GAMACHE VINEYARD
Columbia Valley
Gamache Vineyard is part of the Sagemoor Group, which owns and farms some of our State’s best Vineyards. It sits up on the white bluffs overlooking Basin City to the east in the Columbia Valley AVA, with 180 acres of wine grapes. The vineyard was originally planted in 1980, when there were only about 10 bonded wineries in WA state at the time. The highest elevation is 960 feet. A gentle, mile-long southwestern slope ends at elevation 840 feet. Bordering the east side of the vineyard is a 300 foot drop to the valley floor, towards Basin City.
GRAPE STATS
VARIETALS SOURCED: Chardonnay
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CLONES: Prosser Clone #15
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ROOTSTOCK: Own rooted
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VINEYARD STATS
WHY WE LOVE IT
This classic, old-vine site was planted in 1982 and provided the perfect grapes for our sparkling wine. The sandy loam soils combined with its location high on the white bluffs allows for early maturation, which is necessary to produce a complex sparkling Chardonnay.
TOTAL NUMBER OF ACRES: 180
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ACRES SOURCED: 1
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POSITIONING: Gentle SW slope
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EXPOSURE: On bluffs overlooking Basin City to the east
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ELEVATION: 840'-960'
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SOIL TYPE: Warden sandy loam with a little Kennewick sandy loam, caliche one foot down in the north part of the site
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TRELLISING: Vertical Shoot Positioning (VSP)
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IRRIGATED: Yes
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FARMED BY: Miguel Contreras
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YEAR PLANTED: 1982
SUSTAINABILITY: Sustainably farmed, Integrated Pest Management, Vine Wise Management
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OUR GAMACHE VINEYARD WINES
SPARKLING CHARDONNAY
This is the one and only site for our Secret Woods Sparkling Chardonnay, and we could not have found a better vineyard. The bright, rich and complex profile in our Sparkling Chardonnay is exactly what we looked for when we decided to produce a classic, dry Blanc de Blanc style sparkling wine, unlike anything else in Washington State.
Cody Janett, Winemaker