2011 Waters Winery Olsen Vineyard Cloud Nine

Waters Winery was founded in 2005 in Walla Walla by Jason Huntley, whose family had been in the area for five generations. He hired Jamie Brown as winemaker, and the estate became known for limited production Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. In 2013 the estate was sold to Doug Roskelley and Mike Tembreull, who also own Tero Estates and Flying Trout Wines, both of Walla Walla. Jamie Brown remains the winemaker at Waters, which makes Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Roussanne/Viognier blends, and red blends.

Yakima Valley AVA was the first AVA created in Washington State. The valley, a 600,000-acre area in south central Washington, was granted AVA status in 1983. In 1984 Columbia Valley was given AVA status, and Yakima Valley was enclosed within the Columbia Valley AVA. Nevertheless, Yakima Valley remains home to the largest concentration of vineyards and wineries in the state. There are more than 60 wineries and some 16,000 vineyard acres, and nearly 40% of Washington wines are made with Yakima Valley grapes. The most frequently planted grape is Chardonnay, followed by Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Winemaking here dates to 1869, when a winemaker from Alsace planted grape vines. Vineyard planting and wine production plodded along slowly until the early 1980s when numerous modern pioneers started making well-reviewed Yakima Valley wines. Some of the state’s newest, most closely watched appellations, including Red Mountain AVA and Horse Heaven Hills AVA, are contained within Yakima Valley.

One of the most popular red varieties planted, it ripens late and prefers hot dry climates. It probably originated in Spain, where it is still widely grown. Grenache is best known for its use in Southern Rhone wines, including those of Chateauneuf-du-Pape.