Los Oídos Vineyards is situated at approximately 1100 feet elevation on Cottonwood Road in Walla Walla, Washington. The majority of the land is on the old river bed of Cottonwood Creek, which contains numerous rocks, both on the surface and deep into the soil. The property lies between Les Collines and Morrison Lane vineyards, almost due south from Leonetti Cellars. On the other side of the creek, Charles K Smith of K Vintners is planning a new vineyard. A ridge runs east to west though the property and we planted a 15 acre vineyard on this high ground in April, 2009. The elevated location should enhance frost protection by allowing cold air to drain away from the vines.
At Los Oídos Vineyards, we offer:
-Experienced vineyard management
-Sustainable farming practices
-All clonal vinestock
Experienced management
Ken Hart, our vineyard manager, has over 25 years of experience in agriculture and was involved in planting vineyards at Pepper Bridge, Nicholas Cole, Ash Hollow and Seven Hills (east). Ken is the general manager for Appellation Management Group (AMG), which is a subsidiary of Dunham Cellars. AMG manages sixteen vineyards including Dunham, Abeja, aMaurice, Yellow Bird and Walla Walla Vintners. Tulpen Cellars is Ken's newest venture; he is making wine with his partner Rick Trumbull using some of the finest fruit available. Get on the mailing list while you still can. www.tulpencellars.com
Meet Kenny- http://www.winomagazine.com/blog2/2009/05/a-whole-lot-of-hart/
Sustainable practices
We are committed to sustainable farming practices. Prior to planting, compost and compost tea were incorporated into the ground. Our goal is to re-establish the natural microbiology of the soil. No herbicides are used and insect control is through Integrated Pest Management (IPM).
Clonal vinestock
All of our plantings are high quality clonal vinestock sourced from Inland Desert Nursery in Benton City. Most of the Rhone varietals are Tablas Creek clones, which are cuttings from vines at Château de Beaucastel, in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. These cuttings were imported by the Perrin family and subjected to the USDA indexing process to ensure that they are free of virus.
Characteristics of the Tablas Creek clones are available through the links below. All of our Tablas Creek clones are TCVS A.
http://www.novavine.com/plant_materials/varieties_clones/TablasFront.pdf
http://www.novavine.com/plant_materials/varieties_clones/TablasBack.pdf
We also offer some other unique clones. The VCR clones (Cabernet Franc and Sangiovese) are originally from Vivai Cooperativi Rauscedo, which is based in northern Italy and is one of the world’s largest grapevine nurseries. VCR develops desirable French and Italian clones.
The VCR website (below) describes the characteristics of these clones including a sensory analysis:
http://www.vivairauscedo.com/en/catalogo.php
Plantings
Cabernet Sauvignon Clone #4
Cabernet Sauvignon Clone #6
Cabernet Sauvignon Clone #191
Merlot Clone #3
Merlot Clone #15
Cabernet Franc VCR Clone #10
Petite Verdot Clone #2
Malbec Clone #4
Syrah Joseph Phelps Clone
Syrah Tablas Clone
Grenache Noir Tablas Creek Clone
Mourvedre Tablas Creek Clone
Counoise Tablas Creek Clone
Grenache Blanc Tablas Creek Clone
Picpoul Blanc Tablas Creek Clone
Roussanne Tablas Creek Clone
Marsanne Tablas Creek Clone
Sangiovese VCR Clone #6 (Brunello)
The vineyard was planted in April 2009. It is amazing how straight the rows are. Ken Hart and his crew did a great job. See the photos of the vineyard planting via the menu tab to the left.
The remainder of the property is planted in alfalfa and Brian Maiden is our farming manager.