Côte Bonneville

About

We planted classic varietals after tearing out the original orchard. We continue to develop the vineyard with one goal in mind to grow the best grapes possible from our site. Our commitment to producing the highest quality fruit has been appreciated by our winery. We craft estate-grown DuBrul Vineyard grapes into world class wines.

Location Description

Located in the heart of Sunnyside, Washington.

Features

  • Crafting estate-grown DuBrul Vineyard grapes into world class wines.

Additional Information

  • Meeting / Conference Facilities:
  • Caves:
  • Wedding Facilities:
  • Picnic Facilities:
  • Dog Friendly:
  • Winery Tours:
  • Wine Tasting:
  • Art or Architecture:
  • Organic / Biodynamic:
  • Awards:
  • Wine Club:
  • Lodging / Bed & Breakfast:

Winemaker

Kerry is the winemaker for Côte Bonneville. She began making wine in middle and high school in a series of science projects. After earning her engineering degree from Northwestern University in Chicago, she worked in Torino, Italy in Fiat's management development program. She was then transferred to Case New Holland (CNH) world headquarters in Chicago before deciding to enter the world of wine.

Kerry received her master's degree in Viticulture and Enology from UC Davis, and then assumed the winemaker title in August 2009. She has been immersed in DuBrul Vineyard and Côte Bonneville since the inception, but especially since 2005, when she left engineering.

Kerry Shiels
Kerry gained experience in Napa, California, Argentina, and Australia. She has worked in all aspects of winemaking at Joseph Phelps Vineyards, Folio Fine Wine Partners, Robert Mondavi Winery, Tahbilk, and Tapiz, before returning to Côte Bonneville full time.

History

Hugh and Kathy Shiels founded Côte Bonneville in 2001 to create wines that best express our spectacular site each vintage year. By combining traditional winemaking techniques with cutting edge science, we craft estate-grown DuBrul Vineyard grapes into world class wines.

The Team

Kathy Shiels

The foundation of our enterprise, Kathy planted the DuBrul Vineyard with Hugh in 1992. After realizing the unique nature of DuBrul, Kathy determined to establish Côte Bonneville when their last child went to college. Now, her mission is to showcase the spectacular fruit of the vineyard in world-class wines.

Kathy and Hugh settled in Sunnyside after Hugh completed his orthopedic residency. Kathy practiced physical therapy, raised three beautiful children on the family farm, and now wears many hats at the winery, vineyard, and medical practice.

Hugh Shiels

Hugh has been dubbed the Vineyard Master. He and Kathy Shiels purchased the property for the vineyard in 1991, and they tore out the original apple orchard that winter. Their goal was to improve the vineyard every year, and they have continued to keep this pace decades later.

Hugh and Kathy settled in Sunnyside after Hugh completed his orthopedic surgery training in Memphis. He continues to practice orthopedics part-time, but primarily works with the variables that winegrowing presents each year.

Practices & Techniques

Recognizing the uniqueness of DuBrul Vineyard, we founded Côte Bonneville in 2001 to showcase this special place. We vinify grapes from each varietal and block in DuBrul. Producing around 2500 cases per year, we are pleased to be able to show the range of wines and terroirs within the vineyard, while maintaining the exceptional attention to detail to each and every lot.

By combining traditional winemaking techniques with cutting edge science, we craft estate-grown DuBrul Vineyard grapes into world class wines. The exceptional winemaking and DuBrul Vineyard character shine through year after year.

The wines of Côte Bonneville have been recognized by consumers and critics alike. The pedigree of DuBrul Vineyard and Côte Bonneville wines can be seen in our consistently high ratings. Vintage after vintage, across publications, the quality of the wines has been recognized, as can be seen here.

Estate Vineyards / AVA

Standing atop the steep hillside, you pause to enjoy the view. The rockiness underfoot goes unnoticed. Perhaps it’s the prominence, the elevation, or the aspect, but there is a sense that this vineyard is a special place.

We recognize the microclimates of our 45 acre site and cater to these individually. In distance measured by hundreds of feet or less, we observe different growing conditions and tailor our farming practices to provide for the individual needs of the vine. Low vigor soils combined with our deficit irrigation regimen produce small berries, small clusters, and low yields from our vines.

Our own-rooted vines have a purity of expression of the vine and the soil. The unique flavors and structure of DuBrul grapes have inspired a plethora of vineyard designated wines over the years. Expressing this sense of place is the mission of Côte Bonneville.

DuBrul Vineyard is consistently recognized as one of the top vineyards in Washington State. The vineyard has been honored with the award of Vineyard of the Year in 2007 and again in 2009. DuBrul Vineyard designated wines, from Côte Bonneville and others, have consistently been well received by critics and sought after by consumers world wide.

Awards

2007 and 2009 Vineyard of the Year
2008 Wine Spectator Rising Star
2009 Wine of the Year

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Hours

Wednesday - Sunday: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Private Tastings & Vineyard Tours Available by Appointment

Address

2841 Fordyce Rd
Sunnyside, Washington 98944
United States

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