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The soil profile is Walla Walla Loess, which basically means windblown soils composed of silt, sands and clay.  The well drilling profile shows that this windblown material goes pretty deep (74’) at the well site before they started hitting gravel and eventually basalt. 

 

The slope of the Cabernet plants (from the house to the highway) varies between 4-6%.  This south facing slope helps in orienting the plants to the sun.  As the property is closer to the Blue Mountains, there is often more wind than in Walla Walla. In the summer the evening winds can blow west from the Blue Mountains.  And as the property is on a hill and more exposed, the winds naturally come in from the west and south.  These winds help keep the canopy dry from humidity during the summer, and are useful in moving the air during the cold winter months.

 

The vineyard is farmed sustainably, using compost and natural supplements to promote growth of the vines. They use no herbicides, nor pesticides in the vineyard and till under the plant rows to keep grass and weeds from growing. Thinning the vines  allows air circulation to prevent mildew and using mineral oils and fungicides controls mildew.