Nestled at the foothills of Rattlesnake Ridge in the Columbia Valley Appellation, Lewis Vineyard (elev. 1200 feet) is a small family-owned vineyard managed by Betty Lewis and son, Ken Jr., in close coordination with our Vineyard Manager, Ken Hart. First planted in 1996 with a few acres of Syrah, Lewis Vineyard now comprises 80 acres of vitis vinifera varietals, including Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Riesling and Chardonnay. These varietals thrive in the vineyard's sandy loam. Drip irrigation is used to manage water applications, applying moisture when needed and stressing the vines into producing only the best fruit for our winery.
The fruit that produced our inaugural 1999 Syrah was the first crop from Lewis, with an incredibly low yield, coming into the winery at around 0.1 ton per acre. The wine it produced was so remarkable it was worthy of our first vineyard-designated wine. We continue to bottle Lewis Vineyard-designated Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot every vintage under our Artist Series labels.