French Creek Vineyard is a South-facing low-elevation plain. The lower elevation, combined with a consistent westerly wind through the Yakima Valley, cools the vines in the evening, allowing the fruit to maintain natural freshness and acidity. The soil is mostly silt loam with occasional spots of clay, caliche, basalt, and river rock. With such excellent drainage, the warm Eastern Washington summer sun, and light annual rainfall (6”- 8”), French Creek is one of our earliest ripening sites and we harvest to retain freshness, lively flavors and acidity to complement the power and richness imparted by old vines.