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Feature Article
Thirty years ago Red Mountain looked like this minus the vineyards. John Williams transformed the barren land into prime wine country.
Kiona Vineyards
John Williams boldly went where no one had gone before.
Welcome to Red Mountain.
by
Anne Sampson
November 28, 2008
Wine grapes have been ripening on the slopes of Eastern Washington’s Red Mountain for more than 30 years. But until it gained AVA status in 2001, the area remained a relatively obscure piece of terroir tucked into a corner of the greater Columbia Valley. Today, tiny Red Mountain boasts a huge reputation as the birth place of some of Washington’s finest wines. And Kiona Vineyards and Winery is ground zero.
It all started in 1975, when John Williams and Jim Holmes, a pair of research scientists at the nearby Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, pioneered the area by planting the first vines on the desolate, grass-covered mountain. Nestled at the east end of the Yakima Valley, the sliver of Eastern Washington’s desert was raw and undeveloped, but the partners saw huge potential there. The pair, who remain good friends, went their separate ways in 1994 when Holmes
took charge of neighboring Ciel du Cheval Vineyard. Today John and his son Scott manage Kiona’s 300 acres of grapes, including the original 12 acres planted more than 30 years ago, and produce some 30,000 cases a year of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Lemberger, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Riesling, and Gewurztraminer, all encased in a 10,000-square-foot barrel room carved out of the mountain below Kiona’s expansive tasting room.
Kiona’s wines are distributed in 25 states, taking all the best traits of Red Mountain fruit across the country. The Cabernets turn heads with their elegant structure, tastes of lush dark fruits, chalky minerality, and robust tannins, the kind of flavors that score knock-outs with meals of hearty beef or flavorful lamb (several vintages of Kiona Cabernet have been listed among the top 100 on the world). But you might remember Kiona for a different reason – the Williamses were the first in the United States to plant Lemberger, a light and drinkable wine native to Austria that has become a trademark for Kiona. We talked to Scott and John about their vines, their wines and their notable success with a welter-weight variety from a heavy-weight appellation.
It all started in 1975, when John Williams and Jim Holmes, a pair of research scientists at the nearby Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, pioneered the area by planting the first vines on the desolate, grass-covered mountain. Nestled at the east end of the Yakima Valley, the sliver of Eastern Washington’s desert was raw and undeveloped, but the partners saw huge potential there. The pair, who remain good friends, went their separate ways in 1994 when Holmes
took charge of neighboring Ciel du Cheval Vineyard. Today John and his son Scott manage Kiona’s 300 acres of grapes, including the original 12 acres planted more than 30 years ago, and produce some 30,000 cases a year of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Lemberger, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Riesling, and Gewurztraminer, all encased in a 10,000-square-foot barrel room carved out of the mountain below Kiona’s expansive tasting room.
Kiona’s wines are distributed in 25 states, taking all the best traits of Red Mountain fruit across the country. The Cabernets turn heads with their elegant structure, tastes of lush dark fruits, chalky minerality, and robust tannins, the kind of flavors that score knock-outs with meals of hearty beef or flavorful lamb (several vintages of Kiona Cabernet have been listed among the top 100 on the world). But you might remember Kiona for a different reason – the Williamses were the first in the United States to plant Lemberger, a light and drinkable wine native to Austria that has become a trademark for Kiona. We talked to Scott and John about their vines, their wines and their notable success with a welter-weight variety from a heavy-weight appellation.
Appellation America: In 1975 when you planted Kiona, Red Mountain was completely undeveloped. You could have invested in an established vineyard. Why did you choose Red Mountain instead?
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