Buty

We made our first Rediviva of the Stones® in 2001, when we were the only Washington winery exploring premium blends of syrah and cabernet. Today, this silky textured wine continues to set the standard for this core pairing. All of the grapes for our Rediviva of the Stones come from our own organic-certified Rockgarden Estate in the newly minted The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater appellation. We developed Rockgarden Estate specifically to make this wine. Rockgarden is named for the famed basalt cobblestones that make this alluvial section of Walla Walla Valley so renowned for winegrowing.

This wine comes from a trio of renowned vineyards, each with ideal microclimates for their varieties. To preserve freshness and natural acidity with richness and a silky texture, we keep the grapes partially shaded from the summer sun. Planted in 1982 on the Wahluke Slope, we source sémillon from the oldest block of Rosebud Ranch, in an area that benefits from diurnal swings of up to 50 degrees. We also source sémillon from legendary winegrower Dick Boushey’s Boushey Vineyard—a cooler site in Yakima Valley. Our aromatic muscadelle and sauvignon blanc come from nearby Lonesome Spring Ranch. Muscadelle was added to the Semillon/Sauvignon blend in the 2007 vintage.

This mourvèdre-based blend comes exclusively from our Rockgarden Estate in The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater. Long hailed as the finest fruit-farming land in Walla Walla Valley, in 2015, The Rocks District earned official recognition as an American Viticultural Area, cementing its status as one of Washington’s preeminent winegrowing regions. Named for the famed basalt cobblestones that make this part of the valley so renowned for winegrowing, our Rockgarden Estate is perfectly situated in the highest part of The Rocks District. This unique location has proven ideal for Rhône varieties, yielding silky structured wines, recognized for their fruit purity and savory spice.

Our Columbia Rediviva is a rich and sophisticated blend from Washington State comprised of two classic varietals: cabernet sauvignon and syrah. At Buty, we were the first Washington winery to focus on blends of cabernet sauvignon and syrah as deluxe wines. Columbia Rediviva grows on an historic Washington site—the east face of Phinny Hill by the Columbia River. Our cabernet and syrah vines are planted there in silt-loam soils, above free-draining basalt cobblestones from pre-Ice Age rivers. Our blocks are on the leeward and east-facing slope of the hilltop, where they are protected from the Columbia River winds. We sought out this site specifically for producing Columbia Rediviva, and selected all the trellising and pruning design for the cabernet vines, with the syrah planted to our choice of clones and trellis system.

This wine is sourced exclusively from the sloping, sandy soils of the famed Conner Lee Vineyard. Originally planted in the early 1980s, Conner Lee is located at an elevation of approximately 1,125 feet on the plateau of Radar Hill, south of Othello, Washington. It is a cool site in a warm, sunny region. In our Eastern Washington desert environment, the spring and fall nights can be 50 degrees cooler than the daytime temperatures. The hot summer months of July and August ripen the fruit, while cooler fall temperatures keep the acids high and the pH low. Buty has bottled a blend of merlot & cabernet franc since 2000, our inaugural vintage.

We have made a Conner Lee Vineyard Chardonnay since our debut 2000 vintage. Originally planted in the early 1980s, this acclaimed vineyard is located at approximately 1,100 feet on the plateau of Radar Hill south of Othello, Washington. It is a cool site in a warm, sunny region. In our Eastern Washington desert environment, the spring and fall nights can be 50 degrees cooler than the daytime temperatures. The hot summer months of July and August ripen the fruit, while cooler fall temperatures keep the acids high and the pH low. We work with Conner Lee’s prized 1989 block and its 2005 ‘clone #95’ block. Both are planted with ungrafted vines in well-drained sandy-silt soils. To achieve a pure, complex style, we prune for optimum fruit positions in February, shoot thin in May and cluster thin at veraison—all to promote concentration early in the year.