Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/670021
w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m M a y - J u n e 2 016 | V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T 3 1 which is located entirely in Ore- gon, currently has 279 acres under vine. Planting is increasing at a brisk pace. OTHER EXPLORATION In recent years, several winer- ies have followed in the footsteps of Leonetti Cellar and planted in the Upper Mill Creek region, east of downtown. This area is close to the Blue Mountains and is subse- quently wetter than most parts of the valley. It receives enough pre- cipitation that some growers are even experimenting with dry farm- ing — an extreme rarity in desert- dry, eastern Washington State. The higher elevation and loca- tion near a sizeable river also con- tribute to large diurnal shifts, which help contribute to unique wines. "The Cabernet Sauvignon off that area is pretty special," says Fig- gins. "There are a little heavier clay soils up there. You just get these dark, brooding kinds of Cabernets. In warm years, to me, it's the finest Cabernet in the valley." While much of this region is locked up in multi-generational fam- ily land, Figgins believes there will be more planting in the area in the future. "It's just a matter of time," he says. "It's so easily farmable, and it makes great wines." M e a n w h i l e , a n i n v e s t m e n t group out of Long Beach, Calif., recently planted 150 acres north of downtown, an area that, previous- ly, has been sparsely planted. The project, called Eritage, will see its first crop in 2016. The newest planting region in Walla Walla, however, is located by the North Fork of the Walla Walla Valley River, a region that was, once again, pioneered by Baron for a to-be-announced project. The area is unique for its steep terrain and shallow, fractured basalt soils. "Pretty much everywhere, the loess is thin enough that the roots get down into the basalt," says Whitman College geologist Kevin Pogue, who also runs a vineyard consulting service called VinTerra Consulting. "You lose a little heat because you're higher, but you have these beautiful south-angled slopes and shallow soils, so the soils really heat up fast. Because you're above the freeze zone, you add a week or two to the end of your growing season relative to the valley floor locations." At present, there are fewer than 50 acres under vine in this area, but it has the potential for as much as 300. Even though there have been no wines released from the North Fork as of yet, the excitement about the region is palpable, particularly with Baron planting his flag there. "It's one of those sites where, when I look at it, I just know the wine is going to be great, even though I've never tasted a wine from up there in my life," says Trey Busch, winemaker and co-owner of Sleight of Hand Cellars in Walla A block of the Elevation Vineyard in the North Fork area of Walla Walla is dubbed Ziggy Stardust. [Photo courtesy of Sleight of Hand Cellars] NORTHWEST WATCH SEAN P. SULLIVAN