Les Collines

Walla Walla Valley AVA, WA

In the fall of 2010, we began a partnership with Les Collines Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley. Les Collines, French for ‘the foothills’, is a 240-acre vineyard at the base of the Blue Mountains producing some of the most aromatic and unique Syrah we have experienced anywhere in Washington. We have worked with two blocks, 30 and 31, which sit at about 1200’ in elevation, creating a site that is slow to mature and safe from the harsh winter and spring freezes that can decimate the Walla Walla Valley floor every few years. The vineyard is situated in the southeastern most corner of Walla Walla Valley within Washington; the southern fence line marks the Oregon border. The soils at Les Collines are deep windblown loess that has formed the foothills of the Blue Mountains as winds pushed this light soil up against the mountain range over the millennia. Among the loess soil, there are occasional gravel pits that were deposited by ancient river flows and the Missoula Floods.