Grande Côte

Yakima Valley AVA, WA

Planted in 1994 by Dick Boushey for Washington Rhône wine pioneer Doug McCrea of McCrea Wine Cellars, this vineyard has been at the heart of some of our favorite Washington Syrahs over the past 20 years. We are honored to be on a very short list of wineries that have been given access to this hallowed ground. While the Syrah clone, Phelps, is also planted at Boushey’s eponymous vineyard a few miles away, the climate, soil, and elevation are quite different here. At 800’ elevation, it is the lowest vineyard we work with. The soils are known as Warden Silt Loam and are 24-60" deep over a layer of calcareous loam, then fractured basalt. While the site is quite warm, a slope to the west shelters the vineyard from the sweltering heat of the late afternoon sun and slows ripening.