The Vineyards

To create our Cabernet Sauvignon blend, we partner with two exceptional Washington State vineyards in the newly established Royal Slope AVA: Solacksen Vineyard and Stillwater Creek Vineyards. Located two hours north of Walla Walla in eastern Washington, the terroir in this region is ideal for growing all Bordeaux varieties, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the grapes blended into our red wine.

To showcase the intense fruit quality of the region, Dennis Cakebread and Aryn Morell choose the best fruit available to craft a singular wine score filled with elegance and food-friendly balance.

Lawrence Vineyard

Our Solaksen site is located on the Frenchman Hills overlooking the Saddle Mountains with elevation ranging from 1,365 to 1,675 feet, and the entire vineyard on the southern slope. Corfu Crossing features a silt loam soil at a depth of 18 to 42 inches on top of fractured basalt. Our soil has very good drainage, which provides us with optimum control over the water intake of the vines. Rows are established north to south, with the vine spacing at 8 feet by 4 feet. We source our water from a well, and our irrigation system features water-saving drip at four feet intervals.

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Stillwater Creek Vineyard

Stillwater Creek Vineyard is a 235-acre site on the Royal Slope of the Frenchman Hills. Planted in 2000 on a steep, south-facing slope with one of the most diverse clone selections in Washington State, Stillwater Creek quickly has earned a reputation as one of the Columbia Valley’s top vineyards.

The site’s fractured rock and extreme southern exposure are ideal for reds, especially Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. Temperatures during the growing season favor warm days and cool nights. Grapes ripen beautifully under these conditions, enhanced by both hours of light per day during the summer and the total number of sunlight days from bud-break through harvest.

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Why Royal Slope AVA?

The newly minted Royal Slope AVA totals 156,389 acres, wholly within the Columbia Valley AVA about two hours north of Walla Walla, Washington. There are more than 1,900 acres of wine grapes currently planted within Royal Slope, growing more than 20 varieties. With an average elevation of about 1,300 feet, the vineyards enjoy cooler nighttime temperatures and slightly milder daytime temperatures than lower, warmer areas. 90% of the AVA is comprised of south-facing slopes, highly regarded for wine grapes in the Pacific Northwest because of its northerly latitude.

Given these favorable growing conditions, coupled with a variation in soil types, a wide range of grape varieties can be matched to specific sites, soils, and training methods, producing wine grapes of exceptional quality and distinction. This extraordinarily high level of quality is what led Napa vintner Dennis Cakebread to begin making wines in this gorgeous area.