Aldercreek Vineyard, Alderdale Washington






Aldercreek Vineyard is comprised of 220 acres of land in the finest wine grape growing region in the state. We currently have 120 acres in production growing the following varieties - Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. Location Located in the Horse Heaven Hillls AVA just west of Champoux Vineyard and Mercer Ranch at Alderdale and a scant five miles north of the Columbia River (see map) our unique microclimate provides many benefits when compared to other vineyard locations. Sitting on the south side of Alder Canyon our lands maintain a south, south east slope across the property with elevations from 1200' to 950'. The 250 foot elevation drop across the property continues as a 4~5% slope towards the Columbia River after leaving our property and is one of the factors in developing steady and even air drainage, a critical component in in moderating temperature extremes and in stressing the fruit (an important factor during ripening.) Soils Our soils, two to four feet of sandy loam top soil on top of fractured basalt, provides exceptional drainage. Precipitation Our annual precipitation is only six to eight inches of rain and occurs mostly during the winter when the vines are dormant. The combination of low annual precipitation, excellent soil drainage and the use of drip irrigation gives us the opportunity to control the exact amount of water our vines receive. We receive approximately 300 frost free days a year and our long growing season promotes longer hang time. Cool nights, especially during the fall while the fruit is ripening, help maintain acidity and aid in color development while producing intensely flavored fruit. Heat Units Our degree days match or exceed Alderdale on the chart shown below and we have the heat unit accumulation to ripen late season reds. Low Temperatures Wine grape vines become severely damaged at temperatures below -12 degrees (F). We consider ourselves very fortunate with our location when comparing our maximum low temperature to other AVA's. In the last two major cold events of the last 10 years, one in 1996 and again in 2004, where temperatures in many grape growing areas of the State went as low as -23 degrees (F) and grape vines were damaged to the point of cutting the stocks off at the ground and bringing the plant back from the roots we had no vine loss as the lowest the temperature went at our vineyards was -9 degrees (F) in 1996 and -5 degrees (F) in 2004. Summary All of the above factors - higher heat units or growing degree days, low annual precipitation, even air flow, quality well drained soils, complete irrigation control, cool evenings during the critical ripening period, moderate winter low temperatures, and many not listed combine to give Aldercreek Vineyards a superior site. Beyond the physical attributes of our site we continually work with wineries growing custom grapes, ensuring our fruit meets the exact requirements of their winemaker for the wines they want to produce. We also harvest both mechanically and by hand depending on the requirements of the wineries. Our location and efforts have produced a superior fruit highly sought after by winemakers. In contrast to the industry having surplus fruit at the end of the harvest we are typically sold out with a waiting list for our fruit.
		Mission Statement Our goal is to grow the highest quality wine grapes available. To this end we have surrounded ourselves with top quality, highly respected individuals, both in and out of the industry. The result is sold out harvests and wineries producing award winning wines with our fruit.



		Alder Canyon Approximately 600 feet deep and running for more than 30 miles, Alder Canyon helps create the steady and even air drainage of our site.





		Washington State Wine Facts We are the second largest premium wine producer in the United States. ----------------------------------------- We are at approximately the same latitude as Bordeaux France. ----------------------------------------- We have nine appellations - Yakima Valley - 1983 - Walla Walla Valley - 1984 - Columbia Valley - 1984 - Puget Sound - 1995 - Red Mountain 2001 - Columbia Gorge - 2004 - Horse Heaven Hills - 2005 - Wahluke Slope - 2006 - Rattlesnake Hills - 2006 ----------------------------------------- We have over 350 wine grape growers with over 30,000 acres in production (2005). ----------------------------------------- We have over 400 wineries producing over 18 million gallons of wine (2005) ----------------------------------------- We grow over 20 varietals including Whites Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Syrah Cabernet Franc Sangiovese Reds Chardonnay Riesling Sauvignon Blanc Semillon Viognier ----------------------------------------- We average nearly 2 hours more sunlight daily than California's top growing region (17.4 hours/day) ----------------------------------------- Averages only 8 inches annual rainfall in its major grape growing region (Eastern Washington) ----------------------------------------- Contributed nearly 3 billion dollars to Washington State economy in 2005.







	2009 Aldercreek Vineyard All rights reserved.