08/29/2026
Celebrating forty years of winemaking at White Heron Cellars September 19, 2026, 4 to 8 PM.
We spent several years looking for a proper vineyard site. One criteria amongst many was two different facing slopes. The majority of our property faces south but about a third faces southeast. The idea was and is that the different slopes would create different flavor profiles. If, for example, Cabernet was planted on both slopes. One of these years maybe we'll ferment the two separately and check out the differences. We also have Syrah, Malbec, and Roussanne planted on both slopes.
This is our first planting in 1990. We planted Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. This is the Pinot planting on the SE slope. A large portion of the vineyards in Burgundy are also on a SE slope.
We started with the easiest areas on the hillside that didn't require earth moving. We simply mowed down the sagebrush which left behind the native grasses and wildflowers. We then drilled holes in the ground into which we planted the vines (photo 2). We learned a lesson that day which was "irrigate before planting!' So we had to fill each hole with water before planting (photo 3). Finally of course there is a celebration with wine and food, like there will be on the 19th!
Once again we cannot thank enough the people who helped us create everything we have today.
