1996 Hedges Three Vineyards Red Wine

Hedges Family Estate was founded in 1987 when Tom and Ann-Marie Hedges, a couple with ties to France --Marie is from the Champagne -- produced their first commercial Columbia Valley Cabernet/Merlot blend. The pair had spent a decade working for large agricultural concerns, but they wanted to be wine producers. Their original idea was to set up a wine producer/brokerage business on the model of the French negoiciants. But in 1989 they purchased 50 acres in the Red Mountain district of Washington’s Yakima Valley and began growing their own grapes. In 1995 the couple built a chateau in Red Mountain. Today the estate is still owned and operated by the Hedges family, which now includes adult children. Hedges is known for its red blends and its Merlot, but it also produces Chardonnay and Syrah. The estate has won numerous awards for its wines.

Yakima Valley AVA was the first AVA created in Washington State. The valley, a 600,000-acre area in south central Washington, was granted AVA status in 1983. In 1984 Columbia Valley was given AVA status, and Yakima Valley was enclosed within the Columbia Valley AVA. Nevertheless, Yakima Valley remains home to the largest concentration of vineyards and wineries in the state. There are more than 60 wineries and some 16,000 vineyard acres, and nearly 40% of Washington wines are made with Yakima Valley grapes. The most frequently planted grape is Chardonnay, followed by Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Winemaking here dates to 1869, when a winemaker from Alsace planted grape vines. Vineyard planting and wine production plodded along slowly until the early 1980s when numerous modern pioneers started making well-reviewed Yakima Valley wines. Some of the state’s newest, most closely watched appellations, including Red Mountain AVA and Horse Heaven Hills AVA, are contained within Yakima Valley.