Our estate vineyard, Stillwater Creek on the Royal Slope of the Frenchman Hills in Washington State’s Columbia Valley, is our raison d’être. The Alberg family purchased this beautiful property seated on a steep, south-facing slope more than two decades ago for its excellent growing potential, then collected years of historical site data to ascertain weather patterns before planting began in 2000. Few other vineyards in Washington can boast the wide array of clones used here, each carefully selected with specific vineyard blocks in mind. Our winemaker Mike Januik, who consulted on the vineyard planting with us, thinks clonal selection is the next great frontier in Washington winemaking. As we learn more, we hope to be a leader in this arena and share our discoveries with other Columbia Valley grape growers.
The vineyard’s first harvest in the fall of 2002 produced impressive results. Mindful of the vines’ youth, we cropped to keep yields low – about one ton per acre. Careful vineyard management combined with an outstanding growing season produced deeply colored, concentrated wines with rich flavor. Since that time, the vineyard has continued to impress. In addition to supplying grapes for most of Novelty Hill’s wines, the vineyard also grows grapes for top Columbia Valley winemakers.
Wine lovers unfamiliar with the Columbia Valley sometimes ask, isn’t Washington State too cold, too north and too wet to grow world-class wine grapes? The answer is NO!
Washington’s largest city, Seattle, on the west side of the Cascade Mountains has fittingly earned a reputation for its cloudy, rainy days, but the weather on the east side of the state where Washington’s Columbia Valley vineyards are found is just the opposite. With the Cascades running north to south and dividing the state into east-west quadrants, Columbia Valley wine grapes thrive under the protection of the Cascades’ giant rain shield. As a result, the Columbia Valley is dry and warm. Annual rainfall averages 6 to 8 inches. Summer temperatures hover in the mid-80s. The area enjoys more than 300 cloudless days a year and long summer daylight hours because of its northern latitude. As grapes finish ripening in the fall, evening temperatures can drop by as much as 30 to 40 degrees. These cool nighttime temperatures protect the grapes’ natural acidity making for balanced wines that are not only lively in their youth but also age well. The net effect is a growing region found only in a handful of places around the world, perfect for growing vinifera wine grapes.
