Den Hoed Wine Estates

Washington

Christina

Walla Walla Valley

$60 USD

Release Price

Drink Window

13.6%

ABV

3.59

pH

5.4

TA

RS

Palate

Christina exudes remarkable complexity, concentration and purity of fruit.

Growing Conditions

Kenny Hill Vineyard

This sloped, south-facing 70 acre parcel was purchased in the summer of 2008 as a joint venture between Andy & Bill Den Hoed and the Blair and Dunham families of Dunham Cellars. It is located 4 miles east of the Walla Walla aiprort up the Mill Creek drainage in the Blue Mountain foothills at an elevation of 1450 feet. The precipitation, elevation, slope, and naturally occurring breezes at this site provide a rare low incidence of frost and opportunity to grow non- irrigated grapes.

Prior to the purchase of this property, Dunham's vineyard management company, AMG, planted The Yellow Bird Vineyard, a dry land vineyard on the east side of Kenny Hill, for the Chan Family. There is no agricultural water right at this site. With full control of farming practices from the soil preparation to the varieties and clones selected for planting, we watched for successes and shortfalls at Yellow Bird.

After two years, the successes of Yellow Bird prompted us to purchase the property now known as Kenny Hill. We continued our dedication to restoring soil life and nutrition and using sustainable practices to ensure a healthy vineyard for generations to come. Wheat and legumes had previously been cropped on this land and had depleted its micro-biology. We ripped the land and incorporated a complex mix of organic compost and nutrients, thereby enhancing the soils water retention capability. After careful clone selection of varietals, we planted the first half of the vineyard in the spring of 2010, a year and half after acquiring the land. In the fall of 2012, we delivered the first beautiful crop of grapes from Kenny Hill Vineyard.

Bottling

Bottling Date: 05/12/2017

Winemaking

Composed of 5 Dijon clones sourced from Burgundy and planted specifically for this project, the grapes were gently pressed together for elegance and co-fermented together.