Checking in with Angiolina Farm Vineyard
Sampling Sauvignon Blanc and Cinsault at Angiolina Farm Vineyard.
About Angiolina Farm Vineyard
Angiolina Farm Vineyard is a 70-acre property near Zillah in the Rattlesnake Hills AVA. It’s owned by Dan & Marreth Fulton, who purchased it as a retirement project in 2007 after Merreth completed a vineyard management program at UC Davis.
They planted the initial vines on 34 acres in 2007 and expanded to 44 acres in 2009. Today, the vineyard includes 70 acres planted with a wide range of grape varietals, including Riesling, Roussanne, Marsanne, Grenache, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Syrah, Petit Verdot, Mourvèdre, and more.
The Fultons have always managed their vineyard with an eye toward sustainability. Viticulturist Chris Storm contributed to the sustainability standards established in the Lodi wine region in California, called LODI RULES. He helped the Fultons develop their vineyard plan, and five years ago, they became the first Washington state vineyard to be LODI RULES certified. Under vineyard manager Patrick Rawn, the vineyard achieved Sustainable WA certification starting with the 2022 vintage.
We’re proud to use Angiolina Farm Vineyard grapes for our 2023 Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon (coming in the fall of 2024!). In 2024, we’re also sourcing Angiolina Tempranillo, Cinsault, Sauvignon Blanc, and Albariño.
Harvest Notes from the Winemaker
We recently visited Angiolina, among our other vineyards, and snapped some shots of our flourishing Sauvignon Blanc and Cinsault grapes, which you can see above. The Cinsault clusters are enormous at this stage! (We regret not capturing a photo with Mark's head for scale.)
We’re excited about this Cinsault block, which will form the backbone of our 2024 Rose. While the Cinsault is currently at 12 Brix with a pH of 3.0, it's still premature to harvest. We aim for a Brix level of around 20 to achieve the perfect balance of fruity, dry rose with just the right touch of acidity.
Recent cool weather has slowed ripening a bit, but we're optimistic that the upcoming two months of harvest will be free from extreme temperatures, heat waves, rainfall, smoke, and locusts. :-) We are set for a potentially outstanding vintage!