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3 0 V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T | M a y - J u n e 2 016 w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m sixth or seventh leaf. Yet they're producing really good wines," says Marty Clubb, co-owner and manag- ing winemaker at L'Ecole N° 41 in Lowden and a partner in SeVein. He also notes there's diversity within SeVein. "The higher you get up the hill, the bigger structure and higher acidity you get." Other wineries, including Betz F a m i l y W i n e r y i n Wo o d i n v i l l e , recently have bought into SeVein as well. "Every time I drive up there, there's more being planted and more happening," Figgins says. "It's pretty exciting." FIRST SUB-APPELLATION Just below SeVein is an area called The Rocks, which is part of an old alluvial fan of the Walla Walla River, with the soil made up of fist-sized cobblestones. Modern- day grape planting in the area was pioneered in 1997 by French-born vigneron Christophe Baron of Cay- use Vineyards, whose wines went on to receive stratospheric scores. "Obviously, with Cayuse and the press it's receiving, The Rocks is getting a lot of attention," says Chad Johnson, co-owner of Dust- ed Valley in Walla Walla, which planted an 18-acre vineyard in The Rocks in 2007. The Rocks wines are known for their unique profile. "There's not a lot of tannin. They're high pH," says Johnson. "You have to put stems into them or you don't have much structure." Still, Johnson wasn't complaining. "Everything that comes out of The Rocks is so different and so special," he says. "It's so different from anything else in Walla Walla," agrees Fig- gins, who recently planted a vine- yard in the area. "It has a savory component and maybe an earthi- ness that, for me, works really well in the blend. It's low alcohol. It has this broad, soft, immediately agree- able mouthfeel and some really cool aromatics." The area recently received its own appellation: The Rocks Dis- trict of Milton-Freewater, named after the closest town. The 3,700- acre sub-appellation of the valley, "When we were looking for the next appellation we thought would bring high quality like the Willa- mette does, we thought of Walla Walla," says Christine Collier, win- ery director at WVV. "Seven Hills has a proven track record, and a lot of the young wines coming out of the region are pretty exciting." WVV purchased a 42-acre par- cel within SeVein in 2015. Fifteen acres will be planted to Bordeaux varieties this year, and another 15 will be planted in 2017. The intent is to build a tasting room and win- ery called Pambrun on the site. The winery is slated to be com- pleted in 2017. "Eventually, it will be a single-site brand where all of the fruit comes to that facility," says Collier. While most of the vineyard plantings at SeVein are currently young vines, the early returns look promising. To wit, L'Ecole N° 41's 2011 Red Wine from its Ferguson Vineyard, which sits on a ridge top within SeVein, recently was named Decanter magazine's best Bor- deaux blend in the world priced at more than £15 ($21). "For me, the exciting part is that most of these vineyards are still in their adolescent phase: fourth, fifth, Willamette Valley Vineyards consulting winemaker, Jon Meuret; winery director, Christine Collier; and vineyard manager, Sadie Drury, with the first Pambrun fruit from nearby Seven Hills Vineyard. wine@hoyt-shepston.com NORTHWEST WATCH SEAN P. SULLIVAN