In 1975 John Williams and Jim Holmes planted their first vines on a barren and desolate bench in Washington's Yakima Valley. Little else but sagebrush and sand surrounded their recently purchased estate, which the two acquired in 1972 for next to nothing in the hope that they could dig a well deep enough to farm it. They named their new vineyard "Kiona" after the Native American word for the sparse landscape of area, and for years their vines at the base of a steep copper-tinged slope sat in near-complete isolation. John & Jim notably planted a portion of their new vineyard to Cabernet Sauvignon despite advice saying that the area was only useful for white wine production, and their willingness to take risks would eventually pay off in spades. It took some time, but once it became evidently clear that incredible wine was being crafted using the fruit grown on this seminal property expansion quickly followed. Today John & Jim's original vineyard sits directly in the heart of the famed Red Mountain appellation - an appellation which many consider to produce the very best red wine in the entire state of Washington - and Kiona Vineyards & Winery remains one of Red Mountain's most notable and influential producers.
Our continued efforts to explore the greatest wine regions of the world had pulled our attention towards Red Mountain, and naturally we chose to make a stop at Kiona during our limited time in the region. Upon our arrival at the Kiona property we were greeted by JJ Williams, John William's grandson, who was practically raised in the family vineyards and graciously volunteered his time to guide us through all things relating to Red Mountain and Kiona. After brief introductions we immediately trekked out to the vines to get a feel for the estate, and JJ led us to the original 1975 plantings while we discussed the region's history and terroir.
JJ quickly got us up to speed on the the story beneath the vines, focusing with great detail on what the famed Red Mountain terroir is all about. He explained that top soils across Red Mountain are almost entirely wind-blown loess, which to the untrained eye appears as a very fine grained sand. These feather-light soils have been carried long distances by intense winds that regularly blow through Eastern Washington, and over many years have accumulated on top of the thick basaltic bedrock leftover from an ancient volcanic eruption. Loess is extremely nutrient deficient and retains virtually no water thus irrigation has proved necessary in order to have any kind of agricultural success. Disease and pest pressure are thankfully extremely low in Red Mountain thanks to the area's dry climate and meager soils, and almost all of the region's vineyards are planted on their own roots since phylloxera has not been able to survive or spread in Washington. Grapes in Red Mountain are exposed to consistent sunshine and it is not uncommon to receive almost zero rain during the growing season. These factors typically result in clusters with small berries and extremely thick skins, and the wines of Red Mountain tend to express pure, complex flavors and powerful tannin as a result.
Because Red Mountain naturally produces thick-skinned and concentrated fruit its production has skewed largely to red wine over the years. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah are among the most widely planted grape varieties in the appellation, although some white grapes also thrive here. After stopping by to check out and admire their original 1975 plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon JJ let us to a very special block of Chennin Blanc that was part of the second wave of vines in 1976. These old and gnarled fan-trained vines were littered with absolutely gorgeous clusters of fruit that Kiona uses for a few different ingenious purposes. In addition to their standard production of a crisp and dry Chenin Blanc bottling the Kiona team leaves some fruit hanging late into the season in hopes of making Ice Wine. If conditions are perfect and temperatures get cold enough in late October to November the team will harvest the fruit while it is frozen, eventually creating a hauntingly complex dessert wine that remains impressively high in acidity and freshness.
JJ explained to us that Kiona's home vineyard we happened to be standing in is not the only vineyard they control. Kiona actually farms a total of 272 acres of vines across 5 different sites in Red Mountain, which is significant considering the entire appellation occupies a scant 4040 acres. An overwhelming majority of their annual crop ends up being swooped up by many of Washington's most famous wineries to be crafted into an assortment of amazing wines, while Kiona keeps enough for themselves to support their annual production of around 25,000 cases. Kiona is truly one of Red Mountain's most influential growers not only historically but still so today, as without their exceptional fruit many of the appellations greatest wines would not exist.
In order for us to truly appreciate the terroir of Red Mountain and each of the Kiona vineyard sites JJ had a special tasting brewing for us back at the winery. We sat down to find a lineup of 10 different wines in front of us - a handful produced by Kiona and the rest crafted by outside producers who purchase Kiona fruit. From start to finish the wines were absolutely spectacular and possessed common threads regardless of the producer, grape variety, or vintage. Each of the bottlings exhibited unmistakably chiseled structure, with tannin that was firm yet inviting and acidity that kept each wine fresh on the palate. And interesting herbal undercurrent reminiscent of the very sagebrush that surrounds the vineyards seemed to appear in each red wine, and of course the fruit characteristics of each were driving and remarkably pure. We concluded the tasting with Kiona's own Ice Wine and were left with the impression that it might be the greatest domestic dessert wine we've ever encountered, as its complexity, precision, and focus rivaled some of the old world's most classic examples.
Red Mountain is truly one of Washington's greatest Grand Cru appellations and Kiona Vineyards & Winery can be thanked for its rapid ascension to profundity. This bold, dedicated, quality-focused team has turned a barren and unwanted slab of real estate into arguably one of the world's greatest pound-for-pound red wine producing zones. Kiona wines are spectacular and remain strikingly modest in price, and simply must be experienced to be understood. Red Mountain may be small but it sure is mighty, and the Kiona team is doing their part to ensure the story of the appellation is justly told.
We want to extended our biggest thank yous to JJ and the Kiona team for the tremendous hospitality they showed us on our visit. It was a time we won't soon forget, and we look forward to coming back again soon!