Long Shadows

Long Shadows Winery and Walla Walla, Washington

About

Long Shadows brings seven highly acclaimed vintners from the major wine regions of the world to Washington State, each to a unique winery dedicated to producing Columbia Valley wines that showcase the best of this growing region.

Location Description

Located in one of the most fertile agricultural areas in the nation, Walla Walla, Washington.

Features

  • Winery of the Year - Food and Wine magazine 2007.

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

Armin Diel is one of Germany’s most acclaimed Riesling producers. His family has owned the celebrated estate of Schlossgut Diel, in Burg Layen, in the Nahe River Valley since 1802. Involved in the estate from the early years of his childhood, Armin assumed management of the winery, a 12th century medieval castle and it’s prestigious vineyards, the best known being Goldloch (pebbles), and Pittermännchen (slate), in 1987. Ten years later, Armin acquired Burgberg (quartz), another outstanding vineyard on the eastern side of Goldloch. All three parcels have been classified on an official ground tax map with the highest possible ranking since 1901, giving them status comparable to a Burgundy Grand Cru.

Schlossgut Diel is internationally renowned for its white wines, predominately Rieslings, across a wide range of styles. The intense Goldloch wines are similar to the great Rheingau-Rieslings; the Pittermännchen Rieslings are more like the refined Middle Mosels; and the Burgberg is a brilliant source for great dry Rieslings. Schlossgut Diel is also highly regarded for its rare sweet Eisweins and Ausleses. The estate is a member of the prestigious “Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter” (VDP) which lists Germany's top 200 estates, and Armin has been president of the VDP-Nahe section since 1993.

Armin is also one of Germany’s leading wine writers (though he never comments on his own wines). He was co-editor of the German Gault Millau Wine Guide and writes frequently about French and German wines for various magazines.

Armin and his wife Monika live in Burg Layen and have two grown children. Their daughter, Caroline, is responsible for the winemaking at Schlossgut Diel. She is married and has three children. Their son, Victor, is responsible for Marketing and Sales of the estate, with a focus on export markets.

Agustin Huneeus, Sr. embarked upon his legendary career as a winemaker over four decades ago. He founded premier wineries both in California and Chile, and guided others to worldwide acclaim. He is perhaps best known for his artistry and innovative techniques resulting in critically acclaimed wines crafted in the Bordeaux tradition.

Wines and wineries achieving prominence under Agustin’s hand include Veramonte (Primus) and Concha y Toro of Chile, and Franciscan Oakville Estate, Mount Veeder, Estancia and Quintessa of California. He is considered a trail blazer with his Cuvee Sauvage, Napa Valley’s first wild-yeast fermented Chardonnay, and Magnificat, one of Napa Valley’s first Bordeaux style proprietary blends.

Agustin is recognized both as a philosopher and an artist. He has stamped his imprimatur on a school of thought that has profoundly influenced the California wine industry. To most vintners, a wine is a Chardonnay, perhaps, or a Zinfandel, or a Merlot. To Agustin, a wine is the embodiment of a place. Its heritage, its terroir, - its ‘somewhereness’, in his words – matters most. Meritage wines, those artful blends that pay tribute to the winemaker rather than to the variety, exemplify the Huneeus principle of “attaching wine to a place.” Agustin’s famous Quintessa, a 100 point winner (1999), testifies to the wisdom of his philosophy of allowing the vineyard to express itself.

Agustin served as Chairman of the 1996 Napa Valley Wine Auction, and was awarded the Distinquished Service Award by the Wine Spectator Magazine that same year. He is the former president and current chairman of Franciscan Estates, a winery he brought from obscurity to world limelight. Along with his winery at Long Shadows Vintners, Agustin retains ownership in Veramonte and Quintessa. He resides at Quintessa Estates with his wife, Valeria, who holds a Ph.D., and is a scientist and viticulturist in her own right.

Randy Dunn is one of the world’s most renowned makers of extraordinary Cabernet Sauvignons.

Dunn established his reputation at Caymus Winery from 1975 to 1985, where his Cabernet Sauvignons became the benchmark for the industry. In addition, his artistry shaped other premium wineries that now enjoy an acclaimed place in the sun (Pahlmeyer, Livingston, La Jota and others). Since 1979, Dunn has produced roughly 5,000 cases a year of his Dunn Vineyards Cabernets.

Randy is known not only for his famous wines, but for his philosophy on how to make wine. He does it his way - leaving the floor of the Napa Valley “to corn and melon farmers,” he tends his vines in the red stony soil of Howell Mountain. There are no road signs; no retail sales. And don’t look for him in a winery tour guide. No time for that, as Randy spends his quiet hours making his wonderful heirloom wines.

Randy lives with his wife, Lori, next to the winery on Howell Mountain.

Philippe Melka is one of a handful of Napa Valley winemakers with the Midas touch. All of his wines seem to turn to gold, as true of Pirouette (his first wine from Washington State), as it is of such Napa Valley cult favorites Hundred Acre, Seavey Vineyard, Dana Estates and Vineyard 29, among others. "Anything associated with (his) name is of undeniably high, high quality," Robert Parker Jr. wrote in the March 2013 issue of Food and Wine magazine.

It was through a winemaking assignment with Napa Valley's Quintessa and resulting friendship with Quintessa owner Agustin Huneeus Sr., that Philippe was introduced to Allen Shoup and Long Shadows. One of Allen's longtime industry allies and closest friends, Agustin was the first vintner to embrace Allen's vision for Long Shadows and believed Philippe was the perfect winemaker to craft the Bordeaux blend both he and Allen envisioned.

Certainly the Columbia Valley appealed to Philippe's geology background. Born and educated in Bordeaux, Philippe earned a degree in geology from the University of Bordeaux. On a whim, he took a wine course during his final year of study, a decision he says that "proved to be life changing." Continuing his studies, he earned a master's degree in agronomy and enology and honed his skills at some of the most famous wineries in the world, including Chateau Cheval Blanc, Petrus and Chateau Haut-Brion, where his passion for cabernet-based blends, like Pirouette, developed.

Beyond France, Philippe's travels around the globe in the early 1990's included work among the vines in Western Australia, Italy and Napa Valley, where he and his wife Cheri and two children have made their home since 1995. Together with Cheri, an accomplished wine professional in her own right, Philippe makes some of his most exciting wines under his own label. Metisse and CJ reflect the classic structure, balance and elegance that define all of his wines.

Few winemakers are as synonymous with the iconic wines of a country as John Duval, best known for his work with Penfolds’ Grange, the gold standard for Australian Shiraz.

John joined Penfolds winery in 1974 after completing his studies in agriculture and winemaking. In 1986 John was appointed Chief Winemaker, following the winemaking greats Max Schubert and Don Ditter.

The Duval Family had for many years run a world famous Suffolk sheep stud and also ran quality vineyards, at Morphett Vale south of Adelaide, coincidently supplying Shiraz grapes and vine cuttings to Penfolds.

During his time as Chief Winemaker, John oversaw a dynamic period of development. The many awards and accolades for its wines helped establish Penfolds as one of the world’s great wine brands.

While his honors and awards are too numerous to list, some of the highlights include the Robert Mondavi Trophy for Winemaker of the Year in 1989 at the International Wine & Spirits Competition in London; two-time recipient of the Red Winemaker of the Year award at the International Wine Challenge in London, first in 1991 and then again in 2000; and Wine Spectator’s “Wine of the Year” award in 1995 for the 1990 vintage of Penfolds Grange.

After 28 years, John stepped down from the company in 2002 to establish John Duval Wines, debuting with the 2003 vintage of Plexus SGM. John now makes four wines under his John Duval Wines label, a white; 'Plexus White' (Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier), and three reds; 'Plexus Red' (Shiraz, Grenache, Mourvedre), 'Entity' (Shiraz) and 'Eligo' (Shiraz).

In addition to making his own wine, John also has a joint venture project with Ventisquero in the Apalta Valley, Chile and in 2003 John traveled to the Columbia Valley at the invitation of Long Shadows Vintners’ founder Allen Shoup to make his first U.S. wine, Sequel, a name chosen in recognition of his life’s work with Syrah.

Never one to be far from great Shiraz, he currently resides in the Barossa Valley, home to some of Australia’s oldest vines.

Gilles Nicault has served as director of winemaking and viticulture since Long Shadows' inception in 2003. As resident winemaker overseeing daily operations at Long Shadows' state-of-the-art winery in Walla Walla, Gilles works with a group of celebrated vintners from around the globe. It is his job to ensure that each winemaker's vision is realized in the vineyard and the cellar.

While many winemakers would find this proposition a daunting task, French-born Nicault describes the position as his "dream job." Those who know Gilles best say it is his insatiable curiousity and desire to learn something new every day as well as his winemaking skills that make him uniquely qualified for the position. In addition to executing daily operations at the winery, Gilles is the winemaker for Long Shadows' acclaimed Chester-Kidder, a Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah blend that carries his signature.

Gilles grew up in southern France and graduated from the University of Avignon with a degree in viticulture and enology. He honed his craft in the fabled hillside vineyards and wineries of Cotes du Rhone, Provence and Champagne. In 1994, already a vintner of rising fame in his homeland, Gilles traveled to Washington State to expand his winemaking skills.

Impressed by Washington State's vineyards and the opportunity to be part of a growing wine community, he stayed in the Columbia Valley, working for Staton Hills and Hogue Cellars before joining Woodward Canyon in 1996, where he stayed until moving to Long Shadows in June 2003. Sharing Woodward Canyon's passion for world-class wines, Gilles soon found Woodward Canyon's founder Rick Small was his ideal mentor and biggest champion. In 1999, Woodward Canyon named Gilles head of enology and production.

Gilles is married to French-born winemaker Marie-Eve Gilla of Forgeron Cellars, an acclaimed winemaker in her own right. The couple lives in Walla Walla with their two children.

The Folonaris are among Italy’s oldest and most prestigious Tuscan wine families with a winemaking history dating back to the late 1700s.

Today, Ambrogio e Giovanni Folonari Tenute, conceived by this father-son team as a collection of small, beautifully located vineyards producing primarily Tuscan “grand crus,” is recognized for its distinctive, small-production wines from the family’s numerous estates. The vineyards are managed using modern viticulture techniques including dense planting and careful clonal selection and research. Both Ambrogio and Giovanni, a University of California at Davis enology graduate, are directly involved in winemaking and are dedicated to high quality wines that reflect the vineyard’s terroir.

Prior to launching A. & G. Folonari Tenute, Ambrogio was the president of Ruffino, originally purchased in 1912 by Ambrogio’s grandfather. While at the helm of Ruffino, Ambrogio was an outspoken advocate for Italian wine quality and took Ruffino in a new and original direction. In the late 1960s, the company began focusing on high-quality wines and in 1971 purchased Nozzole, a famous estate located near Greve in the heart of Chianti Classico. In the 1980s, Ambrogio created Cabreo, a unique combination of tradition and innovation including Cabreo Il Borgo (red), a blend of traditional Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon, while La Pietra is Chardonnay from Tuscany, fermented and aged in oak. These wines were among the first in a new group of top wines now widely known as “Super Tuscans.”

In 2000, Ambrogio and Giovanni left Ruffino to focus on small-lot, estate-grown wines, committing to reinvesting, developing and expanding vineyard holdings in the interest of producing high-quality wines.

Giovanni and his wife Eleonora live with their three children at the Cabreo Estate in Greve, 30 minutes from Florence.

Michel Rolland is considered to be one of the most influential winemakers in the world. A graduate of the esteemed Bordeaux Faculty of Oenology, he continues to build upon this practical source of knowledge through observations in his own laboratory in Pomerol, France. He consults for over 100 vintners and vineyards worldwide, producing wines with an alluring style recognized as the “Rolland Method”.

MIchel also maintains partnership interests in far-flung regions of the globe, including his involvement with Long Shadows Vintners. His home, however, is in Pomerol, where he owns and manages a number of holdings and fine wine estates: Chateau Le Bon Pasteur in Pomerol, Chateau Bertineau Saint-Vincent in Lalande-de-Pomerol, Chateau Rolland-Maillet in Saint-Emilion, and Chateau Fontenil in Fronsac. In addition, Michel manages the Chateau La Grande Clotte in Lussac-Saint-Emilion under a vineyard lease system.

Vineyard management techniques championed by Michel include effeuillage (thinning of leaves), and eclaircissage (pruning of clusters), both used to encourage the advent of perfectly ripened grapes. Aging on the lees in new oak barrels and in-barrel malolactic fermentation are also Michel's trademarks.

However, those who view the “Rolland Method” as a craftsman’s book of recipes have missed the mark. MIchel is not a technician – he is, first and foremost, an observer. He studies the surround, that is, the blend of personality traits that distinguishes the vintner, the vineyard, and the grower. In uncanny fashion, Michel understands the unique culture of the wine - and therefore the nuances that separate an unexciting wine from something quite extraordinary. It is this ability to understand the wine that makes him such an amazing oenologist.

Michel and Dany (a qualified enologist in her own right), are usually winging their way to a vineyard in some far corner of the world. However, they make a point of returning home each year to celebrate the birthdays of their two daughters, Marie and Stephanie, and grandchildren, Camille, Arthur, Theo and Raphael.

History

Founded in 2003, Long Shadows is the brainchild of Washington wine luminary Allen Shoup. As president and CEO of Chateau Ste. Michelle and its affiliated wineries, Allen spent 20 years building the reputation of the growing region, in part by forging winemaking partnerships that brought Italy's Piero Antinori and Germany's Dr. Ernst Loosen to the Columbia Valley.

After leaving Ste. Michelle in 2000, Allen's commitment to advancing the Columbia Valley remained undaunted. He spent the next three years developing Long Shadows, a proposition that was a simple as it was complex: give each vintner access to Washington State's best grapes; and outfit a winery to accommodate a diverse group of winemaker's exacting celler specifications.

With the vision in place, Allen began by introducing a dream team of celebrated vintners to the vines and wines of the growing region. The idea quickly sold itself; and from the beginning, the wines have enjoyed critical acclaim that has continues to grow, vintage after vintage. In addition to the wines, Long Shadows collectively has won numerous awards, including recognition as Food & Wine magazine's "Winery of the Year."

Long Shadows is named in tribute to the stature of this select group of individuals, our vintner partners, who continue to shape the wine industry with their benchmark wines and wineries.

The Team

Allen Shoup - Founder

Allen Shoup is widely recognized as one of the founding fathers of the Washington wine industry. He spent 20 years building Chateau Ste. Michelle and its affiliate wineries, serving as the company’s CEO for 17 of those years. Currently, he is managing partner of Long Shadows Vintners, a company he established in 2002, as well as managing partner of The Benches at Wallula Gap, a spectacular 650-acre vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills, purchased by Shoup and a small investor group in 2008.

Long Shadows is a continuation of Allen’s on-going commitment to building the reputation of Washington wines. It is a collection of ultra-premium wineries comprised of internationally acclaimed winemakers from the major wine regions of the world, each a partner in a unique winery dedicated to producing a single Columbia Valley wine representing a “best of type.” All of the wines have enjoyed exceptional acclaim. In 2007, Food & Wine magazine selected Long Shadows as its “Winery of the Year,” a particularly significant achievement given the youth of the project.

Allen began his wine career in Modesto, California as a marketing director for Gallo. He joined Chateau Ste. Michelle, then a small, unnoticed winery in Woodinville, Washington in 1980. While CEO of Chateau Ste. Michelle, Allen developed such well-known wines as Columbia Crest and Domaine Ste. Michelle and led Washington State from a 4,000 acre region of unsung vineyards into a world-class 30,000 acre Columbia Valley appellation. Under his leadership, company revenues grew from $5 million to $175 million. As Chateau Ste. Michelle CEO, Allen also initiated joint ventures that brought Tuscany’s Piero Antinori and Germany’s famed Dr. Ernst Loosen to Washington. Out of these partnerships came Col Solare, a luxury wine styled in the Bordeaux tradition, and Eroica, a wine credited with sparking a Riesling “renaissance” in America.

Allen currently serves on the Washington Wine Industry Foundation board of directors. He is founder of the Washington Wine Institute and the Auction of Washington Wines. He helped create the Washington Wine Commission and was instrumental in organizing the American Vintners Association. He has served on the California Wine Institute Board, the Century Council, the Presidents Forum, and many other industry associations as well as on the board of several prominent Seattle-area visual and performing arts groups.

He and his wife Kathleen make their home in Seattle.

Dane Narbaitz - President

Dane joined Long Shadows Vintners in January 2005 as vice president of Sales and Marketing and was named president in January 2008. He is responsible for developing and managing the winery’s distributor network of fine wine wholesalers in 41 states as well as overseeing market expansion both in the U.S. and internationally, new product development and marketing.

Prior to his employment with Long Shadows, Dane spent four years with Robert Mondavi Corp. where he served as Northwest Region Manager for their Signature Estates portfolio, including such luxury brands as Opus One, Frescobaldi, Ornellaia and Robert Mondavi Reserves.

Prior to Mondavi, Dane spent four years with Kendall-Jackson Winery, first as a Seattle account manager and later as a regional sales manager.

Dane began his career in wine sales in 1993 with Western Washington Beverage in Seattle. Before joining Western Washington Beverage, Dane worked for HKA Design in California, one of the wine industry’s leading package design firms.

Dane is a graduate of the University of Washington with double bachelor degrees in communications and psychology. He and his wife Sara live in Bellevue, Washington with their son Kyle and daughter Julia.

Gilles Nicault - Director of Winemaking

Gilles Nicault has served as director of winemaking and viticulture since Long Shadows' inception in 2003. As resident winemaker overseeing daily operations at Long Shadows state-of-the-art winery in Walla Walla, Gilles works with a group of celebrated vintners from around the globe. It is his job to ensure that each winemaker's vision is realized in the vineyard and the cellar.

While many winemakers would find this proposition a daunting task, French-born Nicault describes the position as his "dream job." Those who know Gilles best say it is his insatiable curiousity and desire to learn something new every day as well as his winemaking skills that make him uniquely qualified for the position. In addition to executing daily operations at the winery, Gilles is the winemaker for Long Shadows' acclaimed Chester-Kidder, a Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah blend that carries his signature.

Gilles grew up in southern France and graduated from the University of Avignon with a degree in viticulture and enology. He honed his craft in the fabled hillside vineyards and wineries of Cotes du Rhone, Provence and Champagne. In 1994, already a vintner of rising fame in his homeland, Gilles traveled to Washington State to expand his winemaking skills.

Impressed by Washington State's vineyards and the opportunity to be part of a growing wine community, he stayed in the Columbia Valley, working for Staton Hills and Hogue Cellars before joining Woodward Canyon in 1996, where he stayed until moving to Long Shadows in June 2003. Sharing Woodward Canyon's passion for world-class wines, Gilles soon found Woodward Canyon's founder Rick Small was his ideal mentor and biggest champion. In 1999, Woodward Canyon named Gilles head of enology and production.

Gilles is married to French-born winemaker Marie-Eve Gilla of Forgeron Cellars, an acclaimed winemaker in her own right. The couple lives in Walla Walla with their two children.

Practices & Techniques

Precision farming techniques such as vigor mapping, soil profiling, micro nutrient analysis and green harvest thinning are applied to manage yields, balance canopy with crop load, optimize sun exposure and ensure consistent quality fruit. All of the vineyards use sustainable farming practices with all acres farmed biodynamically.

Estate Vineyards / AVA

The Benches:

AVA: Horse Heaven Hills
Manager: Andy DenHoed

Established in 1997, The Benches (formerly Wallula Vineyards) is owned and controlled by a group of Long Shadows investors, including founder Allen Shoup, to insure long term sourcing of top quality grapes for the Long Shadows wines. The Benches are located 20 minutes southeast of Pasco on the Washington side of the Columbia River. As the name implies, this vineyard has twenty-seven geologically formed benches created twenty-thousand years ago by the Great Missoula Floods (the greatest known documented natural catastrophe in world history). These benches start at an elevation of 1400 feet and step down 1000 feet to the shore of the Columbia River.

The many benches at different elevations provide for unique micro climates and allow us to match the perfect grape variety to the perfect climate. The vineyard consists of 750 acres which are divided into more than 60 blocks producing 15 different grape varieties. At the top are the cooler white varieties like Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris. Midway are the warmer climate grapes like Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. At the lowest and hottest levels are Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Malbec. Other more exotic varieties like Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Mourvedre, Dolcetto, and Barbera are planted in small quantities on various slopes of the vineyard.

Sagemoor:

AVA: Columbia Valley
Owner: Sagemoor Group
Manager: Kent Waliser

Sagemoor is the name used to include four partnerships that are managed by one management group for the 70 partners that make up the individual companies. Sagemoor Farms (1968), Bacchus (1972), Dionysus (1973) and Weinbau (1981) are the names of the individual companies.

Sagemoor Farm is located on a southwest facing slope 10 miles Northwest of Pasco, WA adjacent to the Columbia River. In 1972, Sagemoor planted 85 acres of grapes, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay Beaujolais, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, White Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and an experimental block. Additionally, Bacchus Vineyard planted 195 acres of wine grapes, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, White Riesling, Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc. To this day some of these original plantings are producing high quality, highly sought after grapes. Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and White Riesling date back to these original plantings. The sloping land facing the western sky provides a warm site with excellent air drainage. Many of the original plantings have never frozen back to the ground despite several killing winter freezes that Washington has come to expect.

Conner Lee:

AVA: Columbia Valley
Owners: Bill & Marilyn Conner, Jeanne Marie Lee, Jack & Marion Sullivan
Manager: Thorsen Bookwalter and Associates, Inc.
Onsite Manager: David Ayala

Beginning in the mid 1980s, Bill Conner's and Rhoady Lee's goal was clear: establish their vineyard as one of the best in Washington State. The spirit and vision of the founders never wavered, and despite multiple winter injuries and spring frosts, with their undying efforts they persevered and are now widely accepted to be among the top ten Washington State vineyards of all time.

Located in Othello, WA in the Columbia Valley, the first of Conner Lee's 152 acres were planted in 1987. It's rectangular shaped vineyards have a gentle, sloping elevation of between 1164' and 1085' that are surrounded by center pivot irrigated row-crop farms. With it's lighter, sandy soil and somewhat cooler climate, it is an ideal location to produce Merlot grapes used in Long Shadows' Pedestal Merlot.


Boushey:

AVA: Yakima Valley
Owner/Manager: Dick Boushey

Dick Boushey has been a great ambassador for Washington State Syrah. Not only was he one of the first to plant Syrah (and Sangiovese) in the Yakima Valley in the early 1990’s, but his grapes are responsible for several of the most highly acclaimed wines in the state.

Located on the outskirts of Grandview, this cooler climate site contributes Syrah (planted in 1997) for Sequel and Sangiovese (planted in 1993) for Saggi.

The elevation at the top of Boushey vineyard is 1,400 feet with soil consisting of silt loam, windblown loess and deposits from the Missoula floods on top of fractured basalt. Mild temperatures and layered soils add a great phenolic ripeness due to longer hang times. The wines made from these grapes are well balanced (lower alcohol, better acidity) and offer a very pure expression fruit.

Stone Tree:

AVA: Wahluke Slope
Owner/Manager: Tedd Wildman

Tedd has been one of the most influential viticulturists in Washington State since the early 90’s. It is with his expertise that he carefully selected the site on the Wahluke Slope which he developed in 2000. It was called Stone Tree Vineyard, due to the petrified wood found there. Among the 250 acres planted, Tedd has nurtured as many as 26 different varieties and clones. As a result of his attention to detail, Stone Tree grapes are now highly sought after for their concentration of flavors and tannin maturity.

The Wahluke Slope is located north of Pasco on the south slope of the Saddle Mountains. Stone Tree Vineyard is characterized by a relief of 320 feet, the top of the vineyard being at 1250 feet above sea level. Fractured basalt is overlaid by sandy silt loam soils, and the site receives only 6” of rain a year. The naturally low vigor of the site, due in part to the shallow soils, allows Tedd to grow varieties like Petit Verdot (Chester-Kidder), Cabernet Sauvignon clone 2 and clone 8 (Pirouette) and some incredible Syrah (Sequel). Also planted at Stone Tree are Grenache, Zinfandel, Primitivo, Tempranillo, Viognier, Malbec, Mourvedre, Petite Sirah, Cinsault, Merlot, and Barbera.


Candy Mountain:

AVA: Columbia Valley
Owner: Premier Partners
Manager: Tom Waliser

Tom Waliser and Premier Partners established this vineyard near West Richland in 1998 on a hill next to the Red Mountain AVA. They planted Sangiovese (some of it contracted for Saggi), Cabernet Sauvignon (Feather and Chester-Kidder), Syrah (Sequel and Chester-Kidder) and Merlot (Pedestal). Premier Partners is an agricultural company which acquired Pepper Bridge Vineyard in 1997 from Norm McKibben, and owns several vinifera vineyards and orchards in California and throughout the country.

Candy Mountain is south facing and sits at a higher elevation than Red Mountain. The soil is composed primarily of sand, gravel and granitic deposits, and is rich in calcium, potassium and phosphorus. Due to high heat units and a very dry growing season, Candy Mountain Vineyard consistently produces top quality fruit that provide the wines with wonderful richness and depth in their aromas and color.

Tapteil:

AVA: Red Mountain
Owner/Manager: Larry Pearson

This vineyard is located on Red Mountain at the north end of Sunset Road with a beautiful view of the Yakima Valley.

“Quality wines start in the vineyard”, is Larry’s mindset. Tapteil Vineyard focuses on viticultural practices and techniques affecting grape quality—including canopy management (training, pruning and thinning) as well as water and pest management. Established in 1985, this 25-acre vineyard specializes in producing exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot grapes.

Michel Rolland selected this site for the concentration of color and structure in the Cabernet Sauvignon that comes from this site. The annual yields are only 2 tons per acre therefore resulting in optimal fruit maturation and added richness in the mouthfeel.

Awards

Winery of the Year - Food and Wine magazine 2007
Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines 2012 - 2009 Pedestal Merlot #11
Wine Enthusiast Top 100 Cellar Selections 2011 - 2008 Pirouette #2
Wine Enthusiast Top 100 Wines 2010 - 2009 Poet's Leap #7
Wine Enthusiast Top 100 Wines 2009 - 2007 Poet's Leap #8
Lifetime Achievement Award, Allen Shoup - Sunset magazine
98 points Wine Enthusiast - 2008 Pirouette Red Wine
95 points Wine Enthusiast - 2009 Poet's Leap Riesling
95 points Wine Spectator - 2009 Pedestal Merlot
95 points Wine Enthusiast - 2008 Sequel Syrah
96 points Connoisseurs Guide - 2006 Pedestal Merlot
95 points Connoisseurs Guide - 2009 Poet's Leap Ice Wine
95 points Connoisseurs Guide - 2008 Poet's Leap Botrytis Riesling
95 points Wine Enthusiast - 2009 Poet's Leap Riesling
95 points Wine Enthusiast - 2008 Poet's Leap Ice Wine

Reviews

1 Review
Jack Patrick Jack Patrick
Orlando, FL
a great experience!

I thoroughly enjoyed the wine tasting at Long Shadows. The customer service was excellent and I would definitely recommend the winery and their wines!

November 2014

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Hours

Mon - Sun 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Address

1604 Frenchtown Road
Walla Walla, Washington 99362
United States

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