Dead Canyon Vineyard bears the name of the topographical landmark on which it resides. Grapes are planted along both canyon edges, about three miles south of the original Mercer family farmstead. The site has two distinct aspects due to the fact that it is planted on both canyon edges, and thus has both a north and south face.
LOCATION: Alderdale Region (50 miles SW of Prosser, WA)
APPELLATION: Horse Heaven Hills
YEAR PLANTED: 2006-2007
SIZE: 113 acres, 11 blocks
ELEVATION: 780 ft.
VARIETALS: Cabernet Sauvignon 67%, Merlot 29%, Syrah 4%
SOIL SERIES:
- The North Side: #377 Lickskillet; generally associated with steep canyon lands. The parent material is a cobbly silt loam that formed under bunch grasses in a mixture of wind laid deposits and basalt residuum. It is underlain by basalt bedrock with 2 to 15 percent slope.
- #533 Sagehill: generally associated with basins, a fine sandy loam with 5 to 10 percent slopes. The parent material is formed from lacustrine sediments with a mantle of loess.
- The South Side: #537 Sagehill, generally associated with terraces, a deep fine sandy loam with 10 to 15 percent slopes. The parent material is formed from lacustrine sediments with a mantle of loess.
MICRO-CLIMATE: Warm – Long Term Average GDD 3054. Semi-Arid – Annual rainfall averages 6-9 inches, primarily in the winter months
AVERAGE YIELD: 4-4.5 tons per acre
ASPECT: North and south row orientation
UNIQUE ASPECTS: Warm, Uniform Soils
SPACING: 8’x6’
TRELLIS: Vertical Shoot Positioned with 3 fixed canopy wires
WINES FROM THIS VINEYARD: Mercer Canyons Cabernet Sauvignon, Mercer Canyons Red Blend, Estates Cabernet Sauvignon, Estates Sharp Sisters Red Blend
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