Red Mountain and Hedges Family Estate
After spending the morning at Wilridge Vineyard, we stopped for breakfast at Mel’s Diner in Yakima. Then it was East to Red Mountain, probably the most famous AVA in Washington State.
It was midday, and while our destination, Hedges Family Vineyards, was busy hosting a group from Japan, we intended to take in the region and drive past many of the wineries gathered along Sunset Road. Here, you find Cooper, Frichette, Kiona, Fidelitas, Hedges, Hamilton, Tapteil, and Hightower. Then, down along the river on Demoss Road, you find Elk Haven, Terra Blanca, Ambassador, and Tucannon. The drive along the Yakima River is peaceful and beautiful, especially in the fall.
We then took Antinori Road up and around past Col Solare Winery and saw a pick happening to the north as we were closing in on where it connects with N. Sunset Road. As we passed the tent where they were taking numbers, I noticed a face I recognized from the Hedges website: Kayla Braich, the Hedges vineyard manager. We turned around and stopped to introduce ourselves and say hello.
Kayla filled us in on the following morning’s pick, the when and where, so we were set to return in the morning.
Morning Cabernet Sauvignon Harvest
We were staying about 20 minutes from Red Mountain in Prosser, so we got up early the next day to shoot the morning pick. Arriving at the winery, we were greeted by Clash, one of the winery cats, who insisted on saying hello and then shepherded us to the pick site.
They were harvesting the north block of Cabernet Sauvignon. (If you need a visual, they have a terrific map on their site https://hedgesfamilyestate.com/the-land ). In addition to catching the harvest, which was relatively quiet, several women efficiently worked the rows with baskets on harnesses to keep them from having to bend.
We also took in the vines and fruit on the other side of the driveway. These small blocks include a range of varieties, including Petit Verdot, Malbec, and the Portuguese varieties, Tinta Cao, Touriga Nacional, Souzão (Vinhão) & then Syrah.
Beyond the Grapes
Just past the Syrah, you find the Hennery, where they keep their laying hens. They also incorporated chickens raised for meat that will be used in their restaurant, but they were currently a bit away on the Bel’Villa property.
Clash showed me around the Hennery and then on to the gardens. Just north of the lovely pond on the property is a gated garden nestled in the trees. Here, they grow a variety of herbs and vegetables that are used in the restaurant. Clash guided me around the edges while Michael went in to get some shots.
Sarah told us later that they are not trying to grow everything here, just to supplement the restaurant. Part of the idea of the restaurant is to support local farmers, and their chef, Aislinn Mcmanigal-Quintana, has cultivated relationships with local purveyors. The restaurant supports the Chateau Wine Bar with small seasonal plates as well as their Sunday Brunches.
We then caught up with Sarah, who had set aside the Champagne room upstairs at the Chateau for us to do interviews with the family. It was a short walk for Anne-Marie and Tom Hedges, the owners and Sarah’s parents, who live on the upper level of the Chateau in a showing of very European sensibilities.
We also had a lively conversation with Sarah’s brother, Christophe, who serves as the company’s General Manager. When we asked him why they were biodynamic, Christophe replied, “Why wouldn’t you be?” He finds the ethics behind this farming method to be common sense for people and the planet.
Biodynamic Farming at Hedges
Hedges gradually converted all their vineyards to biodynamic farming and work with natural rather than chemical means of supporting their soils, vines, and other life on the property.
This is good for the planet, of course, but it also allows them to truly express this plot of land in a glass of wine. The wines are native ferment, no commercial yeast is added, and the microbial life in the soils is tended to allow the vines the nutrients native to this place, not brought in from far away.
They do not expect, nor do they want, to produce wines whose characteristics are the same year after year. When you get a bottle of wine from the Hedges Estate, it will mirror in the glass the season in which it grew, the soil it was grown in, a sense of this place.
Sarah completed our interviews. We interviewed her a few years ago, so this was an opportunity to catch up on changes at Hedges and learn about the new restaurant and the glass recycling program they are working with.
Sarah and Kayla have been working closely on finding new ways to combat pests naturally in the vineyard. They have problems with leaf hoppers, which feed on the leaves, reducing photosynthesis and often severely damaging the leaves. One natural solution is to release lacewings at just the right stage. The lacewing larvae are voracious predators of leaf hoppers. Sarah and Kayla have seen a positive difference in the vineyard since releasing the lacewing larva.
We spoke more about the organic garden that Sarah developed, and her Mother now helps her tend.
Before we left, Sarah walked us down to the recycling collection site, where people can bring their glass for recycling. They are part of a program with BIG Recycling , which partnered with GPI (The Glass Packaging Institute), creating pickup centers for glass recycling.
Before we left, we caught Kayla on the tractor bringing in the final Cabernet Sauvignon from the morning pick.
We left midday but look forward to returning to see the vineyard and winery through the various seasons of the year.
That is the idea, after all. To tell the stories of these vineyards and wineries. What brought them to this type of farming, why it is important to them, and to show the journey.
Stick with us for more!
For More on Hedges Family Estate and Red Mountain
Visit their website at https://hedgesfamilyestate.com/
Or, check out these articles on CrushedGrapeChronicles.com
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