Walla Walla Valley

Columbia Valley

Merlot

Cabernet Franc

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.


Conner Lee Vineyard Merlot & Cabernet Franc

United States

Washington

Buty

Rediviva of the Stones

BEAST Phinny Hill Cabernet Sauvignon

BEAST Phinny Hill 'Reserva Style' Malbec

Rosé of the Stones

Sémillon, Sauvignon & Muscadelle

Rockgarden Estate Mourvèdre, Syrah & Grenache

Columbia Rediviva Phinny Hill Vineyard

Conner Lee Vineyard Chardonnay

Buty Winery was founded on a belief in the artistry of the blend. This belief has been the inspiration for a short list of wines that includes a pioneering Washington blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, and an equally inspired Sémillon-based blend that includes both Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle. To make these wines, and Buty’s other acclaimed bottlings, founder Nina Buty has built lasting relationships with the people who farm some of Washington’s most renowned vineyards—grand cru-caliber sites like Conner Lee and Boushey vineyards.
 
 After two years of planning that included a trip to New Zealand to learn more about making great Sauvignon Blanc, Buty became a reality in 2000, when it made its debut vintage of five wines. Building on the early acclaim of these offerings, in 2001, the winery added Rediviva of the Stones and Columbia Rediviva to the Buty portfolio. These premium blends of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah were the first of their kind in Washington State, and continue to set the standard for this blend among the great wineries of the Northwest. 2001 also brought several other milestones, from the opening of Buty’s tasting room in Walla Walla to the planting of Buty’s dedicated section of Phinny Hill Vineyard on a hillside overlooking Champoux Vineyard. It was also the beginning of Buty’s inspiring relationship with legendary consulting winemaker Zelma Long.
 
 Today, Buty remains true to its original vision. Nina continues to run the small, family-owned winery, guiding a team that includes Zelma and renowned Washington winemaker Chris Dowsett. Together, they make a selection of iconic Washington State blends. These wines continue to be made using grapes from a handful of celebrated vineyards, as well as fruit from Nina’s own Rockgarden Vineyard in Walla Walla Valley, and Buty’s section of Phinny Hill Vineyard. These wines have earned a reputation for their blending artistry, and for the soulfulness that inspires Buty’s winemaking approach.
 
 Buty has also been at the forefront of several winemaking movements—from its commitment to using little-or-no new oak in many of its wines to picking earlier to retain purity, aromatics and acidity, and finally the winery’s dedication to a natural approach to winemaking that eschews the use of any additions or “enhancement tools.” This natural approach is echoed in an emphasis on stewardship and service—ideals that have led Nina to farm Rockgarden and Buty’s section of Phinny Hill organically (with Rockgarden receiving its organic certification in 2010). 
 
 Today, Buty’s sought-after, limited-production wines are recognized as benchmarks for quality, creativity and value—offering a rare intersection of all three elements. Every wine in Buty’s small portfolio is made with artistry and purpose, and though no corners are ever cut to achieve Nina’s creative vision, Buty’s wines represent some of the great values of the North American wine world.

Cabernet Sauvignon

Chardonnay

Grenache

Malbec

Mourvèdre

Muscadelle

Sauvignon Blanc

Sémillon

Syrah

 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. 

Rosé

Sémillon Blend

White

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.

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.

Horse Heaven Hills

Walla Walla Valley

Buty

Washington

2016

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Conner Lee Vineyard Merlot & Cabernet Franc

Columbia Valley

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