Flavors are created and nurtured in the vineyard. -Kent Waliser, Director of Vineyard Operations
Sagemoor Farm includes five vineyards: Sagemoor, Bacchus, Dionysus, Weinbau and Gamache.
Sagemoor is located on a southwest facing slope 10 miles Northwest of Pasco, WA adjacent to the Columbia River. In 1972, Sagemoor planted 85 acres of grapes, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay Beaujolais, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, White Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and an experimental block. Additionally, Bacchus Vineyard planted 195 acres of wine grapes, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, White Riesling, Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc. To this day some of these original plantings are producing high quality, highly sought after grapes. Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and White Riesling date back to these original plantings. The sloping land facing the western sky provides a warm site with excellent air drainage. Many of the original plantings have never frozen back to the ground despite several killing winter freezes that Washington has come to expect.
Bacchus is one of five vineyards managed by Sagemoor Vineyards. It’s on the east side of the Columbia River, 15 miles north of Tri-Cities, WA. Bacchus is in the Columbia Valley AVA and has 180 acres planted to wine grapes. It’s also next door to Dionysus Vineyard.
In 1972 Bacchus was planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Riesling, and Chardonnay. Today, after 40+ years of experimentation and feedback from winery partners, Bacchus now grows Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cab Franc, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, and Chardonnay. It’s a leading source of old vine WA fruit with over 35 acres of the original 1972 Cabernet Sauvignon, and 16 acres of 1972 Sauvignon Blanc plantings.
Fun fact: In Bacchus there’s a strange lump of land riddled with granite boulders. Nothing can be planted there—the rows either bend around it, or stop altogether, picking back up on the other side. It’s called a glacial erratic. It’s where a glacier got stuck 15,000 years ago during the Missoula Floods, melted a little, and unloaded a heap of granite. It’s an incredible stamp from a cataclysmic event.
Bacchus has a commanding view to the west overlooking the mighty Columbia River and the Rattlesnake Mountains. The sloping land’s elevation ranges from 550-900 feet, and soft rolling knolls keep Bacchus warm (not hot, not cool) with excellent air drainage.
Dionysus, established in 1973, was originally planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay Beaujolais, Zinfandel, Gewurztraminer, Trousseau Gris (Grey Riesling), Chardonnay and Semillon. After 40+ years of experimentation and feedback from our winery partners, Dionysus still grows Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, but the other varietals have been replaced by Riesling, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. Cabernet Sauvignon has become the remarkable flagship variety of this vineyard site.
Fun fact: Many original plantings have never frozen back to the ground despite several killing winter freezes that Washington has experienced.
Dionysus, Bacchus, and Sagemoor Vineyards share a commanding view to the west overlooking the mighty Columbia River and the Rattlesnake Mountains. Dionysus’s southwestern sloping land has elevation ranging from 600-900 feet. Soft rolling knolls provide a warm site (not hot, not cool) with excellent air drainage.
The soils at Dionysus are varied, adding complexity to any wines coming from this great site.
Royal fine sandy loam soil, 2-10% slope dominates blocks 14,16 and 18.
Sagehill very fine sandy loam with 10-15% slope blocks 11,12,13, and 19.
Gamache, acquired in 2016 from brothers Bob and Roger Gamache, is the newest addition to the Sagemoor Vineyards family. It sits up on the white bluffs overlooking Basin City to the east in the Columbia Valley AVA, with 180 acres of wine grapes.
When the Gamache brothers located the site in 1980, they asked the grandfather of Washington wine industry, Dr. Walter Clore, to walk the property. “There’s absolutely no reason you can’t grow good quality wine grapes here,” he declared. Deeming the land sufficiently blessed, the Gamaches moved forward. There were only about 10 bonded wineries in WA state at the time.
In 1982, Gamache planted 20 acres each of Semillon and Chenin Blanc. Riesling was 1983. These days Gamache still has the original Riesling, plus Chardonnay, Roussanne, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cab Franc, Syrah, and Malbec.
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.
Gamache soil is primarily Warden sandy loam, with a little Kennewick sandy loam. There’s caliche (a hardened natural cement of calcium carbonate) about 12 inches down in the northern part of the site. It does show itself in a couple of other smaller areas as well.
Fun fact: The spring migration of sandhill cranes led the Gamache brothers to discover the vineyard sits right under a thermal. When the cranes come through, they play around in the air just above the vines. They circle around and float up up up, never using their wings. They go up as high as they want, and then scoop back down closer to land and ride the rising heat up again. It’s a fun sight to see.
Weinbau Vineyard is in the Wahluke Slope AVA, 12 miles east of the town of Mattawa WA, with 460 acres of wine grapes.
In 1981 Weinbau was planted to Riesling, Chardonnay, and Gewurztraminer. Over the last 35+ years with experimentation, and feedback from our winery partners, we’ve altered Weinbau’s focus a bit. There are some original Riesling and Chard vines from that 1981 planting, but also Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Malbec, Mourvedre, Merlot, Carmenere, Grenache, and Cabernet Franc. Incidentally, Weinbau has one of the largest Cab Franc crops in Washington.
Weinbau has a view of the Rattlesnake Mountains to the south, and the Saddle Mountains to the north. The land slopes gently south, with elevation ranging from 710-950 feet. Weinbau is a warm site with excellent air drainage, and soil is dominated by Kennewick silt loam with 2-5% slope. The consistency of soil type shows up in vine growth and subsequently in the wines.
In 2009, Weinbau expanded by 100 acres. The expansion’s plantings use innovative row orientation and block layout to minimize direct afternoon sunlight, decrease sunburn potential, and coax more even ripening.
