WAHLUKE
SLOPE - WASHINGTON'S 8TH OFFICIAL AVA
 Washington
State officially took on its eighth nationally
recognized AVA on January 6th, 2006 with
the addition of the Wahluke Slope, located
in a sparsely populated area about 60 miles
north of the Tri-Cities in southeastern
Washington. Residing completely within the
Columbia Valley AVA, Wahluke, or “watering
place” (named by the Native Americans
who settled there), boasts approximately
81,000 total acres. It features more than
20 vineyards, two wineries (Fox Estate and
Coventry Vale) and two wine production facilities.
Currently there are grapes growing on only
about 5,205 of these acres, representing
almost 20% of the total wine grape acreage
in the State, so it is easy to see the potential
this AVA has to offer.
Initially the plantings at Wahluke were
primarily white grapes such as Riesling,
Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc, but red wine
grapes now make up 80% of the total utilized
acreage. This includes the most popular
Washington varietals of Merlot, Syrah and
Cabernet Sauvignon. Both the reds and whites
coming out of this area are equally fantastic
however, so don’t feel relegated to
just one or the other. There are also many
growers planting small experimental blocks
of other grapes who are hoping to take advantage
of the Slope’s full potential.
The Wahluke Slope is unique because it contains
a very distinct growing environment. Hosting
one of the hottest and driest climates in
the state (yes Seattle, there are places
in Washington where it is hot and dry),
it makes ideal conditions for growing consistently
great grapes. The Wahluke Slope is actually
a huge bench that was formed when glacial
floods were squeezed through a basalt formation
called the Sentinal Gap...feel free to nap
now…leaving huge deposits of silt,
sand and gravel to form the bench. This
unique mixture of soil, along with heat
that often getting into  triple
digits during the Summer, help to produce
very distinctive grapes that ripen early
and produce wine with very intense flavors.
The reds tend to have strong, firm tannins
and the whites are crisp with generous aromatics,
or big noses!
Besides the hot, dry climate, and very distinct
soil the Wahluke Slope is also the only
AVA contained within a single landmass.
It is unique growing conditions such as
these, affecting the grapes grown there,
that the federal government uses to approve
AVA’s. In the wine business, a regional
designation such as this can mean big money
because consumers often use appellations
to distinguish which areas they consider
to produce the best wines. It can also mean
money from other amenities that the wine
industry brings with it such as hotels,
shopping, and restaurants, which is great
for growing overall exposure to Washington
and it’s wines.
You may have already been drinking wine
using grapes from the Wahluke Slope, but
didn’t know it because without an
AVA designation the name would be absent
from labels. Regardless, some of Washington’s
great wineries have long been sourcing grapes
from this appellation, such as L’Ecole
No. 41, K Vintners, Three Rivers Winery,
Reininger, Forgeron Cellars, as well as
many others. Chateau Ste. Michelle also
sources grapes from Indian Wells Vineyard,
which lies within the Wahluke Slope.
Actually, anybody with an interest can make
an application to the TTB (Tobacco Tax and
Trade Bureau) for a federal appellation
designation. You just need to be able to
show that an area is unique, or different
from other regions in a current appellation
or AVA, including such things as soil, weather,
heat, water and growing requirements. Then
the whole process goes to Congress, which
may take a couple of years. So, don’t
count on your backyard vineyards being designated
overnight…no matter how unique they
may be!
WINES FROM WAHLUKE:
If you would like to try some wines from
the Wahluke Slope AVA these the following
are available in many grocery stores:
Château Ste.
Michelle 2002 Indian Wells Merlot
Aromas of raspberry, bittersweet chocolate,
spice and toast lead to flavors of red currant,
black raspberry and intriguing notes of
pepper and cinnamon. This is a flavorful,
yet elegant Merlot.
Château Ste.
Michelle 2003 Indian Wells Cabernet Sauvignon
This is the debut of our Indian Wells Cabernet.
Warm climate Wahulke Slope fruit gives this
Cab a decidedly jammy fruit driven core.
This is a fleshy, luscious and decadent
wine with concentrated, jammy black fruit
flavors.
 ADDITIONAL
STATS & INFO:
Elevation- ranging from
425’ (along the Columbia River) to
1,480’ (on the south slope of the
Saddle Mountains
Average Rainfall (annual)-
only 5.9” (the driest area of eastern
Washington)
Wineries- Fox Estate &
Coventry Vale
Vineyards- Indian Wells,
Katherine Leone, Rosebud, Stone Tree, Wahluke
Slope
Photo Credit:
Saint Laurent Vineyards (saintlaurent.net)
Alan Bauer Photography (AlanBauer.com)
Snowqualmie Winery (Snoqualmie.com)
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