what's in a name?

As for the name, Stone Cairn, it merely felt like the natural order of my life. Throughout my youth and to this day, one of my family’s most enjoyed pastimes has been backpacking through, and enjoying, the splendors of the picturesque outdoors of the Pacific Northwest. A cairn, as pictured on the front label of the bottle, is a stack of stones used as indication of being on the correct path to reach an intended destination. Every cairn has been touched and improved upon through innumerable helping hands during the course of its life, which is evident in the uniqueness of each cairn’s structure. When the correct helping hands impart their knowledge on the cairn, the structure will, with time, become a self sustaining and inimitable object, as I believe could be said about my Stone Cairn wine.

vineyards & growing season

After a string of cool to moderate vintages, Washington State saw a shift in 2013 to the warmest vintage in the last decade. An early bud break was followed by warm July and August temperatures. Cooler September temperatures allowed grapes to hang in the vineyard longer and gain great complexity.

Shaw, Obelisco, Quintessence, and Ciel du Cheval Vineyards, all located in the Red Mountain AVA, are four of my favorites.  These Particular vineyards always express the terroir of Red Mountain especially well. The rich soils, dependable air drainage, and limited rainfall result in highly concentrated berries with dense skins, rich inky color, and daring complexity.