High Heaven Vintners Discovering High Heaven Vintners Wines
Inspired by the beautiful, natural backdrop surrounding the vineyards of eastern Washington State, High Heaven winery truly means heaven in a bottle for wine lovers. Crafting estate-grown and bottled wines from select AVAs across the wider Columbia Valley, High Heaven winery captures the state’s spirit of top creativity, quality, and provenance. With more than a century of winemaking and farming experience, High Heaven has a vineyard-first philosophy that prioritizes the health of the vines, with the goal of bringing the finest Columbia Valley wines to life.
This clear-cut vision is driven by Mark Zirkle, owner of Zirkle Fruit and fifth-generation fruit farmer, and Marc D. Taub, third-generation wine business powerhouse. Bonded by a shared love for the incredible, diverse terroir of the Columbia Valley, these two impressive families — along with acclaimed winemaker Rebecca De Kleine, who’s at the helm of their state-of-the-art cellar — High Heaven Vintners are helping to write a new chapter in wines from Washington state.
High Heaven’s entirely estate-grown and bottled range hails from top-sited, family-owned plots including the Beverly Vineyard (Columbia Valley AVA), Soaring Eagle (Wahluke Slope AVA), Zillah Ranch (Rattlesnake Hills AVA), McNary (Horse Heaven Hills AVA), and Four Feathers (Columbia Valley AVA). Packaged with stunning artwork that was hand drawn and painted by sought-after Seattle tattoo artists, the current portfolio includes Cloud Mountain Chardonnay, Majestic Pines Cabernet Sauvignon, Sea of Tranquility Merlot, Starshower Riesling, and Roaming Elk Red Blend.
High Heaven Vintners Highlights
High Heaven Vintners wines are estate grown and bottled, rooted in a strong “vineyard first” philosophy and yielding the best grapes possible in their family-owned vineyards.
The wines are grown in top sites across some of Columbia Valley’s premier AVAs, including Wahluke Slope, Horse Heaven Hills, and Rattlesnake Hills.
Inspired by nature, Seattle-based tattoo artists hand drew and painted the illustrations featured on the labels of High Heaven Vintners wines.
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Founded
1980 -
Location
Columbia Valley, Washington, United States of America
Washington’s Columbia Valley — Like Nowhere Else
For many, Washington State evokes images of a rain-soaked Seattle — but this rugged northwestern corner of the United States is bisected by the mighty Cascade Mountains, creating two distinct halves. The eastern side of the mountains, where all but one of the state’s 20 AVAs are located, sits in a protective “rain shadow” that protects it from the Pacific’s influence, creating sunny, semi-desert conditions. (Fun fact: the Columbia Valley enjoys a higher number of average of sunshine days than Napa Valley!) As the second-largest premium wine producer in the country, Washington State is prime grape-growing territory, especially in the east, but the state also grows an abundance of produce, including apples, pears, and cherries.
Growing Wines from Washington State
High Heaven Vintners is based in the Columbia Valley, the largest AVA in Washington State — and the birthplace of Washington’s wine business. The region is located roughly along the 46th parallel, a similar latitude to Bordeaux, France and Piedmont, Italy. Comprising mainly fast-draining, sandy soils — remnants of the ancient Missoula Floods — the region is home to numerous meso- and microclimates, although each enjoy the same generally sunny, dry conditions of the rain shadow.
For instance, the Wahluke Slope AVA, home to High Heaven’s Soaring Eagle Vineyard, is where some of the state’s warmest (south-facing) plots are located. Rattlesnake Hills’ south-facing, higher-altitude sites (where you’ll find the estate’s Zillah Ranch Vineyard) rarely get hit with frost and are famed for producing stunning Rieslings.
Little wonder this area’s referred to as a “heaven” for grape growing.
Sustainability Practices by the Vintners
All vineyards at High Heaven Vintners are third-party sustainability certified by Sustainable WA. Sustainable WA is Washington’s first state-wide program for certifying the sustainability of wine grape growing/farming and covers three pillars of sustainability: environmentally sound, socially equitable, and economically viable. It is a rigorous, science-based program built with continuous improvement in mind.
Rebecca De Kleine on Learning + Sharing
Rebecca De Kleine, winemaker for High Heaven Vintners, has been active for many years in the Washington wine industry with organizations for both winemaking and growing. She enjoys the educational aspect of these opportunities and attributes some advancements in industry to the value of these organizations. “The learning and sharing are what they’re about. An industry can advance and innovate with good industry support. I’ve learned a lot by being involved — the vast knowledge of the community is exceptional; this industry is exceptional.”
