Elevation / Slope

The Willow Crest Estate Vineyard is at a 1300’ elevation in the most premium wine grape growing country of the Yakima Valley. At this elevation and with the slope of our vineyards we have a sure advantage when the cold winter days hit. A temperature difference of up to 15 degrees is not uncommon. The winter of 2003 hit some record lows in the Yakima Valley with some areas reporting -17 Fahrenheit. Lots of winter injury caused some vineyards to be pruned back to the ground. Fortunately because of elevation and sufficient air drainage the temperatures at the Willow Crest Vineyard only got as low as -3 Fahrenheit.

Soil & Irrigation

Willow Crest Vineyards are part of the Roza Irrigation district at the most northern area of Prosser. Our soils consist of silt loam and fractured basalt rock. Water is a very valuable resource, which is why most of our vineyards are irrigated by a drip system that applies just the right amount of water to each vine. Drip systems only use 30% of the water as opposed to overhead sprinklers. Throughout the growing season, we control the vigor of the vine by how much water we apply. During part of the hot summer months the vine gets very little water, in that way we control the growth of the canopy and let the vine concentrate on producing quality grapes. This technique is called Deficit Irrigation.

Climate

Willow Crest Vineyards has the perfect climate to grow wine grapes. The hot summer days and cool nights ensure our grapes have a perfect sugar and acid balance. Did you know that we have an average of 17.4 hours of summer sunlight in Eastern Washington? That is about 2 hours more per day than California’s prime grape growing region. Our unique terroir (soils and climate) set Willow Crest apart and contribute greatly to the producuction of high quality wines.

Varietals

Willow Crest planted the first wine grapes in 1982: Riesling, Gewurztraminer and, Chardonnay. In 1993 we planted Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. In 1996 we added our first Syrah planting, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Gris and our 2nd planting of Chardonnay. In 1999 we planted more Syrah and Pinot Gris, Merlot and a new Rhone varietal, at least to the Yakima Valley, called Mourvedre. In 2001 we planted a new clone of Cabernet Sauvignon. In 2002 Viognier, Grenache and, another family member of Mourvedre. Willow Crest Vineyards has grown to over 185 acres of wine grapes. The majority of our grapes are contracted out to premier wineries around Washington State.

Yield per acre

Our average yield for Reds is 3 tons per acre and for Whites 4 to 6 tons per acre , depending on the varietal. The yield per acre depends on what kind of wine the winemaker wants to craft. Varietal characteristics, fruity flavors, complexity, sugar content, acidity and soil all contribute to the style of wine to be made.

Our Syrah vines are planted in only 12-18” of soil with fractured basalt rock below, which gives a distinctive expression in our Estate Syrah. Since 1995 Willow Crest Winery has been making our own handcrafted wines. Wilow Crest Winery is in a very unique situation were we control the entire wine making process from growing the grapes to applying the label to the bottle.