92 POINTS - Owen Bargreen

This takes the lead with aromatics of poached pear, nectarine rind, with suggestions of vanilla cream and baking spices on this expressive nose. The palate is plush, showing off its silky texture. Layers of orchard fruits mingle with minerals, suggestions of smoke and baking spice infused Challah bread. While enticing to savor in its youth, the combination of weight, length and acidity suggest this will cellar well for the next eight to ten years, picking up tertiary tones as it ages gracefully. Drink 2020-2028

Kenny Hill Vineyard

This sloped, south-facing 70 acre parcel was purchased in the summer of 2008 as a joint venture between Andy & Bill Den Hoed and the Blair and Dunham families of Dunham Cellars. It is located 4 miles east of the Walla Walla aiprort up the Mill Creek drainage in the Blue Mountain foothills at an elevation of 1450 feet. The precipitation, elevation, slope, and naturally occurring breezes at this site provide a rare low incidence of frost and opportunity to grow non- irrigated grapes.

Prior to the purchase of this property, Dunham's vineyard management company, AMG, planted The Yellow Bird Vineyard, a dry land vineyard on the east side of Kenny Hill, for the Chan Family. There is no agricultural water right at this site. With full control of farming practices from the soil preparation to the varieties and clones selected for planting, we watched for successes and shortfalls at Yellow Bird.

After two years, the successes of Yellow Bird prompted us to purchase the property now known as Kenny Hill. We continued our dedication to restoring soil life and nutrition and using sustainable practices to ensure a healthy vineyard for generations to come. Wheat and legumes had previously been cropped on this land and had depleted its micro-biology. We ripped the land and incorporated a complex mix of organic compost and nutrients, thereby enhancing the soils water retention capability. After careful clone selection of varietals, we planted the first half of the vineyard in the spring of 2010, a year and half after acquiring the land. In the fall of 2012, we delivered the first beautiful crop of grapes from Kenny Hill Vineyard.

KEN HART

Besides being the winemaker and owner for Tulpen Cellars, Ken Hart is the vineyard manager for our Kenny Hill Vineyard in the Mill Creek area of Walla Walla. He is the General Manager of Appellation Management Group which develops and manages vineyards within the Walla Walla Valley. Kenny has been involved with the planting of many vineyards in the valley including Seven Hills, Pepper Bridge, Nicholas Cole, Ash Hollow, and Yellow Bird.