Henry Earl Estates
About
A tribute to both of their fathers with grapes from Shaw Vineyards’ Red Mountain property. Born from two families that know the lessons of hard work and what it takes to produce superior wines comes Henry Earl Estates Wine. He loved the smell of the cellar, the texture of grapes and the mechanics of turning juice into wine.
Location Description
Located in the heart of Walla Walla, Washington.
Features
- From the Land to the Hand ...You Can Taste the Tradition .......
Additional Information
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Average Bottle Price
History
Frank Shaw - 1915
At first they homesteaded in Montana and lived in two small sheds with no running water or electricity.
Frank Shaw (Henry's father) died in 1922 and the family moved to Tacoma, Washington to find work. Henry at the ripe old age of 15 went to work in the lumber industry. Eventually he would marry and have two children (Craig and younger brother Dick). During WWII Henry's family ran a boarding house for loggers in Morton, Washington.
After WWII the Henry and his wife Pearl moved to Firwood, Washington where Pearl ran a store and Henry bought and operated a gas station.
Henry Shaw circa 1964
Dick Shaw had several business interest over the years to include land developer and builder. He worked in the mills and left when he was 30 to start the Bank of Tacoma, where he served as the chairman of the board. Other business interests included Selden's Home Furnishing and Johnny's Seasonings, marinas and office buildings.
Dick started the vineyards with about 100 acres near Mattawa, Washington in 1981. He met Wendy and they planted more vineyards and Wendy started her harvesting business when they had about 300 acres planted. Now they have about 2200 acres planted in eastern Washington which include about 420 acres on Red Mountain. They include partnership vineyards called Quintessence and another one called Obelisco.
EARL WEST
Earl West was born in Minnesota in 1927 and is the father of one of our owners, Wendy Shaw (nee West). Earl's family lost their farm during the Great Depression and moved to Washington. Earl attended Washington State College (now Washington State University) and graduated with a Masters in Psychology. He worked as a psychologist at the State Home and Training School in Grand Junction, Colorado and helped develop living and training programs for the developmentally disabled. He loved hiking, fishing and camping with his children and friends. Earl died in 2013 but not before he was able to see our very special wine named after him. What he didn't know is that his name would later be on a building in Walla Walla which is now the Henry Earl wine bar.
Estate Vineyards / AVA
Established in 2001, Red Mountain is Washington's smallest wine region
and is located in the southeast corner of Washington state near the
Tri-Cities (Kennewick, Pasco and Richland).
Characterized by sandy loam soil high in calcium and good drainage Red Mountain produces superior wine grapes in several varieties - Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet franc, Syrah and Sangiovese.