Gateway to Washington Wine Country

Cox Canyon Vineyards

This 10 year old planting shows great promise and resulted in award winning wines.

· 1 Gold

· 1 Silver

· 3 Bronze Medals

· Outstanding Best Buy from Wine Press Northwest Magazine

· Produced at Eaton Hill Winery (Granger), Horizon’s Edge Winery (Zillah), and the Boeing Wine Club (Seattle).

About the Vineyard

Planted in 1998 in the Northwest corner of the Columbia Valley AVA is the 17 acre Cox Canyon Vineyard, 5 acres of which is in production. This is a beautiful West sloping site consisting of a Roza Clay Loam soil laid down upon the uplifted basalts which form the entrance to the National Wild & Scenic Yakima River Canyon. Volcanic ash has been interspersed in the soil profile from nearby Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Saint Helens eruptions over time and provide valuable micronutrients in the soil horizons. Elevation varies from 1400 to 1525 feet, provides for good air drainage, and high altitude growing conditions called 'thermal amplitude' (the difference between night and day temperatures), which can reach 60 degrees in Summer.

This terroir ripens late, produces low yields (2.5 tons/acre) with small berry size of deep coloration and utilizes all the hang time available until the 1st killing frost in the fall. The ambient temperature may be slightly cooler than the surrounding Columbia Valley AVA and results in fewer heat units, but the increased hours of sunlight from a more Northern latitude during the middle of the growing season provides optimal conditions for intensely flavored fruit. This, coupled with companion cropping with currants (e.g. raspberries and native huckleberries, elderberries, and blueberries) allows for Xenia to occur (the direct effect of pollen on seed characteristics) which produce additional flavors within the wine grape seed.

Cox Canyon Vineyards took special care in developing this site, as a large amount of rock had to be moved during planting. This rock has been repositioned within the vineyard rows to capture heat during the day to facilitate sugar production from photosynthesis and releasing it back during the night to even out respiration and acidity. Close attention is paid to irrigation applications utilizing state-of-the-art precision agriculture technology to stress the vines (Regulated Deficit Irrigation) from which result in intense fruit flavors.

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