Red Mountain

When partners Piero Antinori of Marchesi Antinori and Ted Baseler, former president of Washington's Ste. Michelle Wine Estates initially set out to find the perfect location to construct the new Col Solare winery, they didn't have to search long. It quickly became clear that Red Mountain, one of the Columbia Valley's most celebrated sub-appellations, was the ideal spot for the new winery to call home.

Known for its Cabernet Sauvignon and comprised of 4,040 acres (about 2,043 acres of which is currently planted with wine grapes), Red Mountain is named for the red-hued native grass that grows on its slopes. Once a backwater eddy during the time of the pre-historic Missoula floods, the soil combination of sand, silt and loam is ideal for growing vinifera grapes.

The tiny Red Mountain appellation is the warmest in Washington state, producing grapes with ripe fruit character, great aromatics, and full tannins. The combination of heat, nutrient-poor soils, low rainfall and cool night temperatures leads to concentrated fruit and wines with amazing structure, power, and elegance – just the qualities we look for in creating every vintage of Col Solare.