Winery Information

Tasting Room Hours
Daily:  10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Winter hours subject to change.  Please call in advance.

Winemaker:   Frédérique Spencer Vineyard Acreage:  350 contracted Average Annual Production: 80,000 cases Products:  Cabernet Sauvignon,  Merlot,  Merlot Rosé, Malbec, Red Blend, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay Products sold only through the tasting room or the wine club: Merlot Rosé, Ellipse (Port style)

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Land of Sage... and Cabernet... and Merlot

     Located at the northern tip of the Yakima Valley, within the much larger, premier growing region of Washington's Columbia Valley, Sagelands Vineyard and Winery is a short, ten-mile drive east of the City of Yakima.  The winery name was inspired by the book "East of the Mountains" in which  author David Guterson uses the word "sage" to describe the land of Eastern Washington, its indigenous flora and its native people. The name of  local Indian people can be translated in English to mean "sage people."  

 

      Sagelands Vineyard seemed the ideal choice, honoring this land's past, as well as its present -- land that grows wild sagebrush as well as it grows stellar Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.  Sagelands' Winemaker Frederique Spencer uses fruit from vineyards located in what is referred to as the "Four Corners" of the Columbia Valley...  the Rattlesnake Ridge, Wahluke Slope, Horse Heaven Hills, and the Walla Walla Valley.  From these remarkable areas, Spencer sources and then blends quality grapes, creating quality wines of the Columbia Valley. 

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      Frederique appreciates all aspects of winegrowing and winemaking at Sagelands, and employs the latest viticultural techniques and the newest clonal materials to the winery's premium wines.  When she blends fruit for wines, the result is fruit-forward, elegant wine that expresses the synergy of flavors from several Four Corner locations.

      Frederique says one of the best things about her job is she's always trying to improve. "We're always trying something new in the vineyard to make the best wine possible," says Frederique.

      Sagelands is one of only a handful of Washington State wineries that blends the five classic red Bordeaux varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon with small amounts of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec.

      Plan to visit Sagelands where you are sure to enjoy your picnic beside the vineyard while viewing Mount Adams to the southwest.

Featured Sagelands Wines

1 case 10% discount
2 or more cases 15% discount

2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Four Corners
Columbia Valley
$13.00 per bottle [Order Now]
New Release

Our grapes come from the "Four Corners," a quartet of distinct growing regions within Washington state's Columbia Valley.  Combining traditional methods and modern technology, we harmoniously blend these grapes to take advantage of each region's unique character.  This allows us to create a more complex and versatile mosaic than is possible from a single source.  Most of the grapes came from Doval Vineyard, located at the bottom of Saddle Mountain by the mighty Columbia River. The balance came from more mature Spring Creek and Elephant Mountain vineyards, on the southern slopes of the Rattlesnake Hills, Andrews Vineyard on the Horse Heaven Hills and PepperBridge Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley.  Cabernet Sauvignon (79%) is blended with small amounts of the other four traditional Bordeaux varietals... Merlot (15%), to soften tannins and add complexity and fruitiness, Malbec (4%), for fragrance and dark color, Cabernet Franc (1%) to add a floral and herbal touch, and Petit Verdot (1%) for a hint of blueberry.  Although this Cabernet Sauvignon is very approachable now, it will continue to gain complexity with a few years of bottle aging.

2003 Merlot Four Corners
Columbia Valley
$13.00 per bottle  [Order Now]
91 pts/Best Buy - Wine Enthusiast
Silver Medal - Grand Harvest Awards
Silver Medal - New World International Wine Competition

We gently destemmed the grapes without crushing to obtain more full berries and then cold soaked for one or two days before fermentation.  After aging the separate lots in American oak barrels, we blended them together to produce a wine of great expression. This year, the addition of Cabernet Sauvignon enriched the mid-palate and enhanced the ultimate flavors.

This bright, garnet-colored Merlot displays a vibrant nose of red raspberry and Bing cherry with notes of blueberry and vanilla. The delicate and medium-bodied wine shows the same flavors as on the nose, with a nice touch of spice from the oak. The palate is very soft and round thanks to fine tannins. The fruit expression lingers on a pleasing finish. This wine pairs well with pork tenderloin, cheese plates and chicken tajine. 85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon.

2002 Freddie's Blend
Columbia Valley
$13.00 per bottle  [Order Now]
88 pts - Wine Spectator

Winemaker and master blender Frédérique Spencer created this 2002 blend of 78% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Malbec and 2% Syrah . After gentle de-stemming, the grapes were cold soaked for two days. Pumpovers and maceration time were kept to a minimum in order to create a soft wine with well-integrated tannins.  The wine was aged in barrels for 12 months in separate lots. After blending, the wine was filtered and bottled.

Bright garnet in color, the 2002 Freddie’s Blend reveals an intense nose of Bing cherry, red plum and marionberry, with a delicate touch of sweet vanilla and spices. On the palate, the wine shows bright cherry flavors, round tannins and a touch of cedar and cinnamon on the lingering finish. Pairs nicely with pork tenderloin with plum sauce, roasted herb chicken and warm chocolate desserts spiced with a touch of cinnamon. 

2005 Pinot Gris
100% Pinot Gris
$12.00 per bottle  [Order Now]
New Release

Winemaker Notes not yet available

2005 Chardonnay
Columbia Valley
$12.00 per bottle  [Order Now]
New Release

Winemaker Notes not yet available

N/V Ellipse Dessert Wine
Columbia Valley
$20.00 per 375ml bottle
Available only at winery

Produced using the traditional Spanish solera system used to age sherry. This system ensures consistency in style and quality. As the older wine is racked off for blending and bottling, the barrels are topped up with younger wines, producing consistent blends year after year.  After de-stemming and a two-day cold soak, the grapes (Cabernet Sauvignon) for the Ellipse Dessert Wine were inoculated with selected yeasts. When the natural sugars dropped to the desired level (around eight to ten degrees Brix), a small amount of juice was run off into a tank and fortified with brandy, stopping further fermentation and retaining the residual sugars.

A Port-style dessert wine, Ellipse is a blend of young, ruby-hued wine with fresh and fruity-sweet characteristics and older, aged wine. It has a pale mahogany color and lighter, more polished body than a traditional Port, with complex, concentrated flavors of delicate oak, caramel, nuts and dried figs. An excellent after-dinner sipper to be enjoyed with aged cheese, chocolate truffles or decadent desserts such as bittersweet chocolate molten cake with warm huckleberry sauce.

To order Sagelands wines, use the winery's ordering webpage
or call the winery directly at:

1-509-877-2112 or
toll free at:  1-800-967-8115
between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm Pacific Time

Copyright © 1997 -  2007   Susan R. O'Hara. All rights reserved.
Last revised: 01/08/2007