Otis Vineyard
Established in 1957 by Otis Harlan, Otis Vineyard is one of the most celebrated vineyards in Washington State. Located in the Yakima Valley on the lower slopes of the Rattlesnake Hills, Otis boasts the oldest Cabernet Sauvignon plantings in the state and was the first vineyard in Washington to plant Pinot Gris, used today to produce Columbia Winery’s Pinot Gris. Otis Vineyard is comprised of extremely sandy soil. The oldest vineyards are in deep sand and incline to the south. Some of the younger plantings slope westward and have clay beneath the sandy topsoil.
A unique feature of Otis Vineyard is the old fan-trained Cabernet Sauvignon vines, a system of training used in Northern Europe before the advent of phylloxera. Because of their age, the Cabernet vines from Otis Vineyard produce wines with great depth and consistency. The vines are planted on a south slope in light, sandy soil allowing the grapes to ripen well. The resulting wine, with its black currant, brambleberry, blackberry and herbaceous characteristics, displays tremendous acid balance and great finesse.
Columbia Winery’s longstanding relationship with Otis Vineyard began in 1979. Winemaker David Lake first produced a single vineyard-designated wine from Otis with the 1981 release of Cabernet Sauvignon. The image of a fan-trained vine is used on Columbia Winery’s Otis Vineyard designated wines.