Put hand selected clones in nano-planted blocks at higher elevation on Red Mountain, often at high density and sometimes with northern aspects. Use this and a variety of trellising techniques to achieve longer hang times and wines with more intensity, freshness, and non-fruit characteristics. Farm it all with a maniacal level of attention and try and make wines that elevate the notion of what is possible in Washington.
WeatherEye is both a vineyard in the Red Mountain AVA of Washington State, and an estate wine brand utilizing the talents of Vineyard Manager Ryan Johnson, Owner Cameron Myhrvold and Winemaker Todd Alexander. The WeatherEye Estate wines are offered on an allocation basis with three releases per year. If you would like to join the mailing list to receive an offer on these small-production wines, please click here.
Our Hillfighter label wines are available throughout the year and can be found here.
The WINES
The RED RHONES
2020 WeatherEye Estate Grenache
“Fresh, rocky and firm, the 2020 Grenache offers a cherry core, with a pleasing dusty mineral essence, hints of wild herbs, sage and picturesque crunchy red fruit that shines with purity and finesse. Full-bodied, the generously-layered 96 points Grenache unwinds on the palate to reveal seductive crunchy red fruit tones, delicate mineral tension, a firm, tannic edge and a slightly spicy note on the finish. It’s a hedonistic wine that proves Washington State can do almost anything. The wine spent 18 months in neutral oak. Watch out for this release later this year. Bravo! 2,100 bottles produced. 96 points” — Anthony Mueller, Wine Advocate
2020 WeatherEye Estate
Syrah
“In the glass, it sports a dark purple core with a blueish-tinted rim. Wild blueberry, blue plum, crushed peppercorn, roasted brisket, mountain sagebrush, mocha powder, and scorched clove are wonderfully integrated and beautifully presented. The nose is so enticing and gorgeous, with lush huckleberry and black olive tones on the medium to full-bodied palate. Perfect levels of acidity, silky tannins, and a lengthy perfect finish. If you can find this bottle of wine, buy 6 and open one up every other year for the next 12 years. Highly recommended and editor’s choice. 97 points” – Jeremy Young, International Wine Report
2020 WeatherEye Estate Mourvèdre
“Blackberries, mulberries, new leather, savory herbs, sagebrush, and baking spice notes all emerge from the 2020 Mourvedre Estate, a medium to full-bodied, silky, elegant Mourvèdre with plenty of mid-palate depth, beautiful balance, and building yet integrated tannins. It shows the focused, elegant style of the vintage yet brings beautiful richness and depth, as well as length. There’s not much made, but this is well worth the extra effort to track down and is one of the finest expressions of the variety coming out of Washington today. 96 points” – Jeb Dunnuck
cabernet, tempranillo and the raven
2020 WeatherEye Estate Tempranillo
“Medium plum-ruby core with a bright pink rim in the glass. Opening with notes of dark brambly fruits, toasted baking spice, potpourri, crushed blackberry, and wet earth, the 2020 Tempranillo from Weathereye is a full-bodied effort that is wonderfully balanced and impeccably made. Tannins are structured while the acidity is perfectly balanced. 95 points” – International Wine Report
2020 WeatherEye Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
“This is an all-powerful yet refined Cabernet. It displays a nearly opaque ruby-purple color and an intoxicating nose of blackberry, black currant, fig and black plum, with scents of mulberry, sweet tobacco, cedar, black olive, vanillin, wild violets and sweet incense. The flavors are bold, almost massive and mouth encompassing, with dark fruits that are infused with licorice root and Red Mountain hilltop baked earth. Opulent pressed fruits, roasted walnuts, cassis liqueurs, integrated fine grained oak, all extending into a long, long firm yet ripe satiny tannin finish. 20/20 points.” — Rand Sealey Report on Washington Wine
2021 WeatherEye Estate
The Raven's Share
“The 2021 The Raven’s Share is the Right Bank-themed red from this team, and it’s 36% Cabernet Franc, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 29% Merlot. Leafy herbs, iron, lead pencil shavings, and earthy red and black fruits give this an almost Pomerol-like vibe, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with a round, voluptuous mouthfeel and a great finish. All destemmed and still aging in 60% new barrels, this is another brilliant wine that will round into form with just a few years of bottle age.” — 95-97 points, Jeb Dunnuck
the white wines
2021 WeatherEye Estate L'Atomique
“Intense aromas of Asian pear-apple, Elberta peach, Valencia orange, cantaloupe and papaya, with scents of pear and orange blossoms, honeysuckle, daylilies, butternut and orange incense. The flavors are attention-getting, with lush yet brisk yellow and orange fruits that are infused with pear skins, peach stones and scorched earth and minerals. On the back, a seductive richness emerges, with poire and pêche liqueurs, and touches of orange custard and toasted hazelnuts, followed by a lengthy vigorous precise fruit acid finish. If you want a rich yet highly complicated white, this is for you. 19.5/20 points.” — Rand Sealey Report on Washington Wine
2021 WeatherEye Estate Clairette
“Produced from a variety originating in southern France, this white shows a brilliant straw-gold color and intriguing aromas of Anjou pear, white peach, Casaba melon and Key lime, with scents of pear blossoms, lemongrass, jasmine and wet stone. The flavors, as well, are distinctive, with notes of pear skin, peach stone, melon rind and saline hilltop minerals. The back picks up poire and pêche liqueurs and touches of beeswax, toasted almonds and lime zest, on the way to a precise, almost laser-like faintly honeyed yet nearly bone dry finish. A new direction in white wine. 19.5/20 points.” — Rand Sealey Report on Washington Wine
2021 WeatherEye Estate Marsanne
“This is a highly impressive Marsanne. Brilliant gold colored, it possesses perfumed aromas of Asian pear-apple, Elberta peach, cantaloupe, Key lime, litchi, pear blossoms, honeysuckle, jasmine and orange incense. The flavors are deep and extracted (from extended skin contact), with yellow and green fruits that are accented by peach stones, pear skins and high elevation stones. The back picks up poire William and pêche liqueurs, nougat and touches of melon rind and lime zest on the way to a lengthy richly juiced finish that is lifted by bright fruit acids. 19.5/20 points.” — Rand Sealey Report on Washington Wine
2021 WeatherEye Estate Roussanne
“A lovely light to medium lemon core with a watery rim, the 2021 Rousanne by Weathereye is my favorite of the whites from 2021. Incredibly floral on the nose with notes of Meyer lemon oil, white chocolate, toasted almonds, crushed stone minerality, and bitter herbs. It’s a serious wine that will need some food at the table to come alive. Better in 2024 and then enjoy over the next decade. 95 points” — Jeremy Young, International Wine Report
Hillfighter wines
Introducing our Hillfighter Series wines. For Hillfighter, the emphasis is on the art of blending. Currently, we make one Red and one White sourced from a mixture of the very same grapes and vineyard blocks used to create the WeatherEye Estate flagship wines.
When it comes to building the Hillfighter Series, we allow ourselves more freedom to play with the blends with no predetermined destination, and as such, we expect the wines to tell a different story each year. Experimentation has an important role at WeatherEye, as it allows us to fine-tune our viticultural techniques and helps us to better understand our vineyard and how it interacts with the terroir of Red Mountain. And at the end of the day…we want the results to be delicious! It’s our intention for the Hillfighter wines to be enjoyed anytime – now, or cellar them for additional complexity over the coming years.