, south-facing slope with one of the most diverse clone selections in Washington State, Stillwater Creek quickly has earned a reputation as one of the Columbia Valley’s top vineyards.