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Signature Wines and Wineries of Washington
TOP Sun rising over Bucchus Vineyard showcasing Barrister rows. Winery
partners contract for the same rows of grapes year after year.
Photograph by Richard Duval
BELOW: Harvest is finished for the year and the celebration begins with a
group photo at Weinbau Vineyard.
Photograph by Kent Waliser
Washington State, Sagemoor has Cabernet grapes at every
location, with three of them boasting prized 1972 plantings that
never experienced a killing freeze. Maintaining these grapes
at each of the sites provides a broad range of flavor profiles
which helps to fulfill a winemaker's personal vision by offering
a dynamic variety. Sauvignon Blanc is another still-vital grape
from the 1972 plantings, and has remained incredibly pure at the
Bacchus vineyard thanks to beautifully balanced canopies. The
oscillation of the hills helps to achieve different styles in a single
row. True varietal characteristics appear on the north-facing
aspects, and more star fruit on the south-facing. At harvest
time, the team picks an exact spot for one winemaker, and the
next vine supports a completely different vision of another
winemaker.
In 2014, Allan Brothers of Naches, Washington, purchased the
vineyards. The family has a long and rich history in the Yakima
Valley and has been growing, packing, and shipping premium
tree-fruit products since the 1920s. They carry on the Sagemoor
legacy as a tribute to the hard work of the original owners and
all the employees who made the vineyards what they are today.
The vision going forward will enhance the legacy of Sagemoor
as an economic, social, and environmentally sustained vineyard.